The Sunnah of Kissing the Hand of a Scholar

Shaykh al-Albaanee (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

As regards kissing the hand, there are many ahaadeeth and narrations concerning the issue, all of which indicates that such is established from the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and the salaf. So, we are of the opinion that it is permissible to kiss the hand of a scholar if the following conditions are met: 

1. It should not be taken as a custom in such a manner that the scholar habitually stretches out his hand to his students and they habitually seek blessing by kissing his hand. This is because, even though the hand of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) was kissed, that happened rarely. So it is not permissible to make it a regular Sunnah, as is well known from the principles of jurisprudence.

2. It should not make the scholar feel arrogant towards others and be full of himself, as is common today with some scholars.

3.  It should not lead to discontinuance of a well-known Sunnah such as the Sunnah of shaking hands, because it is legislated through the Prophet’s action and statement and it is a sharee’ah means of the sins of those who shake hands being erased, as is narrated in more than one hadeeth. Therefore, it is not permissible to cancel it because of a practice, which at best, is permissible.

Source: Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah, vol. 1, p. 302, no. 160