Question
Is yoga allowed in Islam?
Special shape yoga where you sit straight with legs folded, both hands on your knee, circle between the thumb and index finger, and all the other fingers are lose, eyes closed, this is done by so many people to help reduce stress, get rid of negativity, and go deep down into your subconscious mind to attract good things into your life.
Is this special shape Yoga allowed in Islaam?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
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 Pg 2421)
Yoga is a Sanskrit word (an ancient Indian language) meaning to join, or union. This was the name given to an art, which originated in the Hindu religion, wherein special spiritual exercises were done to give enlightenment to the soul and to ‘join’ the spiritual self with God. [1]
Yoga involves various exercises and rituals, but the most important and most famous of them is an exercise called Surya Namaskar [known in English as the “Sun Salutation”], which means in Sanskrit: “prostration to the sun on eight parts of the body”. And they defined these parts as the two feet, the two knees, the two hands, the chest and the forehead.
The postures adopted in Yoga such as the lotus position for example, were positions Hindus adopted when meditating in front of their deities and idols. In fact, the Hindu Bible, The Bhagavad Gita teaches the basics of Yoga and the philosophy behind it. [2]
As Muslims, we are sensitive to our Aqaaid (beliefs) and Tauheed (Oneness of Allah) and abstain from whatever would contaminate our Imaan.
A system or discipline that originates from an idolatrous religion, and comprises postures that resemble the idol worshippers is not permissible in Islam. [3]
There are many other permissible and effective ways to reduce stress and remove negativity from oneself besides adopting the yoga method.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Muhammad I.V Patel
Checked and Approved by
Mufti Nabeel Valli.
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga
[2] One has to repeat specific words out loud whilst doing these exercises. These words are called mantras, the most famous of which are the beeja mantras, which are hram, hreem, hraim, hraum, hara. Some syllables are also repeated in yoga, such as Aum (or Om).
In addition to that, it is essential to repeat the twelve names of the sun, because this is a major and important part of Yoga.
Names of the sun include:
Rafanama, which means, “I bow my head to you, O one whom everyone praises.”
Suryanama, which means, “I bow my head to you, O guide of all.”
Bahaanafinama, which means, “I bow my head to you, O bestower of beauty.”
Safeetarnama, which means, “I bow my head to you, O bestower of life” etc.
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (6/ 753) [2]
وكراهة التشبه بأهل البدع مقررة عندنا أيضا لكن لا مطلقا بل في المذموم وفيما قصد به التشبه بهم كما قدمه الشارح في مفسدات الصلاة
فتاؤي رحيميه جلد7 ص 135 دار الإشاعة
ان کے مذہبی معاملات اور مذہبی رسومات میں شرکت کرنا جائز نہیں ہے
آپ کے مسائل اور ان کا حال جلد8 صفحہ 249
آپ کسی فارغ وقت میں مراقبہ دعاهيه کیا کریں
كفاية المفتي ج4 ص 201
اور مسلمانوں کا کفار کی عبادت گاہوں میں جا کر ان کے مذہبی اعمال میں شریک ہونا سخت خطرناک ہے کیونکہ اس سے ان کے اعمال دینیہ کی تعظیم اور ان کے مذہبی امور کے ساتھ پسندیدگی وہ رضا معلوم ہوتی ہے، اور یہ باتیں شریعت مطہرہ اور غیرت اسلامی کے خلاف ہیں
Malaysia’s top Islamic body in 2008 passed a fatwa, prohibiting Muslims from practicing yoga, saying it had elements of Hinduism and that its practice was blasphemy, therefore haraam.
In 2009, the Council of Ulema, an Islamic body in Indonesia, passed a fatwa banning yoga on the grounds that it contains Hindu elements.
Similar fatwas banning yoga, for its link to Hinduism, were issued by the Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa in Egypt in 2004, and by Islamic clerics in Singapore earlier.