may Allah be pleased with him.
This segment of the hadith offers several lessons:
First: It proves that part of the sunnah, when a person receives something that gladdens him, is to congratulate him and give him glad tidings, whether the blessing concerns his religion or his worldly life.
For that reason the angels brought Abraham—peace be upon him—the good news of “a forbearing son” and “a knowledgeable son.” The forbearing son was Ishmael and the knowledgeable son was Isaac; thus the angels informed Abraham of these two sons.
Second: There is no harm in standing up toward someone in order to shake his hand and congratulate him on what pleases him. Standing up to approach a man is sanctioned by the sunnah, and likewise standing up for a man while you remain in place without moving toward him is also permissible if people are accustomed to it, for there is no explicit prohibition. The censure and warning apply to the one for whom others stand, not to those who stand, for concerning the person who likes others to stand for him the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever likes people to stand up for him should take his seat in the Fire.”
The scholars explain that standing is of three kinds:
- Standing toward a person.
- Standing for a person.