What is the ruling on greeting with a hand gesture?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Greeting with a gesture is not permissible. The is to greet with words, both initiating and responding, because greeting with a gesture resembles some disbelievers and contradicts what Allah has legislated. However, if a Muslim gestures with his hand to convey his greeting due to the distance of the person being greeted, while also speaking the greeting, there is no harm. Likewise, the person being greeted may respond with a gesture if he is engaged in prayer, as the Sunnah has validated this.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/25581
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 25581
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy