it is to be kissed. Another view is that it is to be touched and the hand then kissed. A third view is that it is to be touched without kissing the hand. This is the correct view, for it is established that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, touched it but neither kissed it nor kissed his hand after touching it. There is no reward or recompense for anything that is neither obligatory nor recommended. Reward and recompense are only for righteous deeds, and righteous deeds are either obligatory or recommended.

Since touching and kissing these objects is neither obligatory nor recommended, there is no reward or recompense for doing so. Whoever believes that he will be rewarded and recompensed for this is ignorant, misguided and mistaken. He is like someone who believes that he will be rewarded and recompensed for prostrating to the graves of the prophets and righteous people; someone who believes that he will be rewarded and recompensed for calling upon them besides Allah; or someone who believes that he will be rewarded and recompensed for making images of them—as the Christians do—calling upon those images and prostrating to them. The same applies to similar innovations, which are neither obligatory nor recommended, but rather constitute either disbelief or ignorance and misguidance.

By the consensus of the Muslims, none of this belongs to the religion with which Allah sent Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Anyone who believes that this is part of the religion and practises it must be prohibited from doing so. None of the four imams deemed this recommended, nor did any of the Companions or those who followed them in righteousness practise it. Anyone who commands people to do any of this, encourages them to do it, or helps them do so