Ruling on doing martial arts which involve bowing and shirk
Question I am in a Kung fu school, and I have been training with the same teacher for over 4 years. I am now a close student to the teacher which means he teaches me more of the style and chinese medicine. In my position I must help the school grow by trying to get…
Question
Praise be to Allah.
Practising sports of various kinds that do not go against the
rulings of sharee’ah and that fulfil the aim of worshipping Allaah is one of
the things that are encouraged by Islam, so as to attain physical strength
and mental health. The evidence of the Qur’aan and Sunnah indicates that
this is allowed in sharee’ah and is in fact encouraged.
But in some cases these sports may be haraam, not in and of
themselves, but because they include some haraam things. This applies to
what you have mentioned in your question.
An example of the haraam things that may happen is bowing to
someone other than Allaah. It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah
be pleased with him) said: “A man said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, when one of
us meets his friend, can he bow to him?’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Can he hug him
and kiss him?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Can he shake hands with him?’ He
said, ‘Yes, if he wishes.’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2728; he said it is a
hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah. 3702. The hadeeth was classed as
hasan by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 160).
Ibn Taymiyah said: “With regard to bowing in greeting, this
is forbidden as narrated in al-Tirmidhi from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), that they asked him about a man who meets
his brother and bows to him, and he said no to that. That is because it is
not permitted to bow or prostrate for anyone except Allaah.” (Majmoo’
al-Fataawa, 1/377).
If you know that the
person whom you invite to join will do something haraam or something that is
a kind of shirk, then you should not do that, whether the one whom you
invite is a child or an adult, because that is a kind of cooperating in sin,
and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue,
righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and
transgression”
[al-Maa’idah 5:2]
May Allaah help us and you to do that which
He loves and which pleases Him. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our
Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.
