What is Islamic Culture

7/28/2019 What is Islamic Culture

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What is

ISLAMIC

CULTURE?


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DIN PublicationsBasic TTC 101 Series

1. Authenticity of the Quran

2. Understanding Misconceptions About Islam

3. Appreciating Diversity in Muslim Scholarship

4. What is Islamic Culture?

5. Relations with non-Muslims

6. Should Muslim Women Speak ?

7. Muslim Women in the Public Space

8. The Hijab Q & A

9. Is Polygamy Fair to Women?

10. Jihad and the Spread of Islam

11. Sharing Islam through Dialogue


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What is

ISLAMICCULTURE?

An introduction to therelationship between Islam and

Cultural Diversity

Da'wah Institute of NigeriaIslamic Education Trust


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Islamic Education Trust, 1430/2009

ISBN 978 - 2159 - 50 - 6

All rights reserved: No part of this book may bereproduced in any manner except with written

permission from the publisher.

Da'wah Institute of NigeriaIslamic Education Trust Headquarters

PMB 229, Ilmi Avenue, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria+234-8036005535

e-mail:[email protected]:www.ietonline.org
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.ietonline.org/http://www.ietonline.org/http://www.ietonline.org/http://www.ietonline.org/mailto:[email protected]


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Contents

Foreword .................... viAcknowledgments .................... viiiNotes on Terminology and Transliteration xiPreface......................................................... xiii

Part I: Islam and Cultural Diversity1. Introduction.......................................... 12. Racism and Cultural partisanship.. 23. Criteria for assessing cultural practices. 34. The legal position of local customs ('urf) 55. Acceptable cultural practices............ 7

6. Unacceptable cultural practices........ 87. Conclusion......................................... 8

Part II: On Islamic Names and Dresses1. Introduction.......................................... 112. Names and Dressing............................. 123. What is Islamic? ............................ 13

4. What names are un-Islamic? ........... 145. What to consider in an Islamic name 156. What is an Islamic dress? ............ 167. Conclusion: Use of the term Islamic 16

Bibliography......................................... 19Recommended Websites.................. 27


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FOREWORD TO THE SERIES

Islam is considered by many observers tobe the fastest growing religion in the world, yet itis the most misunderstood of the world's majorfaiths. Some misconceptions about Islam stemfrom calculated propaganda against Islam, but a

good amount of it is attributable to the ignoranceof many Muslims whose limited knowledge andpractice of Islam perpetuates thesemisconceptions.

Due to the deficiencies of the common,restricted way of teaching Islam to children, many

Muslims grow up believing that Islam requiresonly blind faith and invites no intellectualchallenges. Often such Muslims manage withminimal knowledge of their faith until theyinteract with larger circles of people, in higherinstitutions or the work place, where they areconfronted with many misconceptions aboutIslam, and face questions they cannot answer.

It is in response to the need forempowering Muslims to know their religion, andto share its beautiful message with the rest ofhumanity, that this work was begun.


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This effort is part of a wider project ofintellectual empowerment of the global Muslim

world. Among the programs designed by theIslamic Education Trust over the past decade anda half is the Train the Trainers Course (TTC) inIslam and Dialogue. As its name indicates, thecourse is designed to train da'wah volunteers inclarifying misconceptions about Islam, handling

differences of opinion among Muslim scholars,and extending personal leadership training toothers. The contents of this series of booksevolved from teaching manuals from the TTC. Itis hoped that this publication will serve asintellectual resource material for Muslims ofdifferent backgrounds.

Justice Sheikh Ahmed LemuNational PresidentIslamic Education Trust (I.E.T)January 2009Muharram, 1430A.H.


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All praise and gratitude is due to Allah Whohas made this work possible. And may the peaceand blessings of Allah be in His last messenger,Prophet Muhammad.

The Prophet said: Whoever does not show

gratitude to people does not show gratitude toAllah. It is therefore with great pleasure that theDa'wah Institute of Nigeria (DIN) takes thisopportunity to express its sincere gratitude to allthe brothers and sisters from all over the world,

who have in various ways contributed to thedevelopment of the Train the Trainers Course in

Islam and Dialogue (TTC) and its study materialof which this book is a part.

The material has evolved into its presentform over a long period before and after the TTCbecame an organized course in 1994.

The contributions to the course and its

material have come in many ways, throughnumerous channels, both formally and informally,and from all over the world. They have come fromcontributors of various backgrounds, age-groups,organizations, and specializations.


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It has unfortunately become practicallyimpossible to cite all who deserve mention - but

Allah has counted them all, and we continue topray Allah to bless them with the best in this lifeand the next. We will however mention at least thecountries where the major contributors have comefrom, and may Allah forgive us for any omissions.

Contributions to the development of the

course have come from Australia, Bahrain,Burundi, Cameroun, Egypt, the Gambia, Ghana,

Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, New Zealand,Niger, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, SierraLeone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, U.K.,U.S.A., and most importantly, Nigeria.

In Nigeria, we would like to acknowledgethe following organizations for their key supportin the development of the TTC material. Theyinclude the Da'wah Coordination Council ofNigeria (DCCN), the Federation of Muslim

Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN),the Movement for Islamic Culture and Awareness

(MICA), the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria(MSSN), the Muslim Corpers Association ofNigeria (MCAN), and the Nasirul Fatih Society ofNigeria (NASFAT). Others include numerousUniversity departments, Colleges of Education,Colleges of Arts and Islamic Legal Studies, etc.


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We wish to acknowledge those who, to thebest of our knowledge, had the greatest input tothe TTC 101 Series. The chief editor of thematerial was Asiya Rodrigo, who also located mostof the references in this work. Others who greatlyassisted in important capacities such as structure,contents, style and preparation of the materials forprinting include Justice Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, B.

Aisha Lemu, Abdullahi Orire, Isa FridayOkonkwo, Muhammad Dukuly, Bashir Mundi,Nuruddeen Lemu and Aliyu Badeggi.

Finally, and on behalf of the research teamand all the staff of the Da'wah Institute of Nigeria(DIN), I would like to pray for the Trustees andminds behind the Islamic Education Trust (IET),and the DIN in particular, Justice Shiekh AhmedLemu and B. Aisha Lemu, whose wisdom,support, encouragement and leadership havehelped bring the DIN to where it is todayalhamdulillah andjazkum Allahu khair.

As only the Qur'an is perfect, this material

will by Allah's leave continue to evolve throughrevisions and improvements with bettercontributions from people like you, the reader,insh Allah.

May the reward of whatever benefit comesfrom this material go to those who have in any


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way contributed to it. The Da'wah Institute ofNigeria (DIN) takes full responsibility for anyimperfection in this work, and we pray that such

will be forgiven by Allah and you the reader.

Alhaji Ibrahim YahyaDirectorDawah Institute of Nigeria

January 2009Muharram 1430A.H.


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NOTES ON TERMINOLOGY ANDTRANSLITERATION

Use ofIt is a time-honored and cherished tradition

among Muslims that whenever the name of any of

the numerous Prophets of God is mentioned,peace and blessings of God are invoked upon him.In line with this tradition and the injunction inQur'an 33:56, wherever the title the Prophet,Messenger of Allah, Apostle of Allah, or theProphet's name, Muhammad, appears in thistext, the blessing in Arabic () appears next to it.

It means may the peace and blessings of Allah beupon him. Contemporary writings on Islam byMuslims use many variations and abbreviations ofthis benediction in Arabic or English or otherlanguages such as S.A.W., s.a.s., s, p,pbuh and others. In deciding which customarysymbol to use, it is worth mentioning that inmanuscripts belonging to the first two centuries ofIslam's intellectual heritage the writers did notrigidly adhere to the custom of writing abenediction after the Prophet's name, and hence,there is no 'best' way of representing it.


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References to ahadith and commentariesdrawn from computer software

Efforts have been made to ensure that allahadith (narrations or reported actions of ProphetMuhammad ) in this material are drawn fromreliable and well-respected collections.Reservations expressed by respected authoritiesabout the authenticity of any hadith have been

indicated in footnotes, even as its presence in thistext indicates that it is considered authentic byother scholars of repute. An abundance of Islamicclassical texts and some of their translations nowexist on CD-ROMs. The present material hasmade use of some of these CD-ROMs for

obtaining ahadith and their commentaries(tafasir). The most commonly utilized CD-ROMdatabase of hadith in English has been the AlimVersion 6.0 software. Hence, references to hadithcollections that end with the phrase in Alim 6.0throughout this material refer to those obtainedfrom the Alim Version 6.0 database (ISL Software

Corporation, 1986-2000). References tocollections of hadith commentaries which havebeen drawn from other CD-ROMs have beennoted in footnotes throughout the text.

Transliteration of Arabic words


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Modern Islamic literature in English utilizes anumber of transliteration systems for Arabic

words. With a few exceptions, this material hasfollowed the system used by the majority, thedetails of which may be found in the International

Journal of Middle East Studies. However, for ourease and simplicity, we have omitted the diacriticaldots and dashes which facilitate exact

pronunciations. It is expected that this should notrender the words unreadable.


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PREFACE

Islam is considered by many observers to bethe worlds fastest growing religion, yet it is themost misunderstood of the world's major faiths.Some misconceptions about Islam stem fromcalculated propaganda, but a good amount of it isattributable to the ignorance of many Muslims

whose limited knowledge and practice of Islamperpetuates these misconceptions. Many Muslimsgrow up believing that Islam requires only blindfaith and invites no intellectual challenges. Often

when such people in due course interact morebroadly at school or in the work place, they findthemselves unable to explain or rectify

misconceptions about Islam.In response to the need for empoweringMuslims to preserve their religion, and share itsbeautiful message with the rest of humanity, this

work was begun.The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of

Current English defines culture as the customs,

arts, social institutions, etc. of a particular group ornation. Culture is therefore one way ofidentifying distinctive groups or nations. SomeNon-Muslims and even Muslims haveunfortunately assumed that whatever is Arab isIslamic, and whatever is Islamic is Arab. This hasled to the wrong conclusion that to become


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Muslim necessitates abandoning all aspects of aperson's cultural heritage for that of Arabs, Indo-Pakistanis, Hausas, or any other Muslim-majorityculture. The first part of this book addresses thismisconception.

The second part of the book looks into the useof the term Islamic in describing various aspectsof culture, especially names and dresses of Arab or

non-Arab origin. It critically examines the criteriafor considering any cultural practice as Islamic ornot.

This effort is part of a greater project ofintellectual empowerment for the global Muslimcommunity. Among the tools designed by theIslamic Education Trust over the past decade and

a half is the Train the Trainers Course (TTC) inIslam and Dialogue. As its name suggests, the

TTC is designed to train da'wah volunteers inanswering misconceptions about Islam, handlingdifferences of opinions among Muslim scholars,and personal leadership and development courses.

The write ups that constitute this series evolvedfrom teaching manuals from the TTC. It is hopedthat this publication will serve as intellectualresource material for Muslims of differentbackgrounds.


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What is ISLAMIC Culture?

PART I: ISLAM AND CULTURALDIVERSITY1

1. Introduction

Islam acknowledges the diversity in people's customs,race, languages, dress, food, and other cultural expressions,

as not only legitimate but a sign of Allah's bounties. Islam,however, also disapproves of and even condemns thoseaspects of a culture that contradict its teachings andprinciples. No culture, Arab or otherwise, may therefore beregarded as completely Islamic or completely un-Islamic.

Allah says And among His signs are the creation ofthe heavens and the earth, and the diversity of yourtongues and colors: for in this, behold, there are messages

for all who are possessed of (innate) knowledge!(Qur'an30:22)

In another verse, Allah says, O mankind! We createdyou from male and female, and made you into nations

and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily, the

noblest of you in the sight of God are the most deeply

conscious of Him. Behold, God is All-Knowing, All-

Aware(Qur'an 49:13).

1 For some very informative sources on this topic, see Umar FaruqAbdullah's three essays, Islam and the Cultural Imperative, Innovationand Creativity in Islam, and One God Many Names; also, Faruqi andFaruqi, The Cultural Atlas of Islam; Ridzwuan Wu (ed.), Readings inCross-Cultural Da'wah; Ibn Ashur, Treatise on Maqasid al-Shari'ahtrans. M. El-Mesawi. Proceedings of Cross-Cultural Dawah

Workshop, 3rd & 4th Nov. 2007, Darul Arqam, Singapore.


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Only 15-20% of the

world's Muslims are

Arab.

It is therefore Allah's will that there be diversity in thevarious nations, communities and tribes of humankind. It

is also decreed that there is no inherent superiority of onenation, tribe, or race over another since the noblest of youin the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious

of Him.Arab culture is not the basis for Islam, nor is it the

practice of the majority of Muslims. In fact, most of thefollowers of Islam live inIndonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh,and India. Arabs only make up 15-20% of the followers of Islam.2Hence, although the majority ofArabs are Muslim, an Arab is not necessarily a Muslim, anda Muslim is even less likely to be an Arab. There is, indeed,at least an 80% chance that a Muslim is not an Arab.

2. Cultural partisanship and tribalism areunacceptable in Islam

The Prophet () is reported to have said, Behold,God has removed from you the arrogance of paganignorance (jahiliyyah) with its boasts of ancestral glories.

Man is but a God-conscious believer or an unfortunatesinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was

created out of dust.3 In another authenticated saying of

the Prophet (), He is not of us who proclaims the causeof tribal partisanship ('asabiyyah); and he is not of us

who fights in the cause of tribal partisanship; and he is

2 See Q & A on Islam and Arab-Americans, USA Today Online,2001,http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/islam.htm.3Abu Dawood, no.2425; Tirmidhi, no.1268 inAlim 6.0.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/islam.htmhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/world/islam.htmhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/world/islam.htmhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/world/islam.htm


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O you who believe! Be ever

steadfast in upholding

equity, bearing witness to

the truth for the sake of God,

even against your own

selves, or your parents and

kinsfolk. Whether the personconcerned be rich or poor,

God's claim takes precedence

over (the claims of) either of

them. (Qur'an 4:135)

not of us who dies in the cause of tribal partisanship.4When he was asked to explain the meaning of tribal

partisanship, the Prophet () answered, It meanshelping your own people inan unjust cause5, and thisapplies to Arab partisanshipsas much as it does to anyother relationship.

Though Islam respects thediversity within mankind, italso recognizes that someaspects of nearly every cultureor community are incontradiction with theguidance that Islam providesfor a just and God-conscious community. Islam, therefore,has criteria for assessing the permissibility or otherwise of

any aspect of society, whether Middle-Eastern, Western,Asian, African, or others.

3. Criteria for assessing cultural practices

When evaluating any culture, tradition or custom froman Islamic perspective, a Muslim must first clearlyunderstand that in matters which have to do with socialnorms and affairs (mu'amalat), the general principle is that

whatever is not prohibited is in fact permissible6 oreverything is permissible except what is prohibited by a

4Sahih Muslim, No.855 inAlim 6.0;Abu Dawood.5Abu Dawood.6 Tariq Ramadan, To Be a European Muslim (Leicester, UK: TheIslamic Foundation, 1999), p.64, n.18.


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clear and decisive (qat'i) text of the Qur'an or Sunnah.7 Inother words, clear textual evidence is required before a

particular act or custom may be prohibited. In thoseaspects of a culture which have to do with social affairs,therefore, no textual evidence is required from the Qur'anor Sunnah before such an aspect is considered permissible.Evidence is, in fact, required before a cultural practicerelating to mu'amalatis prohibited.

