Yoga, its origins and the ruling on practising it

Firstly: 

There are differences of opinion among contemporary scholars
on the ruling on practising yoga. Some of them are of the view that it is
not allowed at all, others are of the view that it is permissible without
any reservations. Yet others differentiated between some of its practices
and others; they allowed those that are in accordance with sharee‘ah and
forbade those that are contrary to it. 

None of them denied – as far as we know – that the origin of
this practice stems from idolatrous Hindu beliefs then Buddhism. Hence those
who allow it in all cases took away from it anything that has to do with
beliefs and spiritual matters, and passed the ruling on it on the basis that
it is regarded as physical exercise. Those who forbade it did so because of
its religious origins and the resemblance to those idol worshippers, and
because of the harm it causes to the body, and other reasons. As for those
who differentiate between one type and another, their opinion is not
acceptable because it is not possible to eliminate the bad and because
people are not able to distinguish between what is permissible and what is
forbidden in it. 

So it is both spiritual and physical exercise which was
originally aimed at reaching oblivion and entering into a state of
connection with God! 

In the book al-Yoga wa’l-Tanaffus (yoga and breathing)
by Muhammad ‘Abd al-Fattaah Faheem (p. 19), it says: 

“Yoga in the sacred Indian language means union and contact
with God, i.e., union between the body, the mind and God which helps man
attain knowledge and wisdom and develops his thought by developing his
knowledge of life; it protects him from sectarianism, religious fanaticism,
narrowmindedness and shortsightedness when searching; it makes him live a
life of contentment both physically and spiritually.” 

In al-Mu‘jam al-Falsafi by Jameel Sulayba (2/590) it
says: 

“Yoga is a Sanskrit word which means union; it is used to
refer to a kind of spiritual exercise that is practised by the wise men of
India for the purpose of union with the universal spirit. Yoga is not a
school of philosophical thought; rather it is an artistic way of doing some
exercises that release the soul from physical and mental gravity and take it
step-by-step towards reality. The Yogi is the wise man who practices this
way.” End quote. 

Both quotes taken from Mazaahirat al-Tashabbuh
bi’l-Kuffaar fi’l-‘Asr al-Hadeeth wa Atharuha ‘ala al-Muslimeen.

In the definition of Yoga we see that it means union, i.e.,
union of man with the spirit, which is the universal spirit, by which they
mean God. Hence the aim of this practice is to be a way of combining all
other religions. Dr Ahmad Shalabi – who is a specialist in the religions of
India – says: 

“The union of Buddha with the Hindu gods is nothing but a
return to belief in ‘Jnana Yoga’ i.e., the ‘path of knowledge’ which sees
truth in all religions and philosophies. But this truth is only a particle
of the greater, complete truth. This school of thought does not object to
any religion or philosophy; it thinks that any religion or philosophy is not
everything and is not the whole truth. The one who believes in this way of
thinking does not belong to any religion or school of thought, because he
regards the followers of all different religions as his brothers, no matter
how they differ. So Jnana Yoga is a way that encompasses all beliefs and
refuses to be restricted by any of them. We should highlight the fact that
propagating and promoting this way of thinking is aimed at fighting Islam
indirectly. I have seen these attempts in several countries. Islam is the
force that defeated both Christian and Buddhist missionaries, so if they can
manage to divert people in one way or another – even in the name of Jnana
Yoga that encompasses all beliefs and does not restrict itself to any one of
them – that is a great victory for them. After they have managed to divert
the Muslim from Islam at the end of this smart trick, then it is possible to
make him doubt and then pull him into another sphere. So let the Muslim
beware of Yoga and its trickery and those who promote it.” 

Adyaan al-Hind al-Kubra, p. 174 

We think that forbidding it altogether is the correct
approach. We have studied the words of many concerning this practice, and we
have decided to sum up the comments on it from a book that deals
specifically with the ruling on this practice, by a writer whom we trust
with regard to his methodology and beliefs; he is a doctor who knows what he
is saying when he criticises it even from a health point of view. This
writer is Dr Faaris ‘Alwaan and his book is called al-Yoga fi Mizaan
al-Naqd al-‘Ilmi, which was published by Darussalam in Cairo. Everything
that we will quote below is from this book, but it should be noted that we
cannot quote everything that it says in the book. Hence we will limit it to
a definition of this practice and the discussion of the Islamic ruling on
it; whoever wants to know more may refer to the book. 

Secondly: 

What is Yoga? 

Yoga means union; one of its prominent teachers says that it
is union of man with the spirit. 

