Bahai Faith: Multiple Instances Where

Bahaullah and Abdul-Baha Allowed

Their Hands and Feet To Be Kissed
Although They Had Prohibited It
Bahaullah writes in the book of Aqdas:
"The kissing of hands hath been forbidden in the Book. This practice is prohibited
by God, the Lord of glory and command."

Contrary to his own laws, Bahaullah and his son Abdul-Baha allowed multiple
people, Bahai and non-Bahai alike, to kiss their hands. Here we will present a
number of these instances including some instances where the Bahai leaders
allowed their followers to kiss not only their hands but their feet too and
prostrate to them. This article is divided into three sections:
1- The Evidence.
2- The Bahai justification.
3- The Failure the Bahai justification.

1- The evidence
Fortunately, the evidence available in English Bahai sources and testimonies of
trusted eyewitnesses is so numerous that it makes it unnecessary to translate
quotes from Arabic and Persian quotes. But, for the record, translations of some
non-English sources have also been mentioned.
First we will mention instances where Bahaullahs hands have been kissed, then
Abdul-Bahas, and then the kissing of feet and prostrating. Numerous other
instances where the hem of the robe and the ground that these figures stood on
were kissed, have been omitted from the article.
a- The Kissing of Bahaullahs hands
Shoghi effendi narrates the following incident:
The inhabitants of the quarter in which Bahaullah had been living, and the
neighbors who had gathered to bid Him farewell, came one after the other,
writes an eye-witness, with the utmost sadness and regret to kiss His hands
and the hem of His robe, expressing meanwhile their sorrow at His departure . .
. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 181)

The following is narrated from Abdul-Baha:

There was, however, in Akk a certain Mu ammadan Shaykh, a well-known
man with considerable influence, who loved Bahullh and was greatly
favored by Him. I called this Shaykh and explained the position to him. I said,
You are daring. Go tonight to His Holy Presence, fall on your knees before
Him, take hold of His hands and do not let go until He promises to leave the
city! He was an Arab. He went directly to Bahullh and sat down close to
His knees. He took hold of the hands of the Blessed Beauty and kissed them and
asked: Why do you not leave the city? He said: I am a prisoner. The shaykh
replied: God forbid! Who has the power to make you a prisoner? You have kept
yourself in prison. It was your own will to be imprisoned, and now I beg you to
come out and go to the palace. It is beautiful and verdant. The trees are lovely,
and the oranges like balls of fire! As often as the Blessed Beauty said: I am a
prisoner, it cannot be, the Shaykh took His hands and kissed them. For a
whole hour he kept on pleading. (Esslemont, Bahullh and the New Era, p. 36)

Bahiyyih Khanum states the following:

The death of this youngest and favourite child - of a very gentle and sweet
disposition - nearly broke his mother's heart. We feared for her reason. When
the Blessed Perfection was told of the condition of his wife, he went to her and
said: 'Your son has been taken by God that His people might be freed. His life
was the ransom, and you should rejoice that you had a son so dear to give to the
cause of God.' When our mother heard these words she seemed to rally, - knelt,
and kissed the Blessed Perfection's hands, and thanked him for what he had
said. After that she did not shed a tear. (Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khanum,
Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, chap. 3)

A trusted Bahai by the name of Mirza Mirza Habibullah Afnan mentions all
these instances where he and others kissed Bahaullahs hands:
I offered Him a cup of tea. The Tongue of Grandeur stated, Well done! He
drank half of it and gave the rest to me. He also gave me a black rosary made of
dark olive-wood that He was carrying. I kissed His hands. That rosary, which
has been as dear to me as life itself, is now placed in the Archives of the House
of the Bab in Shiraz. (Mirza Habibullah Afnan, Translated by Ahang Rabbani,
Memories of the Bab, Bahaullah and `Abdul-Baha, p. 36)
He sat down and invited us to sit also. With His blessed Hand, He passed to us
the sacred Tablets that He had revealed for each one of us. We reverently kissed
His fingers and read the Tablets. They venerated and glorified each one of us.
(Mirza Habibullah Afnan, Translated by Ahang Rabbani, Memories of the Bab, Bahaullah
and `Abdul-Baha, p. 47)
While these ephemeral servants were in `Akka, the Blessed Beauty called our
mother and sister into His presence and showered them with much admiration
and untold praise. As they were leaving, my mother kissed His blessed hand.

(Mirza Habibullah Afnan, Translated by Ahang Rabbani, Memories of the Bab, Bahaullah
and `Abdul-Baha, p. 48)

b- The Kissing of Abdul-Bahas Hands

There is a video from Abdul-Bahas journey to America that clearly shows
women kissing his hand:

The hand kissing in America attracted so much attention that the title of an
article in the newspaper, The Baltimore Sun, November 12 1912 was Women
kiss his hand. This is how it was described:

With condescension, he greeted his followers as they were presented by the

interpreter, Dr. Ameer U. Farewed, a Persian and a graduate in medicine of
Johns Hopkins University. Oh, I am so glad to see you, was uttered in tones of

reverence by the women as they bowed before him and kissed his
wrinkled hand.

The following quotes also show Abdul-Bahas hands being kissed multiple
times by multiple people:
The Master came to the table and spoke on the danger of wine and alcohol. He
then considered some philosophical subjects and answered questions from the
Consul's wife about misconduct and its harmful consequences. She was pleased
and when He was about to depart expressed her gratitude by kissing His hand.
(Mahmuds Diary, p. 175)
When the Master arrived He was so tired that He went upstairs to rest for a
brief time. When He heard the audience's restlessness and impatience, He
allowed them to come to Him group by group. They came, kissed His hand and
requested His assistance and blessings. (Mahmuds Diary, p. 384)
Except for Abbs Effendi, no one came to my rescue or saw to my needs. How
am I to forget this immense kindness?! From then on, his behavior and
attitude completely changed, and whenever he saw Abdul-Bah, he would rush
forth and kiss the Masters hands and express his obedience and servitude.
(Ahang Rabbani, Eight Years Near Abdu'l-Baha: The Diary of Dr. Habib Mu'ayyad, p. 138)

long the way, wherever we encountered groups of people, men or women,

young or old, they would immediately rise to their feet and with great humility,
would greet the Master. They would approach Him and kiss His hands with
utmost reverence and affection. In this manner, we made our way to Abu
Sinan. (Ahang Rabbani, Eight Years Near Abdu'l-Baha: The Diary of Dr. Habib
Mu'ayyad, p. 197)
Whoever we passed by, would instantly bend low with hands reaching the soil
and then bring it over their head, thereby offering the customary expressions
of submissiveness, reverence and humility before Abdul-Bah. Children
playing in the streets would quit their play and run up to the Master and kiss

His hands, and then return to their games. (Ahang Rabbani, Eight Years Near
Abdu'l-Baha: The Diary of Dr. Habib Mu'ayyad, p. 397)
As she entered, she humbly kissed 'Abdu'l-Bah's hand. The Master treated her
with the utmost consideration and tenderness as she was led to the andaruni of
the Master's residence. The dinner-table discussions began next day. (Youness
Afroukhteh, Translated by Riaz Masrour, Memories of Nine Years in Akka, p. 145)
The sailing date of the ship from Haifa to Beirut was set by this time and it was
decided that I should receive my permission to leave the next day. On the day of
departure, I again received another series of encouraging and hopeful
utterances. As words of prayer for the attraction of blessings and confirmation
began to flow from the lips of the Master, I bowed and kissed His hand and the
hem of His 'aba. He drew me to Him, placed my head on His chest and
conferred upon me His blessing and bounty. (Youness Afroukhteh, Translated by
Riaz Masrour, Memories of Nine Years in Akka, p. 339)

That night, like the night before, He did not come downstairs. Next morning
Mirza Haydar-'ali and I attained His presence. The Master was in a happy mood
and so in turn all of us were filled with joy and gladness. Suddenly He said,
"Khan, whatever has happened? Come closer and check my pulse." Since
whenever 'Abdu'l-Bah's hand fell into my grasp by chance, I would kiss it as He
smiled at me, so this time, too, I jumped at the chance with abandon, took His
hand and kissed it three times. Smiling broadly, He said, "My dear man I said
check my pulse!" (Youness Afroukhteh, Translated by Riaz Masrour, Memories of Nine
Years in Akka, pp. 409-410)
On November 1, early in the afternoon, `Abdu'l-Bah instructed everyone to
leave for Abu-Sinan aboard his carriage. En route they were greeted by the
locals, who would recognize the carriage and immediately show great humility

and respect towards `Abdu'l-Bah, and approach him and kiss his hands with
reverence and affection Whoever they passed by, that person would instantly
bend low, with hands reaching the ground, then bringing them up over the
head, thereby offering the customary expressions of submissiveness, reverence
and humility. Children playing in the streets would quit playing and run up to
him and kiss his hands, and then return to their games. (Ahang Rabbani, `Abdu'lBaha in Abu-Sinan: September 1914May 1915)
At the conclusion of the address, women kissed His hand and others tearfully
greeted Him at the door of the chapel. Pressed by a busy schedule, 'Abdu'l-Bah
and His traveling companions hurried by car to the home of Howard Struven at
1800 N. Bentalou Street for a mid-afternoon meal. (Allison Vaccaro and Edward E.
Bartlett, 'Abdu'l-Bah in Baltimore)

Thursday, March 23d, our last day at the Holy Household, was a beautiful Day.
Early in the morning Rooha Khanum called me and arising hastily I went with
her to the room of the Greatest Leaf, where the Master was sitting. He bade
me welcome as I entered, and I knelt before Him, kissing His hand, and then sat
down at His feet beside the Holy Leaf, and we drank tea together He came
quickly from the room and, taking me by the hand, led me down one Flight of
stairs. And I pressed His hand to my lips, while He turned away and silently
kissed Mr. Getsinger-then left us hastily. (Isaac Adams, Bab and Babism, p. 481)

The next morning He brought me a most beautiful bunch of white narcissus

and allowed me to kiss His blessed hand as He gave them to me. He sat down
and drank tea with us, then rose and bade us adieu, as we were going back to
Haifa that day and He had been called away (Isaac Adams, Bab and Babism, p. 484)
Immediately I found myself in the blessed presences, I threw myself on my
knees before Him and sobbed aloud from the stress of the various emotions
that filled my soul. He gave me His dear hands to kiss (such fine, delicate hands
they are!) and patted me tenderly on my cheeks and shoulders, saying in His
gentle voice, La la la marhabba, You are welcome, be at ease be happy He
smiled, patted me again, let me kiss His hands, and then went out, whereupon a
sort of general sigh went round, and then all sat down again on cushions and
divan. (Isaac Adams, Bab and Babism, p. 486)
Mamma, still on her knees, bent and kissed His hand."Tell the Master," she
said to Ahmad, "I have always loved Him. Lua knows that. (Juliet Thompson and
Marzieh Gail, Diary of Juliet Thompson, chap. 4)
An aged negro who hobbles up, he greets with some kindly inquiry; the old
man's broad face breaks into a sunny smile, his white teeth glistening against
his ebony skin as he replies. He stops a woman with a babe and fondly strokes
the child. As they pass, some kiss his hand. To all he says, "Marhabbah,
marhabbah" - "Well done, well done!" (Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khanum,
Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, chap. 1)

As the believers came in, Abdu'l-Bah clasped each one in a loving embrace
and gave them their places at the table. Then He passed around the table
anointing each one with attar of rose, sometimes upon the cheek, again upon
the forehead, or over the heart. Some of the believers kissed His hand or
touched His garment in loving appreciation. (Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the
Light of Akka, p. 73)
In a few minutes more the Master himself came into our room and we met him
at the door, kissing his hand as he entered. His appearance is absolutely
nothing like the picture in America. (Corinne True and Mirza Hadi, Table Talks and
Notes Taken at Acca, p. 17)

We will conclude this section by some quotes from the second volume of
Mahmuds Diary (Badai` al-athar) that have not yet been translated to
English by Bahais:

... )(
.
He would converse and negotiate with him and would become more
humiliated by hearing his blessed sayings by the minute. Until it was time to
leave and he kissed (Abdul-Bahas) blessed hand and left while expressing
candor and humility, (Mahmud Zaraqani, Badai` al-athar, vol. 2, p. 31)

 .
.
There all the friends had gathered in line and were awaiting his arrival. Thus,
once he entered they started singing and uttering praises. Most would hand him
bouquets of flowers and would kiss his hand and the hem of his robe, (Mahmud
Zaraqani, Badai` al-athar, vol. 2, p. 215)

That respected person showed the utmost reverence and humility in his (AbdulBahas) holy presence. He even kissed his hand when he first entered and expressed
pride in this matter, (Mahmud Zaraqani, Badai` al-athar, vol. 2, p. 311)

