Question:

What is the ruling in Shariah regarding a person who pays allegiance to his king by bowing before him? Is he a Muslim? Is his salat and fasting accepted by Allah?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

It is makrooh tahreemi (i.e. prohibited and sinful) to bow before the king or anyone else, as such an act is the practice of non-Muslims. If a person did this, he committed a sinful and prohibited act and he must repent to Allah Ta'ala and ask for His forgiveness.

Although bowing before the king is a sinful and prohibited act, if a person does do it, he does not become a kafir. The family, friends and associates of such a person should kindly admonish him not to do it again. [1]

And Allah knows best.

Mufti Faizal Riza
5/9/2012
Darul Ifta Australia
www.fatwa.org.au
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[1] جئنا إلى الانحناء للسلطان أو لغيره وأنه مكروه؛ لأنه يشبه فعل المجوس (المحيط البرهاني: 8/ 117 ، إدارة القرآن )

الانحناء للسلطان أو لغيره مكروه لأنه يشبه فعل المجوس كذا في جواهر الأخلاطي، يكره الانحناء عند التحية وبه ورد النهي كذا في التمرتاشي ( الفتاوى الهندية: 5/ 449 ، دار الكتب العلمية )

وفي المحيط أنه يكره الانحناء للسلطان وغيره اهـ ( رد المحتار: 9/ 632 ، دار المعرفة )

 

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