Some people say that to kiss the hands & the feet of the pious people are prohibited & Shirk (associating partners with Allah). They say that by bending (like in Ruku) & kissing the feet of the pious we are making Sajdah to a creation of Allah Ta'ala. The Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama'at believes that this act is permissible & desirable as the books of Ahadees prove that the Ahlebait & the Sahaba-e-Ikraam kissed the blessed hands & feet of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) & they even kissed the hands & the feet of one another.
The word Sajdah in the Shari'at is meant that while doing Sajdah eight parts of the human body must touch the ground, namely both feet (toes), both the knees, both the arms (hands), nose & the forehead, with the express intention (Niyat) of doing Sajdah. Without the clear intention of Sajdah if a person lies on the ground by bending his legs & feet (as is susally done when some one feels extreme cold or he is inflicted with some ailment), this will not mean Sajdah. Therefore, to kiss the feet of the elders or pious persons is not Sajdah since it does not satisfy the conditions of Sajdah.
Sajdah Tahiyat was permissible from the time of Sayyiduna Adam (alaihis salaam) to the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). The Angels offered Sajdah before Sayyiduna Adam (alaihis salaam). Sayyiduna Yaqub (alaihis salaam) & the brothers of Sayyiduna Yusuf (alaihis salaam) offered Sajdah to Sayyiduna Yusuf (alaihis salaam). Later on, this Sajdah Tahiyah was declared as Haraam in the Shari'at of Islam as well. Any one doing Sajdah-e-Tahiyah is guilty of a sin & committing act of Haraam. But he is not a Mushrik or a Kaafir. He can offer repentance (Taubah) in the presence of Allah.
As far as the question of bending before someone is concerned, this bending is of two kinds. If it is by way of respect to anyone, provided it is not to the extent of bending as in Ruku. If it is so then it is Haraam & Islamic Jurists have forbidden this kind of bending. The other kind of bending is while doing some other work such as picking the shoes with a spirit of respect. This latter posture is permissible (Halaal) as it has no tinge of worship.
When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) visited the house of his daughter, Sayyiduna Fatima Zahra (radi Allahu anha), she would stand up for him in respect, take his hand & kiss it & make him sit in her place. When Sayyiduna Fatima Zahra (radi Allahu anha) visited the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), then he would stand up for her, hold her hand & kiss it & allow her to sit in his place. (Abu Dawood; Mishkaat Shareef)
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhuma) says that the Sahaba-e-Ikiram kissed the blessed hands of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). (Abu Dawood)
Hazrat Ashbah (radi Allahu anhu) went to the court of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), held the hand of the Holy Prophet (sallallahualaihi wasallam) & kissed it. The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said, "In you there are two habits which is dear to Almighty Allah & the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam)." (Adab-ul-Mufrad) From this incident it is clear that the kissing of the hands is a desired action, which was even preferred by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).
Once, two Jews came to the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) & asked him a question. The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) answered them. Thereafter, they kissed the hands & the feet of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) & told him that they bear testimony that he is a Nabi. (Tirmizi Shareef; Mishkaat Shareef)
A man came to the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) & told him that he had taken a vow that should Allah Ta'ala grant Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) victory over Makkah, he would go the Holy Kaaba & kiss the chaukat. The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) instructed him: "Go & kiss the feet of your mother. Your vow will be complete." (Umdatul Qaari)
Imam Ghazzali (alaihir rahmah) states that Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (radi Allahu anhu) kissed the hand of Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (radi Allahu anhu). (Kimya-e Sa'adat; Awaariful Mu'aarif)
Whenever the Sahaba-e-Ikraam would return from a journey they would embrace one another & kiss the hands of one another. (Bustaan-ul-Arifeen)
It is said in "Alamgiri", Bab Mulaqat-ul-Muluk, that if someone kisses the hand of a learned Scholar or the just King because of his erudition (learning) & the quality of justice with his people then there is no harm in it.
In the same book "Alamgiri", Bab Ziyaratil Qubur, it is said that it does not matter much if some one kisses the graves of his parents.
Some have added another kind of kiss as a mark of religious sanctity like of the Hajar-e-Aswad. (Alamgiri)
There is another kiss & it is in respect of religious sanctity & it is the kissing of Hajar-e-Aswad & the threshold of the Holy Kaaba. Some have said that kissing the Holy Quran is Bid'at. However, it is reported that Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu) used to kiss the Holy Quran every morning by holding it in his hands. Kissing the bread (roti) is permissible before Imam Shafa'ee (radi Allahu anhu) as a permissible Bid'at or Bid'at-e-Hasanah. (Durr-e-Mukhtar)
It is now obvious that to kiss the hands & feet of the pious & respected persons is Sunnah & those who regard this Shirk & a Bid'at have no basis in their arguments.
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