Is it permissible to bow to someone (as a form of greeting)?

[Abu Faatimah]

قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله تعالى:

وأما الانحناء عند التحية : فينهى عنه كما في الترمذي عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم "أنهم سألوه عن الرجل يلقى أخاه ينحنى له؟ قال: لا " ولأن الركوع والسجود لا يجوز فعله إلا لله عز وجل وإن كان هذا على وجه التحية في غير شريعتنا كما في قصة يوسف (وخروا له سجَّداً وقال يا أبت هذا تأويل رؤياي من قبل) وفي شريعتنا لا يصلح السجود إلا لله ، بل قد تقدم نهيه عن القيام كما يفعله الأعاجم بعضها لبعض فكيف بالركوع والسجود؟ وكذلك ما هو ركوع ناقص يدخل في النهي عنه

مجموع الفتاوى ( 1 / 377 )

Shaykh ul-Islām ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله تعالى said:

With regards to bowing when greeting someone, it is not permissible, as it was narrated in Sunan at-Tirmidhi, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about a man who bowed when he meets his brother. He replied: "No! (do not do that)." Because it is not permissible to bow or prostrate to anyone except Allāh, The Mighty The Majestic, even though doing this by way of greeting was acceptable according to the teachings of earlier Prophets, ie the story of Yusuf عليه السلام, "…and they fell down before him in prostration and he said: "O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream aforetime…" [Surah Yusuf Āyah 100]. But according to our laws (The Sharī'ah), it is not acceptable to prostrate to anyone except to Allāh. In fact there is even a prohibition on standing up in greeting for one another as the non-Arabs do, so how about bowing and prostrating?! That which is a partial bow is also included in the prohibition.

Majmū al-Fatāwa ibn Taymiyyah 1/377

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