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. 

It is preferable for the one who practices yoga to be naked,
especially the chest, back and thighs; to face the sun when it is rising and
when it is setting if he wants Yoga that is sound and beneficial; and to fix
his gaze and focus his attention on the disc of the sun, and be attached to
it completely, which includes his body, his faculties, his mind and his
heart. If he is in a built-up area and cannot see the sun, he is allowed to
draw the disc of the sun in front of him on the wall. One of them said: If
the one who is practising yoga is a believer in a religion and is concerned
about committing an act of disbelief, there is nothing wrong with him
drawing any image in front of him and focusing on it completely! 

Yoga also includes pondering one’s body deeply and thinking
of and examining every part of the body, starting with the toes and going up
to the head when waking up and before getting up from one’s bed, and doing
the opposite, from the head down to the toes just before sleeping, and it is
not allowed to forget or be distracted from this important task! 

Whoever wants to benefit from yoga should also be
vegetarian. 

And he 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. 

And they claim that this repetition is very beneficial. 

One of those who practices yoga says that he wakes up at 3.30
a.m. and continues practising yoga and offering its special prayers until
6:15 a.m. And in the evening he does the same thing from 6 p.m. until 6:30
p.m. 

Thus he spends three and a quarter hours every day practising
yoga, and he says that some of them spend more time than that, claiming that
the more time they spend on it the more beneficial it is. 

Al-Yoga fi Mizaan al-Naqd al-‘Ilmi,
p. 13-18 

Thirdly: 

The Islamic ruling on practising yoga 

To sum up, it is not permissible for the Muslim to practice
yoga at all, whether he does it on the basis of belief or imitating others,
or because he is seeking a particular so-called benefit. That is due to a
number of reasons which we may conclude from what is mentioned above, and
which we will sum up as follows: 

-1-

Because Yoga is contrary to Tawheed and involves associating
other deities with Allah, may He be exalted, and because it involves
prostrating to the sun and repeating its names. 

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): I am
commanded only to worship Allaah (Alone) and not to join partners with Him”

[al-Ra‘d 13:36]

“If you join others in worship
with Allâh, (then) surely (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will
certainly be among the losers”

[al-Zumar 39:65]. 

-2-

Because it involves imitation of idol worshippers and
resembling them, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Ahmad, Abu
Dawood and al-Tabaraani from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). 

-3-

Because some of its practices are harmful to most people and
lead to serious health consequences for them. Some of its practices involve
sitting in a very strange and shameful way, and sitting in a lazy way,
oblivious to what is going on around one. This is also harmful from a health
and psychological point of view. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: “There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”
Narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with
him). 

-4-

Because it is a waste of time doing something that does not
bring anything but harm and loss in this world, and calamity and despair in
the Hereafter. The trustworthy Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said: “A person’s feet will not move on, on the Day of
Resurrection, until he has been asked about four things: his life and how he
spent it, his knowledge and what he did with it, his wealth and from where
he acquired it and on what he spent it, and his body and how he used it.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi from Abu Barzah. 

-5-

Because it is a clear call to imitate animals and detracts
from human dignity, such as: adopting nakedness, resting on all fours in
most of the exercises (Surya Namaskar or sun salutation) and the special
posture in the third and eighth exercises. 

-6-

Because many of those who tried to practice what is called
scientific yoga or behavioural therapy fell into the pit of drugs and
addiction, and this remedy has been proven to be ineffective and of no
benefit. 

-7-

Because it is based on lies and charlatanry; its promoters
rely on deceit and twisting the facts in spreading it. Thus it attracted the
attention of a large number of those who are simple-natured and many of
those who are weak in faith. 

-8-

Because a few of those who practice yoga or some other
esoteric or deviant trends may perform extraordinary feats, people are
deceived by it. But in most cases they are only using devils among the jinn
as in the case of magic and so on, and this is haraam according to Islam. 

-9-

Most of the advice given by the promoters of yoga is harmful
to the individual, including the following: 

(a)    
Nakedness and what it causes of
cultural, sexual, psychological and physical diseases.

(b)   
Exposing the skin to the sun.
We have seen the harm that this causes, especially when there is lengthy
exposure to the sun.

(c)    
Fixing the gaze on the disc of
the sun, which causes severe damage to the eyes.

(d)   
Encouraging a vegetarian diet
for which Allah has not revealed any authority. 

Al-Yoga fi Mizan al-Naqd al-‘Ilmi,
p. 84-86 

And Allah knows best.