Imitation of Non-Muslims is Haram

[sweet_gal]

Friday Speech was delivered by Imam Mohamed Baianonie at the Islamic Center of Raleigh, N. C. on December 8, 1995)

 

The subject of our speech today is an elaboration on the imitation of non-Muslims.

 

The Islamic rules governing this and other subjects depend on the related evidences or proofs available in the Qur'an and authentic sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).

 

If we look at these evidences as we go through the speech, we will find that it is forbidden to imitate non-Muslims in certain aspects, while in others it is permissible (sometimes preferred) to do things they do, not as an imitation, but as benefiting from available resources.

 

What is the proof?

 

Proofs from the saying of the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) prohibiting imitation are many; among these are:

 

The prophet (S.A.W.) said, "You will surely follow the ways, steps, or traditions of those who came before you, span by span and yard by yard (very closely) even if they entered a lizard's hole you will enter it." The companions asked, "Oh prophet, you mean the Jews and Christians?" so he answered, "Who else!" [Reported by Imam Bukhari]

 

The second hadith is "He is not one of us, he who imitates others. Do not imitate either the Jews or the Christians." [Reported by ImamsTermithy & Abu-Dawd]

 

The third hadith is "If one imitates another nation he will be from them." [Reported by Imam Abu-Dawd]

 

Why would a Muslim or a person in general imitate another one?

 

The answer to this question is from Muslim Sociologist Ibn Khaldon who said in his book (Al-Muqadimah" (P. 147), "The subjugated person is always infatuated, and imitates the conqueror in his motto, his clothes, his religion and all his conditions and habits as well. The reason is that the human personality always thinks that the power, the priority and the excellence are always with the one who conquered it so it glorifies him by imitation."

 

What are the things that are prohibited for the Muslims to imitate from the non-Muslims?

 

In order to simplify the answer we are going to classify them into three categories:

 

First: Concerning their worships, their religion and their holidays, the imitation in all these things is Haram (forbidden) by the agreement of the scholars because of the sufficient proofs that are related to these things. Imam Ibn-Taymiah had mentioned that with the clear-cut evidence in his book Iqtidaou Asserat Al-Mustaqem.

 

Second: Concerning the result of science and the modern inventions and discoveries etc. which the Muslims need individually, as groups, and as societies like medical science (medicine), engineering, astronomy, computer science, and the new means of communications, etc. These things, of course, are allowed or obligatory to be used by Muslims according to their needs. The proofs to this assumption are:

 

1. The digging of the trench around Madinah in the Battle of Al-Ahzab, which was done by the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and his companions as a defense system was imported from Non-Muslims (Persian).

 

2. The application of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab(R.A.), the second Khalif after the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), of the filing system in the Islamic State, for organizing taxes on cultivated land (diwan al-kharaj), and soldiers and their salaries (diwan al-jund). This was imported from Non-Muslims (Persian) while the companions were still alive and under their supervision and no one objected to that system.

 

The views of some of the Muslim Scholars on this Subject:

 

1. Imam Ghazally said in his book "Al-Ehia" (P. 17, V. 1), "it is permissible to take the merely scientific subjects from any source. It is obligatory if needed by Muslims and it is enough for one person to take them which is called (fard kefayah) such as Medical Science and Mathematics etc."

 

2. Sheikh Rashid Reda said in the "Al-Manar magazine" (P. 551, V. 1), "The use of the different industries and its roots and the practical military and natural science is necessary because it is obligatory for the Muslims to use it."

 

3. Sayed Qutb said in his book "Al Zellal" (P. 21, V. 2), "after he spoke about the Jews and the Christians and after he forbade imitating them in their religion and their beliefs, he said that there is no harm in taking all the human efforts concerning the scientific subjects theoretically and practically by connecting them to the Islamic faith."

 

 

Imam Maudoodi said in his book "Islam Facing a New Challenge" (P. 163), "If there is anything that must be taken from any of the other nations so it will be the outcome of their scientific researches and scientific discoveries, which reached the peaks of progress in the world."

Third: Concerning habits like dressing, food and the general life style (Which are not forbidden in Islam) It is permitted to imitate them except what is used to distinguish them as non-Muslims only such as the special clothes their priests wear and the turban which the Sikh sect wear etc.

 

Some evidence concerning that:

 

1. The prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) said to one of his companions when he saw him wearing two colored garments, "These are the clothes of the kufar and you must not wear them again." [Reported by Imam Muslim] prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) had prohibited him to dress the two colored garments because these garments distinguishes the non-Muslims.

 

2. It is very well known that the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) is never distinguished from the non-Muslims in his time by his clothes.

 

3. It was proven that the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was wearing the Omani and the Yemeni clothes and they are known as the Kufar clothes and the preferred clothes to him are something called (hebara) and it is made in Yemen from cotton or linen. Aisha (R.A.), his wife, said that, "He died in two Yemeni dresses." [Reported by Imam Muslim and others]

 

Imam Ibn El-Qayyim said in his book "Zad Al-Ma'ad" (P. 143, V. 1), after saying all the related Ahadith concerning the prophet's clothes "that the correct thing is the best way of the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), what he used, and ordered, and is his guidance to wear what is available from the Linen, Cotton and wool etc.

 

Note: We have to put into consideration that it is Haram to do any of these things dressing, food, and the general life style (Which are not forbidden in Islam) with the intention of imitating non-Muslims because the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) said, "Actions are but by intentions." And this also includes the modern fashions in dressing and haircut styles etc. just for imitating the non-Muslims.

[Mujahida]

thanx Sista, Thats was worth the reading!

 

 

"He is not one of us, he who imitates others. Do not imitate either the Jews or the Christians."

May Allah keep us from such acts.

 

jezekelah to the poster