This letter is from `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah Ibn Baz to his honorable brother, may Allah increase him in knowledge and faith! Amen. Peace be upon you!
I have received your first letter dated 9/4/1374 AH (may Allah guide you and grant you success) and later I received your second letter. I delayed answering your questions until I had the time to discuss them in detail but unfortunately, due to the great amount of work and having no time after lectures at the institution and other places, I was unable to answer all the four questions included in the first letter elaborately. In this letter, I will answer some of them and delay the rest to my vacation. Please inform me of your address after the end of the academic year, so as to be able to send you the answers to the rest of your questions. May Allah guide us all to know the Truth and to follow it! We seek refuge with Him from misguiding trials, for He is All-Hearing, Ever Near! You asked about the meaning of the word "Ma`iyyah" and here is the answer. Allah (Glorified be He) mentions two types of Ma`iyyah (Allah being with His creation): general and particular. The first is mentioned in the Ayah (Qur'anic verse): And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. The second is mentioned in the Ayah: Be not sad (or afraid), surely Allâh is with us. and: I am with you both, hearing and seeing. There are other Ayahs to the same effect. Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah (those adhering to the Sunnah and the Muslim main body) are of the opinion that Ma`iyyah is one of the Attributes of Allah (Glorified be He) as befits His Glory. Moreover, they attest to
Allah's Istiwa' (Allah's rising over the Throne in a manner that befits Him), His `Uluw (Allah being high above His creation) and His Glorification above mixing with His creations. Allah (Glorified be He) is the Most High despite His Nearness and the Most Near despite His Highness. The two Attributes of Ma`iyyah and `Uluw - in a manner that befits Allah - do not involve Tashbih (comparison) to one of His creations or negate one another. Jahmiyyah and Mu`tazilah (deviant Islamic sects) uses the Ayahs to prove Allah's Ma`iyyah, deny Allah's `Uluw and claim that He is Omnipresent. The Salaf (righteous predecessors) denied these claims and agreed that Allah's Ma`iyyah entails His Knowledge of His servants' affairs despite His Istiwa'. That is why Allah begins and ends the Ayahs referring to general Ma`iyyah by mentioning His Knowledge in order to inform His servants that His Ma`iyyah entails His encompassing Knowledge of their affairs. Based upon this, the majority of the Salaf scholars have interpreted the Ayahs which mention Ma`iyyah as referring to Allah's Knowledge. Other scholars have discussed Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah's consensus on interpreting Ayahs talking about Ma`iyyah as referring to Allah's Knowledge and denying the claims of Jahmiyyah and Mu`tazilah, who say Allah is Omnipresent and who deny His Attributes of `Uluw and Istiwa' (May Allah curse them! How can they deny the Truth). Thus, we know that interpreting the word "Ma`iyyah" as Knowledge is not only the opinion of Shaykh Taqiy Al-Din only, but is also the opinion of Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah. The Shaykh (may Allah be merciful with him) wrote in his book "Al-Wasitiyyah" what supports the obligation of believing in the two Attributes of Allah, namely `Uluw and Ma`iyyah without Tahrif (distortion of the meaning) and false claims. You can refer to the book if you are interested. In general, the Shaykh (may Allah be merciful with him) meant that it is obligatory to confirm the Ma`iyyah and `Uluw of Allah above the Throne in a manner that befits Him and does not compare Him to any of His creations. Al-Hafizh ibn Kathir (may Allah be merciful with him) while interpreting the Ayah: There is no Najwâ (secret counsel) of three but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven) he said, "The majority of scholars agree that what is meant in this Ayah,
regarding Ma`iyyah, is Allah's Knowledge and there is no doubt in this". These words do not negate interpreting Ma`iyyah as knowledge, since it is what is meant and intended by it. This is the true meaning of it. Ma`iyyah refers to Allah's Knowledge of all things related to the affairs of His servants, as for its manner, it is only known to Allah just as the rest of His Attributes. Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah believe in the Names and Attributes of Allah and understand their meanings but do not know their manner. Only Allah knows the exact manner of assuming His Attributes, as He alone knows His Dhat (Essence). Exalted and Glorified be He above the false claims of those who deny or compare His Attributes to those of humans. Imam Malik (may Allah be merciful with him) and other scholars among Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah said, "Allah's Istiwa' is known, its manner is unknown, and believing in it is obligatory." This is the adopted view in relation to all of Allah's Attributes and Allah knows best. As for standing up for the teacher when he enters the classroom, many Hadith Sahih (authentic Hadith) support the view that it is Makruh (reprehensible) or even Haram (prohibited). It is related on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, "None was more beloved to them (i.e., the Companions) than the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), but they did not stand up upon seeing him, for they knew how much he hated that." (Related by Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhy who termed the Hadith as Hasan (good), Sahih (authentic) and Gharib (a Hadith with a single narrator usually at the beginning of the chain of narration))
Therefore, a teacher should not approve of such behavior from the students, based on a Hadith related on the authority of Mu`awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, "Anyone who likes people to stand up fore him should prepare himself for his abode in Hellfire." (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhy with a good Sanad (chain of narrators) and Al-Tirmidhy ranked it as a Hadith Hasan)It is also related by Abu Dawud with a weak Sanadon the authority of Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out to us leaning on a stick. We stood up (in respect to him) but he said: 'Do not stand up as non-Arabs do, showing respect to one another.'" This Hadith is also related by Ahmad and Ibn Majah. All of the previous Hadith were related by Al-Hafizh Muhammad ibn Muflih in his "Al-Adab Al-Shar`iyyah",
vol. 1, pp. 464-465. Some scholars exclude from the ruling in these Hadith someone standing up to welcome a returning traveler, or a long-time friend to shake their hands or embrace them. Other scholars excluded a son standing up for his father to honor or help him, while a father may stand up for his son if he deserves it. What is meant here is standing up to greet and shake hands with the other and in this sense, the exclusion is valid and is supported by evidence from the Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet).It is related in the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. Al-Bukhari and Muslim)that when Sa`d ibn Mu`adh came to pass judgment on Qurayzhah (a Jewish tribe), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet), "Stand and receive your chieftain." He (peace be upon him) meant ordering them to get up to greet him and help him dismount.Here is another Hadith related in the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadithon the authority of Ka`b ibn Malik, "After Allah revealed the acceptance of his Tawbah (repentance to Allah), he went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Masjid (mosque) while the people were sitting around him. Upon seeing Ka`b, Talhah ibn `Ubaydullah got up quickly and went to shake his hand and congratulate him for Allah's Acceptance of his Tawbah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not deny this act." Further, it is related by Abu Dawud, A l-Tirmidhy and Al-Nasa'y with a good Sanadon the authority of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she narrated, "When the Prophet (peace be upon him) would visit Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), she would get up to (welcome) him, take him by the hand, kiss him, and have him sit in her seat. When she came to visit him, he (peace be upon him) would stand to (welcome) her, take her by the hand, kiss her and have her sit in his seat". All these Hadiths clearly support the permissibility of getting up for another Muslim in these cases and prove it is not reprehensible. However, some Muslims today stand whenever their teacher enters to show him respect not to shake hands with him. They only stand up to show respect and honor then sit again. There is no doubt in the undesirability of this act. In addition, a teacher and the like should not approve of this behavior, based on the previous Hadith related on the authority of Mu`awiyah and other Hadiths. In fact, scholars, teachers, knowledge seekers, rulers and prominent figures in the community are the ones most entitled to following the Sunnah and applying its teachings.
If they strictly adhere to the Sunnah, others will follow their suit and if they are negligent the others will be. Our Prophet (peace be upon him), who was the best of all people and the most prominent among the descendants of Adam, hated that anyone should stand up for him. He even forbade the Sahabah from doing this, fearing they would exceed the proper boundaries and imitate non-Arabs who stand up for their rulers and leaders. Allah (Glorified be He) says: Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day, and remembers Allâh much. May Allah guide us all to acquire beneficial knowledge, acting upon it and inviting others to it. The answer to the rest of your questions will be sent to you soon during the vacation. May Allah support us all and peace be upon you!