Is Affectionate Physical Contact With Friends From the Sunna?

Question:  Would it be okay to say that affectionate physical contact is from the Sunna? If not, is it a sin and how do I repent?

Answer:

Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

No, those statements are not sinful, and you do not have to repent. It would probably be more accurate to say that close physical contact with one’s friends, such a holding hands or placing one’s head in someone’s lap was customary expressions of affection in Arab society.

These customs change from time to time and from place to place. Certain people are more open is physical displays of affection than others. This does not have any negative implications, nor it is impermissible. In some societies, a heart handshake is all that is tolerated, and in others, holding the hands of one’s friends of the same gender is seen as normal.

Each society is different and should be judged on its own standards. I hope that helps.
May Allah take us by the hand to His pleasure. Amin.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.