The ruling on standing silently as a form of reverence for the Martyrs, the Distinguished People and Others similar to them

Question :

Nationen mentioned to us that when the united Nations was informed of the death of a country's president that is a member of the United Nations, they remained standing for an entire hour in grief over the murdered president. What is your opinion about this?

Answer:

What some people do of standing for a period of time in silence as a way of showing reverence for the martyrs or respected people, or as a form of honor and respect for their souls, is from the evils and innovations which did not exist in the time of the Prophet, his Companions or As-Salaf As-Salih. It does not agree with the etiquettes of At-Tawhid or making magnification for Allâh alone. Rather, some of the Muslims who are ignorant of the religion (Islam) have followed those disbelievers who innovated this practice. They have blindly followed them in their despicable customs and their exaggerations concerning their leaders and distinguished personalities, whether alive or dead. Verily, the Prophet has prohibited imitating them (the disbelievers).

That which is known in Islam from the rights of its people is to supplicate for the deceased Muslims, give charity on their behalf, mention their virtuous qualities and refrain from speaking of their bad deeds. There are manners that Islam has explained and encouraged the Muslims to observe with their brothers, whether alive or dead. However, standing in mourning while being silent in order to show reverence to the martyrs or the respected people is not from these. Rather, this is from those matters that the fundamentals of Islam reject.

Source:
The Permanent Committee
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 3 Pages 110-111