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Imitating the Kuffaar: Beyond Clothing

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Muftionline.co.za

Q: What does imitating the kuffaar mean? Is it only confined to clothing or does it also relate to other aspects of one’s life? We see the kuffaar driving cars and eating and drinking in plates and cups and we Muslims also do the same. Is this not also imitating the kuffaar in our actions?

Bismillaah

A: Imitating the ways of the kuffaar refers to one abandoning his Islamic identity and adopting the identity which is exclusive to the kuffaar. In other words, all those aspects of life (be it religious or worldly related) through which a believer is identified with and clearly distinguished from a disbeliever, for a muslim to abandon that and to adopt the ways of the kuffaar amounts to imitating the ways of the kuffaar. Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radiyallahu Anhuma) reports that Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

عن ابن عمر قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم (سنن أبي داود رقم 4033)

The one who imitates a people will be counted among them (in the court of Allah Ta’ala)

Imitating the kuffaar is of different levels.

1. Imitating the kuffaar in their religious beliefs is haraam and amounts to kufr, e.g. for a Muslim to subscribe to the belief that Isa (Alaihi salaam) was crucified on the cross.

2. Imitating those signs or symbols that identify with kufr is haraam and amounts to kufr, such as wearing a cross.

3. Imitating the kuffaar in their religious ceremonies, celebrations or festivals is haraam, e.g. for a Muslim to celebrate Diwali, Christmas, New year, Easter etc.

4. Imitating the kuffaar in their religious attire is makrooh-e-tahreemi, e.g. for a Muslim to wear an attire that is exclusive to a religious cult (e.g. wearing a saari in our country).

5. Imitating the kuffaar in their culture and lifestyle is also impermissible, e.g. imitating them in their tight-fitting and revealing clothing, women wearing men’s clothing and vice versa, men wearing ear-rings, celebrating birthdays, tattooing, women and men freely intermingling, etc.

Wearing such clothes that are not exclusive to the kuffaar, but are instead used by all and sundry e.g. wearing jackets, socks, men wearing formal clothes and women wearing unrevealing dresses is permissible and does not amount to imitating the kuffaar.

Similarly carrying out those actions or using those items which are not exclusive to the kuffaar; instead they are commonly used by all, e.g. driving cars, eating and drinking in cups and plates, etc. does not amount to imitating the kuffaar. However one should refrain from drinking in wine tumblers as this is exclusive to the kuffaar.

As far as the clothing that a Muslim should wear, it is preferable that he wears such clothing which have some type of Islamic connotation, i.e. the clothing of the pious and respectable Muslims.

And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

عن ابن عمر قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم.  (سنن أبي داود رقم 4033)

أي من شبه نفسه بالكفار مثلا في اللباس وغيره أو بالفساق أو الفجار أو بأهل التصوف والصلحاء الأبرار فهو منهم أي في الإثم والخير قال الطيبي هذا عام في الخلق والخلق والشعار ولما كان الشعار أظهر في الشبه ذكر في هذا الباب (مرقاة شرح مشكاة 8/ 155)

يكفر بوضع قلنسوة المجوس على رأسه على الصحيح إلا لضرورة دفع الحر والبرد وبشد الزنار في وسطه إلا إذا فعل ذلك خديعة في الحرب وطليعة للمسلمين وبقوله المجوس خير مما أنا فيه يعني فعله … وبخروجه إلى نيروز المجوس لموافقته معهم فيما يفعلون في ذلك اليوم وبشرائه يوم النيروز شيئا لم يكن يشتريه قبل ذلك تعظيما للنيروز لا للأكل والشرب وبإهدائه ذلك اليوم للمشركين ولو بيضة تعظيما لذلك لا بإجابة دعوة مجوسي حلق رأس ولده وبتحسين أمر الكفار اتفاقا حتى قالوا لو قال ترك الكلام عند أكل الطعام حسن من المجوس أو ترك المضاجعة حالة الحيض منهم حسن فهو كافر كذا في البحر الرائق. (الفتاوى الهندية 2/ 276)

عن عمرو بن الحارث ، أن رجلا دعا عبد الله بن مسعود إلى وليمة ، فلما جاء ليدخل سمع لهوا ، فلم يدخل ، فقال : ما لك رجعت ؟ قال : إني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : من كثر سواد قوم فهو منهم ، ومن رضي عمل قوم كان شريكا في عملهم. (إتحاف الخيرة المهرة رقم 3297)

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

This answer was collected from MuftiOnline.co.za, where the questions have been answered by Mufti Zakaria Makada (Hafizahullah), who is currently a senior lecturer in the science of Hadith and Fiqh at Madrasah Ta’leemuddeen, Isipingo Beach, South Africa.