1) Is ‘Yoga’ allowed? Is a Muslim allowed to do Yoga? It has some Un-Islamic steps (positions) in it (e.g. Putting your hands together like Hindus do when they pray and some other steps which are a bit Un-Islamic). Can we still do yoga to keep ourselves fit? Kindly explain. 2) I read a hadith (in the article ‘Solo Sex’) narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (Radhiallaahu Anhu): “We were with the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) while we were young and had no wealth whatsoever. The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “O assembly of youths ; whoever among you possesses the physical and financial resources to marry, should do so, because it helps him guard his modesty, and whoever is unable to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power.’ Now, what I want to know is how can fasting stop someone from masturbating during the night when he/she has gone to bed (especially for females as they do not lose that much energy during a fast). Infact; that is one of the most popular times for this act. Please explain.
1. Q: Is ‘Yoga’ as a fitness programme permissible?
Yoga, according to the World Book lexicon is, ‘A system of Hindu religious
philosophy that requires intense mental and physical discipline as a means
of attaining union with the universal spirit.’ (World Book p. 2421). Hence
even though Yoga is used only as a fitness programme, it is not permissible
due to its close links with the Hindu religion.
2. It is true that fasting helps one suppress one’s desires. It does not
eliminate it. However, there may be other reasons that leads to a person to
masturbate which should be considered. Kindly study the attached article – a
standard reply to similar queries.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai