Fatwa ID: 01369
Answered by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Question:
Kissing and touching the feet of elders on Eid day
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.
There are two possible scenarios to this question:
- If the person whom one is touching the feet of, is from the opposite sex and is a non-mahram, then to touch the feet will be impermissible.
- If the person whom one is kissing and touching the feet of, is from the same sex or he/she happens to be a Mahram (unmarriageable kin), then in principle it is permissible to kiss the feet (See Durr al-Mukhtar).
- If the kissing or touching was practised in the posture of prostration (sajda), then this is unlawful (haram) and regarded as one of the major sins. (Muti Muhammad Ibn Adam Al Kawthari, www.daruliftaa.com)
The Prophet of Allah 
has said, “It is not permissible for one human to prostrate in front of another”. (Sunan Tirmizi)
In principle it is allowed, but as this has become such a practice that people are rebuked and criticized for not doing it and in some communities they deem t necessary and a ritual of the Eid day, therefore, it is best to avoid it.
Only Allah Knows Best
Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
