Is Yoga permissible?

[S.Belle]

I was told by someone that it was ok and by someone else that it isnt...so which is it?

My intentions aren't for like spiritual reasons I only do it as a form of excercise bc it has alot of health benefits. And manily bc i was advised to do it to relieve pain in my wrists and it has been of great help.
So should I just stop even though its helping me?

 

[Sigma]

For the person who says it is not permissible, ask them why and tell them to bring the proof. There is too much of "oh so and so says this is haraaam" and not enough of "Sorry bro/sis, this is haraam because x hadith says x and y scholar says y"

 

[أحمد]

I was told by someone that it was ok and by someone else that it isnt...so which is it?

My intentions aren't for like spiritual reasons I only do it as a form of excercise bc it has alot of health benefits. And manily bc i was advised to do it to relieve pain in my wrists and it has been of great help.
So should I just stop even though its helping me?

"Yoga" is a religious/spiritual practice of the Hindus, and is very much a form of their worship. Its based on certain "disciplines" for the x number of bodies which they believe in. If your question is in regards to that practice, then yes; its haraam. If your question is in regards to stretching and exercise, then its not haraam. Maybe another member will post a huge essay on the topic :inshallah, but I've given the main point.

:wa:

 

[أحمد]

You don't need to stop the wrist exercise, as long as its got nothing to do with polytheistic rituals- its OK.

:wa:

 

[Rafeeq]

Agreeing Ahmad, as far as it is exercise, it is not haram.

 

[أحمد]

Agreeing Ahmad, as far as it is exercise, it is not haram.

Correct.

:wa:

 

[nature]

I was told by someone that it was ok and by someone else that it isnt...so which is it?

My intentions aren't for like spiritual reasons I only do it as a form of excercise bc it has alot of health benefits. And manily bc i was advised to do it to relieve pain in my wrists and it has been of great help.
So should I just stop even though its helping me?

Sis im sure there are other wrist strengthening exercises you could do ? is it just general aches/pains you suffer with ? cos a short course of physio could also help.

:wa:

 

[SafaAuditore]

There is NOTHING wrong with being fit gurl!!
I think they mean it would be haram if you're in the yoga room with a bunch of guys and girls mixed. BUT how i do it is i either open up a youtube video of yoga tutorial or something and i sit and start doing it right there by myself. OR I just make it up as i go without an instructer.
There's nothing wrong with being healthy and fit, as long as you're not breaking any rules in the process XD
Try doing what i suggested, if it's not already what you do =)

 

[S.Belle]

Sis im sure there are other wrist strengthening exercises you could do ? is it just general aches/pains you suffer with ? cos a short course of physio could also help.

I have carpal tunnel syndrome and there are excercises for it but they do not help me. Once I tried yoga my wrists started to hurt less. I did research on it and it said that yoga was recommended for people who suffer from carpal tunnel.
I also have knee problems which I think came from when I use to cheer bc that is when I started to get the pains which would occur every so often but now that I have been doing yoga my knee pains have also disappeared.

There is NOTHING wrong with being fit gurl!! I think they mean it would be haram if you're in the yoga room with a bunch of guys and girls mixed. BUT how i do it is i either open up a youtube video of yoga tutorial or something and i sit and start doing it right there by myself. OR I just make it up as i go without an instructer. There's nothing wrong with being healthy and fit, as long as you're not breaking any rules in the process XD Try doing what i suggested, if it's not already what you do =)

Yes that is what I do sis I just heard from someone when I mentioned it that it was haram bc as Bro. Ahmed posted Hindus practice it and I want to make sure I'm not doing anything that is impermissible.

 

[Ansariyah]

Everything is according intention.

If u can do ur yoga without any religious affiliations or connotations attached with it, I dont see the problem. However we cant blind ourselves where yoga itself originates from which is from a polytheist/Hindu background.

I dont know wat 'om' means but I wud avoid it. Or say Allahu Akbar instead.

Allahu Allam!

 

[Innocent Soul]

^ I agree with the above. Make a good intension and do it without any religious afflictions. Yoga has many benefits. 'om' is the name of a god in Hinduism.

 

[CosmicPathos]

I dont think there is any scientific evidence which proves that yoga helps .... if you need to stretch your muscles, just do them in a regular traditional way? the craze for yoga seems to be a fad thing that the western world has gotten into because it seems "exotic" as it comes from the lands of Orient .... just like how they associated harems full of exotic beautiful women right hand possessions with us Muslims 400 years ago ....

Yoga by definition is a method of "prayer," if you want to call it that, of Hindu sages to through which they attained purification, mukti, oneness with Nir-guna Brahman or whatever it was that they are seeking. In buddhism, Yoga was related to the energy cycles in body which must be aligned or something before nirvana could be attained.

In that sense, yoga is a religious practice, as it is associated/emerged from a certain religion, and i think every Muslim must avoid it, there are far better exercises than sitting cross-legged and stopping ones breath :S

now dont say "it helps you etc etc ..." what if yoga did not exist? you'd have found something else which would help you! possibilities in this universe are limitless, seek the ones taht are compliant with sharia.