... ...
.
Gathered there were a group of British, American, and French men and
women With great sincerity one would kiss (Abdul-Bahas) blessed hand and
another would hold his skirt and express pride for meeting him, (Mahmud
Zaraqani, Badai` al-athar, vol. 2, p. 340)

c- Kissing the Feet and Prostrating

Abdul-Baha narrates the following about a Babi that was imprisoned with
Bahaullah:
Before he left the prison to go to the altar of divine sacrifice, he came first and
placed his head on Bah'u'llh's feet and kissed them. Having embraced all the
friends, he hastened to the plain of sacrifice, dancing and snapping his fingers
in ecstasy. (Mahmuds Diary, p. 141)

Abdul-Baha himself would kiss Bahaullahs feet:

During the night following the next day, however, my father walked into the
house. We hardly knew him; his beard and hair were long and matted - he really
was a Dervish in appearance. The meeting between my brother and his father
was the most touching and pathetic sight I have ever seen. Abbas Effendi threw
himself on the floor before him and kissed and embraced his feet, weeping and
crying, 'Why did you leave us, why did you leave us?' while the great uncouth
Dervish wept over his boy. The scene carried a weight not to be expressed in
words (Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khanum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi,
chap. 2)

Many trusted Bahais have stated that they would prostrate and kiss
Bahaullah and Abdul-Bahas feet. Habibullah Afnan mentions how the
Bahais in acre would prostrate and kiss Bahaullahs feet:
One morning, before sunrise, an attendant came with the news that the
Blessed Perfection was coming to our house. In this way, He placed the crown
of everlasting honor upon the heads of these humble servants. The tiding made

us weep uncontrollably with joy and we hurried out [to welcome Him]. We saw
His blessed Person coming towards our house with great majesty and glory. We
all prostrated, kissed His feet and made the earth trodden by His blessed feet
the kohl of our eyes. (Mirza Habibullah Afnan, Translated by Ahang Rabbani, Memories
of the Bab, Bahaullah and `Abdul-Baha, p. 36)

Another Bahai, Ustd Muhammad-`Aly-i Salmn, narrates how he would kiss

Bahaullahs legs while giving him a bath:
Water was then brought, and I soaped Bah'u'llh's hair two or three times-the various soaps were from Aleppo--and then He withdrew to the place where
henna would be applied and the body rubbed with a rough bath mitt. I then
brought Him His own bath towel, and once He was dry He stretched out so that
I could apply henna to His beard, after which He seated Himself and I used the
henna on His hair. He then lay down again (and I placed a pillow under His
head) so that I could rub Him with the mitt--and two or three times I kissed His
feet. He rose again and seated Himself, and I took the mitt to the backs of His
hands and arms. (Ustd Muhammad-`Aly-I Salmn, Translated by Marzieh Gail, My
Memories Of Bah'u'llh, p. 19)

(Traditional Persian Bat)

Khalil Shahidi the custodian of Abdul-Bahas house who was highly trusted
by him narrates how his followers used to kiss his feet:
After the rapscallion Covenant-breakers had left the blessed presence, the
friends were summoned, and at that time, each of us reverently, humbly and
respectfully, prostrated ourselves on the ground and kissed Abdul-Bahas feet,
alighted our eyes and gladdened and thrilled our hearts. That hour was an hour
that can never be described by words or otherwise. (Ahang Rabbani, A Lifetime
with Abdu'l-Baha: Reminiscences of Khalil Shahidi, p. 36)

He mentions that covenant-breakers that had repented would also frequently

kiss his feet:
The Covenant-breakers who sincerely would return [to the Faith], and attain
the sanctified presence of Abdul-Bah, prostrate themselves at His feet,
kissing them, and cry and beg for forgiveness and pardon, Abdul-Bah would
say to them, The past is past, and envelop them in His kindness and mercy.
(Ahang Rabbani, A Lifetime with Abdu'l-Baha: Reminiscences of Khalil Shahidi, p. 53)

Habibullah Afnan utters similar memories:

I did not sleep the whole of that night. Early in the morning, without telling
any of my companions where I was going, I set out directly for His blessed
House. En route, on a street corner, I saw His sacred Figure coming towards
me. I bowed down and kissed His feet. He raised me from the ground and
showered me with His infinite kindness. (Mirza Habibullah Afnan, Translated by
Ahang Rabbani, Memories of the Bab, Bahaullah and `Abdul-Baha, p. 75)

And finally a section from a previously untranslated source:



