25.) Must
one kiss the hand of a shaykh as a sign of respect?
Not at
all. Certainly, no true shaykh expects this, although for various reasons (none of which
are self-serving), the shaykh may permit it to happen.
At the
same time, shaykhs often will bend over backward to avoid offending people or rebuffing
their desire to make physical contact. Consequently, since many people come to a shaykh
with the mistaken belief that kissing the shaykh's hand is expected of them and/or with
the desire to have some form of physical contact -- however small this may be -- with the
shaykh, the shaykh may permit their hands to be kissed even though they personally do not
want or care for this sort of activity.
The fact
that things of this sort go on in the presence of a shaykh does not necessarily reveal
anything about the reasoning employed by a shaykh concerning such occurrences. In fact,
the motivations, intentions and adab of a shayhk may be far removed from the sorts of
unseemly intentions, motivations and values which would-be critics may seek to impose on
the shayhk.
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