In other matters of belief or creed ('aqidah) andformal worship ('ibadah), the general principle (with a fewexceptions8) according to some scholars is that everythingis prohibited, except what is permissible from the Qur'anor Sunnah. In other words, unambiguous and categoricaltextual evidence is required for a particular type ofworship9 ('ibadah) or religious belief ('aqidah) to beaccepted as permissible. Related to this are religioussymbols10 or anything that is unique to and identified with

a religious group, such as their beliefs, worship, dressing

11

,grooming, customs, festivities, etc. These would be either

7 This is a well-known principle ofUsul al-Fiqh in Arabic is calledAl-'asl fil ashya'i al-ibahah (the legal premise of everything ispermissibility). See Yusuf al-Qaradawi's brief discussion of thisprinciple in The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam (London: Al-BirrFoundation, 2003), pp.3-7.8 See Nuh Ha Mim Keller, The Concept of Bid'a in the Islamic

Shari'ah (Cambridge: Muslim Academic Trust, 1995).9 i.e. any type of worship other than those already performed by theProphet and his Companions, such as salat, du'a, dhikr, Hajj,Umrah, reciting Qur'an, etc.10 Such as the cross and the star of David.11 Religious dress should be noted, here, as meaning dress thatidentifies a religious belief such as a pastor's collar, bishops' gowns, thesaffron or orange robes of Buddhist monks, ceremonial headgear wornby some animist diviners and pagan priests, and certain jewelry wornfor non-Islamic religious purposes.


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discouraged or prohibited, unless Islam clearly permittedthem. It is with reference to such issues that the Prophet is

reported to have said, He is not one of us who imitates apeople other than us. Do not imitate the Jews andChristians.(Tirmidhi, No.120712). According to anotherversion, Whoever imitates a people is one of them.(Ahmad).13

It is along these lines that the distinguished medievalscholar, Ibn Taymiyyah states:

12 This well-known hadith is recorded in Tirmidhias having a weakisnad (chain of narration). This is also the opinion of Hafiz al-Iraqi, al-Mundhir, and Haythami. Al-Sakhawi and al-Munawi state that there isa weakness in the chain but it is strengthened by other witnesses.However, others, such as Ibn Taymiyyah, Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hajrconsider the hadith as sound and without defect. (See Ibn al-Qayyim,'Awn al-Ma'bud: Commentary of Sunan Abu Dawood, in Hadith

Encyclopedia, Version 2, (Egypt: Harf Information Technology, 2000).13 Some Muslims have understood this hadith to mean that it isprohibited to do anything a Non-Muslim does, even if it has noreligious significance to the Non-Muslim, except what specific actions

were also done by the Prophet and his Companions. The views ofearly hadith commentators, however, generally do not support thisinterpretation. Munawi and al-Qamee', for instance, say the hadithcondemns those Muslims who follow the path of other faiths both inthe wearing of their uniforms and some of their actions. Al-Qari said

the hadith bears two meanings: whoever imitates those who denyTruth in their dressing or in their disobedience and vices, he is amongthem in sin; and whoever imitates people who engage in spiritualpurification and righteousness, he is among them in goodness. Al-Qamee' also infers that whoever imitates some of the signs of thehonorable, he will be dignified even if he does not deserve such honor.Ibn Taymiyyah continues that the condemnation of imitation could begeneral, but it could also mean that if a Muslim imitates disobedienceto Allah, the same judgment for non-Muslim wrongdoers is also uponthe Muslim who imitates them. (Ibid.)


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People's sayings and actions are of two kinds: acts ofworship by which their religion is established, and

customary practices which are required for day-to-dayliving. From the principles of the Shari'ah, we knowthat acts of worship are those acts which have beenprescribed by Allah or approved by Him; nothing is tobe affirmed here except through the Shari'ah. However,as far as the worldly activities of people are concerned,they are necessary for everyday life. Here the principleis freedom of action; nothing may be restricted in thisregard except what Allah has restricted to dootherwise is to be included in the meaning of Hissaying: 'Say: Do you see what Allah has sent down to

you for sustenance? Yet you have made some part of it

halal and some part haram?'(Q.10:59) Since this isthe stance of the Shari'ah, people are free to buy, sell,and lease as they wish, just as they are free to eat and todrink what they like as long as it is not haram[prohibited]. Although some of these things may be

disapproved, they are free in this regard, since theShari'ah does not go to the extent of prohibiting them,and thus the original principle [of permissibility]remains.14

4. The legal position of local customs ('urf)

Consequently, 'urf(local custom) or 'adah (tradition orpractice) is permissible, and even admissible, as part of

Islamic law, so long as it does not conflict with theprinciples or teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.15

14 Ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Qawa'id al-Nuraniyyah al-Fiqhiyyah, pp.112-113, cited by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam(London: Al-Birr Foundation, 2003), pp.5-6.15 See any credible reference on Usul al-Fiqh for more details, such as

Taha Jabir Al-Alwani's Source Methodology in Islamic Jurisprudence(Usul al-Fiqh al-Islami), 3rd edition (Herndon, USA: IIIT, 1993);


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A mujtahid must

acquire a thorough

knowledge of all the

customs and social

norms prevalent in

his or her society.

