3. Standing over a person.

Standing toward someone is unobjectionable; the sunnah establishes it by command, tacit approval, and actual practice.

1. The command: When Saʿd ibn Muʿādh—may Allah be pleased with him—arrived to arbitrate in the affair of Banū Qurayẓah, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Stand up toward your leader.” Saʿd had been wounded during the Battle of al-Aḥzāb in the al-akhal (a vein in the thumb; if it ruptures, a person dies). After being struck—may Allah be pleased with him—he prayed that Allah would not let him die until his eyes were cooled by what would happen to Banū Qurayẓah. They had been allies of the Aws tribe but betrayed the covenant of the Prophet ﷺ and sided with the Confederates against Allah’s Messenger ﷺ. When Saʿd was injured he said, “O Allah, do not let me die until my eye is soothed concerning Banū Qurayẓah.” Because of his lofty status with the Prophet ﷺ, the Messenger ordered that a khibāʾ (small tent) be pitched for him inside the mosque so he could visit him easily, and he did visit him frequently.

When the expedition against Banū Qurayẓah took place and they agreed to let Saʿd ibn Muʿādh judge them, the Prophet ﷺ ordered that Saʿd be brought to them. He came riding a donkey, for the wound had weakened him. As he approached, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Stand up toward your leader,” so they rose and helped him dismount. The Prophet ﷺ then said to him, “These people …”