 

[CosmicPathos]

^ I agree with the above. Make a good intension and do it without any religious afflictions. Yoga has many benefits. 'om' is the name of a god in Hinduism.

what if a kaafir was praying the Muslim prayer for "exercise," my first reaction after seeing him would be to assume that he is a Muslim. should I assume when I see a "muslim" doing yoga that he is a kaafir hindu?

 

[S.Belle]

I was hoping for a fatwa instead of an opinion (not being rude ur posts are appreciated but I just want to know if its islamically correct
)

does anyone know any alternatives to yoga...?

 

[CosmicPathos]

I was hoping for a fatwa instead of an opinion (not being rude ur posts are appreciated but I just want to know if its islamically correct
)

does anyone know any alternatives to yoga...?

fatwas are opinions too.

all the best.

 

[Detritavore]

Salaam sister,

There seems to be a lot of misinformation in this thread, but no matter. Firstly, there are many scientific papers out there that support yoga- fact. Really a simple Google scholar search yields enough journals, research and papers to keep one occupied for quite some time. Those who insist it is futile aren't of the wiser, clearly. Further, I'd like to point out that yoga, especially forms such as Hatha yoga and many more, were not forms of prayer- as some erroneously think- they are in fact preparation for mediation, as opposed to being direct religious acts. It's akin to me stretching before salah (which I do haha). Further, we wash our face during wudu, yes? Non-Muslims do so too, are they performing a religious act? My point is nowadays exercise yoga is not intended as worship.

However, this is all simply my opinion, and in the mean time I strongly recommend pilates :]

Allah SWT knows best always.

 

[CosmicPathos]

Salaam sister,

There seems to be a lot of misinformation in this thread, but no matter. Firstly, there are many scientific papers out there that support yoga- fact. Really a simple Google scholar search yields enough journals, research and papers to keep one occupied for quite some time. Those who insist it is futile aren't of the wiser, clearly. Further, I'd like to point out that yoga, especially forms such as Hatha yoga and many more, were not forms of prayer- as some erroneously think- they are in fact preparation for mediation, as opposed to being direct religious acts. It's akin to me stretching before salah (which I do haha). Further, we wash our face during wudu, yes? Non-Muslims do so too, are they performing a religious act? My point is nowadays exercise yoga is not intended as worship.

However, this is all simply my opinion, and in the mean time I strongly recommend pilates :]

Allah SWT knows best always.

mind suggesting those papers? you know, there are papers out there which suggest that alcohol might be good during pregnancy for the children? so yea, id like to see these 'scientific papers."

And a flawed analogy between washing one's face and an optional act. Washing face is a necessity, an biological act innate to humans and is important to clear one's face off pathogens, dust, insects. Yoga, on the other hand, does not serve any such process, rather its an optional act. Muscles can be stretched in many other ways and in a better way. In the same way, meditation can be done without doing yoga. are you suggesting that those people who meditate without doing yoga, they dont meditate as well?

in any case, I am done with this thread.

Of course, being of South Asian ancestry, I have inherent biases against yoga, which was also developed by people of South Asian ancestry, I see it as a typical fad among the modern world. You may think of it as you may.

peace.

 

[S.Belle]

i dont meditate when i do yoga....i just do the strecthes..nothing spiritual as I have already stated ...I dont want this thread to turn into one of the many debate threads I asked a question that can be answered with a yes/no so please no bickering

and in the mean time I strongly recommend pilates :]

thnks for your contribution

 

[nature]

have carpal tunnel syndrome and there are excercises for it but they do not help me. Once I tried yoga my wrists started to hurt less. I did research on it and it said that yoga was recommended for people who suffer from carpal tunnel. I also have knee problems which I think came from when I use to cheer bc that is when I started to get the pains which would occur every so often but now that I have been doing yoga my knee pains have also disappeared.

Sorry sis, i dont know the answer to your question ive heard its haram, but i dont know tbh. I also get wrist/shoulder pain, related to my job, i just tend to do simple hand exercises.

 

[أحمد]

Salaam sister,

There seems to be a lot of misinformation in this thread, but no matter. Firstly, there are many scientific papers out there that support yoga- fact. Really a simple Google scholar search yields enough journals, research and papers to keep one occupied for quite some time. Those who insist it is futile aren't of the wiser, clearly. Further, I'd like to point out that yoga, especially forms such as Hatha yoga and many more, were not forms of prayer- as some erroneously think- they are in fact preparation for mediation, as opposed to being direct religious acts. It's akin to me stretching before salah (which I do haha). Further, we wash our face during wudu, yes? Non-Muslims do so too, are they performing a religious act? My point is nowadays exercise yoga is not intended as worship.

However, this is all simply my opinion, and in the mean time I strongly recommend pilates :]

Allah SWT knows best always.

Yoga, as a hindu form of worship wasn't based on "mediation", but has been a form of "meditation" for "spiritual" purposes; the only sense of "mediation" was between the different "energy levels". I think you can find this information more easily, by looking at specific material related to "yoga", than scientific material, which happens to mention it briefly. The exercises (stretching) involved in yoga can be practised, but the "yoga" itself can't.

:wa: