Is kneeling in front of someone forbidden?
Question

                I submitted question no. 223373 previously, about the ruling on kneeling to elders, and I was referred to an answer that mentions the permissibility of bowing to elders in Islam. But my question was specifically about the ruling on kneeling because there are some scholars in our area who say that kneeling in front of someone is different from bowing or prostrating. I hope that you can clarify the issue in a manner that will dispel confusion, so that I can tell my family about your fatw, in addition to others who are also concerned about this issue.
Praise be to Allah.
	Firstly:

	It is not 
	permissible to kneel or bow or prostrate to anyone at all, no matter how old 
	or great he is. The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
	disliked his Companions even to stand up for him if he passed by them or 
	entered upon them, even though that was merely standing, with no kneeling, 
	bowing or prostrating.

	Anas ibn Maalik 
	(may Allah be pleased with him) said: No person was dearer to them than the 
	Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but if they 
	saw him, they did not stand up for him, because they knew that he disliked 
	that. Narrated by al-Bukhaari in his book al-Adab al-Mufrad (946); 
	Ahmad (11895); at-Tirmidhi (2678_. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in 
	Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah (358).

	The Messenger 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) warned the one who liked people 
	to stand up for him that by doing so he deserved to enter Hell. He 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever likes that people 
	should stand up for him, let him take his place in Hell.” Narrated by Abu 
	Dawood (4552); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth 
	as-Saheehah (357).

	Secondly:

	With regard to 
	bowing to another person, it is not allowed. One of the Companions asked the 
	Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): O Messenger 
	of Allah, if one of us meets his brother or his friend, can he bow to him? 
	He said: “No.” He said: Can he embrace him and kiss him? He said: “No.” He 
	said: Can he shake his hand? He said: “Yes.” Narrated by at-Tirmidhi (2652); 
	classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah 
	(160).

	With regard to 
	the kneeling that is prohibited, that refers to when a person is standing, 
	then when someone passes him or enters upon him, he kneels to him.

	But if a group 
	is sitting, and some of them rest on their knees, there is nothing wrong 
	with that, and this is not the kind of kneeling that the Messenger of Allah 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade, so long as the person he 
	is kneeling in front of is also sitting and is not standing, and the one who 
	is kneeling is not doing that by way of veneration or showing  excessive 
	respect to the one with whom he is sitting.

	Some of the 
	Companions did that in front of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace 
	of Allah be upon him):

	In Saheeh al-Bukhaari 
	(3611) it says: … until Abu Bakr felt sorry [for ‘Umar, after he had a 
	disagreement with him and they both came to the Prophet (blessings and peace 
	of Allah be upon him) to resolve the matter, and his expression showed 
	displeasure with ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)], and [Abu Bakr] 
	knelt down and said: O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I was more unjust to 
	him (than he was to me)…

	And it was 
	narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger 
	of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has slaves 
	who are not Prophets and are not martyrs, but the martyrs and Prophets will 
	envy them on the Day of Resurrection because of how close they will be to 
	Allah, may He be exalted.” A Bedouin knelt up and said: O Messenger of 
	Allah, describe them to us. He said: “They are the best of people, who live 
	as strangers among other tribes; they befriend one another for the sake of 
	Allah and love one another for His sake. Allah, may He be glorified and 
	exalted, will set up thrones of light for them on the Day of Resurrection. 
	When the people are afraid they do not fear. They are the close friends of 
	Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, on whom there will be no fear nor 
	shall they grieve.”

	Narrated by al-Haakim; 
	he classed it as saheeh and adh-Dhahabi agreed with him. Classed as saheeh 
	by al-Albaani in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah (3464).

	Thirdly:

	It is not 
	correct to say that the fatwa on our website permits bowing to elders.

	Please see the 
	answers to questions no. 164865 and
	133487.

	And Allah knows 
	best.