.
Immediately Aqa Mirza Muhsin, (Abdul-Bahas) blessed wife, Ahmad Effendi
Yazdi, Haji Aqa, Aqa Muhammad Taghi Isfahani, Mirza Munir, Aqa Khusro
threw themselves on his (Abdul-Bahas) feet on the ship and started prostrating
on his noble being, (Mahmud Zaraqani, Badai` al-athar, vol. 2, p. 354)

Ironically, when similar acts were performed on other people that were disliked by
Bahais, they would refer to the act of kissing the feet as being detestable and would
express their disgust:
Suddenly I noticed that one of the resident friends, out of pure excitement and joy,
was kneeling before Mirza Badi'u'llah and kissing his feet. Looking around with
pride and self-satisfaction, Badi'u'llah could obviously visualize the Bah' world
humbled at his feet. (Youness Afroukhteh, Translated by Riaz Masrour, Memories of Nine
Years in Akka, p. 168)
They adopted a respectful attitude towards Mirza Badi'u'llah, who had now
returned to the fold. But he was not content with mere respect; he expected to
receive reverence and prostration. He even entertained the thought that the friends
should kiss his hands and even his feet, and this expectation disgusted the friends.
(Youness Afroukhteh, Translated by Riaz Masrour, Memories of Nine Years in Akka, p. 171)

2- The Bahai Justification

Bahais try to justify these acts by claiming a specific kind of kissing was meant,
or the kissing that is equal to submission has been prohibited. They base this
justification on a supplementary note provided by the UHJ in the book of Aqdas:
In a number of earlier religious Dispensations and in certain cultures the
kissing of the hand of a religious figure or of a prominent person was expected
as a mark of reverence and deference to such persons and as a token of
submission to their authority. Bahullh prohibits the kissing of hands and, in
His Tablets, He also condemns such practices as prostrating oneself before
another person and other forms of behavior that abase one individual in
relation to another. (Bahaullah, The Kit-i Aqdas, note no. 58)

3- The Failure of the Bahai justification

a- The aforementioned note by the UHJ is not an authorized interpretation of
Bahaullahs words. Under Bahai law there are only two authorized interpreters
of Bahai scripture: Abdul-Baha and Shoghi. Thus in its current form, this note
has no validity unless proved using quotes from the authorized Bahai
interpreters, not the UHJ.
b- Shoghi and Abdul-Baha have stated nothing regarding the prohibition of
kissing hands and have accepted it in its literal form. If Bahaullah had intended
such a meaning, or Abdul-Baha and Shoghi had inferred such an interpretation,
they would have stated it, but they never did.
c- All these aside, if we were to scrutiny the justification made by the UHJ, it
would quickly become apparent that this justification holds no water when used
to compare the instances of hand kissing mentioned in this article. The UHJ
claims hand kissing in other cultures was a mark of reverence and
deference to such persons and as a token of submission to their
authority. This is written in a manner that implies this is the reason handkissing has been prohibited.
This justification is invalid because as we can see in the many instances of hand
and feet kissing mentioned in the article, the kissings were being done for the
exact same reason that Bahais claim it was prohibited: some cases due to
reverence and deference and others due to submission to their authority. In fact,
in many of the cases those forbidden reasons have been explicitly mentioned as
the cause of the kissings, e.g. We reverently kissed His fingers (see quotes
above).
d- Even if we disregard this fact, the writings of Bahaullah elsewhere, make it
completely clear that he never had reverence, deference, or submission in mind
when prohibiting the kissing of hands. Pay attention to the following statements
by Bahaullah:

God is my witness! Had it not been in conflict with that which the Tablets of God
have decreed, I would have gladly kissed the hands of whosoever attempted to shed
my blood in the path of the Well-Beloved. (Bahaullah, Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahaullah, p. 102)
were it not contrary to the Law of God, I would have kissed the hand of My
would-be murderer, and would cause him to inherit My earthly goods.
(Shoghi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 27)

Kissing the hand of ones murderer is not a sign of reverence, deference or

submission to their authority, but Bahaullah still prohibits kissing the
murderers hand based on the law of the Aqdas. This further proves that the
Bahai justification has no credibility.
e- The Bahai justification further states that in His Tablets, He also condemns
such practices as prostrating oneself before another person. As we mentioned in
the section on kissing the feet, contrary to this prohibition, Bahais would
prostrate and would kiss the feet of both Bahaullah and Abdul-Baha!

Source : http://www.bahaibahai.com/eng/index.php/articles?id=93