In fact:according to Ibn Abidin, in most legal decisions the

mujtahid (jurist), simply bases his decision on theprevailing customs ('urf) in his society to an extent thatif he were to operate in a different social set-up or in adifferent period of time, he would be obliged to reach adifferent conclusion. That is the reason why a mujtahidmust acquire a thorough knowledge of all the customsand social norms prevalent in his society.16Thus, from an Islamic legal perspective, various aspects

of a particular culture could therefore be classified as eithercompulsory/obligatory (fard orwajib), encouraged (mustahab),merely permissible (mubah),discouraged (makruh), orprohibited (haram).17 Islam is, inthis sense, a universal 'supra-culture' which permeates and

validates the acceptable anddesirable aspects of all cultures.

It is important to bear in mind that it is the Shari'ahthat is the criterion for judging a cultural practice (or 'urf).It is not the 'urfthat is the criterion over Shari'ah. There is

Hashim Kamali's Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, 2nd edition

(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Ilmiah Publishers, 1999); M. Mumisa'sIslamic Law: Theory and Interpretation, (Beltsville, USA: AmanaPublications, 2002), pp.137-138; Tariq Ramadan's Some GeneralRulings of Usul al-Fiqh in To Be a European Muslim (Leicester,UK: The Islamic Foundation, 1999), etc.16 M. Mumisa, Islamic Law: Theory and Interpretation (Beltsville,USA: Amana Publications, 2002), p.138.17 Tariq Ramadan, To be a European Muslim (Leicester, UK: TheIslamic Foundation, 1999), pp.69-72. See also Imran Khan Nyazee,Theories of Islamic Law(IIIT Islamabad, 1994), p.66.


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the need for a clear understanding of the distinctionbetween a cultural or personal requirement, and a religious

(deeni) or Shari'ah requirement. A cultural preference isnot necessarily a religious one, and a culture-to-cultureconflict is not necessarily a clash between culture andreligion. So long as a local custom or tradition ('urf) doesnot contradict the Shari'ah, it is considered permissible(halal).

For example, a traditional Middle-Eastern or Arabname, food, drink, dress or way of doing things, is notnecessarily better, from an Islamic point of view, than atraditional African, Western or East Asian alternative, solong as they meet the criteria of permissibility in Islam.

However, in the interest of social order and generalpublic interest, the spirit and purpose of the Shari'ah wouldalso discourage an otherwise Islamically acceptable custom,if it is clear that this will create unnecessary civil unrest (or

fitna). Depending on the probability and seriousness(among others,) of the harm and/or benefit expected, apermissible act may be discouraged or even prohibited if itwill create or lead to a situation that does more harm thangood, or whose disadvantages are greater than itsadvantages.18

18 For more on this and other principles see the discussions onchoosing the lesser of two evils, blocking the means to aprohibition (Sadd al-dhara'i), public interest (maslaha), etc. in anycredible reference on the Objectives of Shari'ah and Usul al-Fiqh,such as Hashim Kamali's Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, 2ndedition (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Ilmiah Publishers, 1999); Ahmad Al-Raysuni's Imam Al-Shatibi's Theory of the Higher Objectives andIntents of Islamic Law, (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: IIIT & IBT, 2006),etc.


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Likewise, it should be mentioned that some puritanicalscholars have a tendency to exaggerate this concern about

fitnah in order to frustrate freedom of speech and culturalappreciation.


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5. Examples of acceptable cultural practices:The hospitality of the pagan Arabs during their pre-

Islamic days, for example, is acceptable and evenrecommended, because to honor the guest is enjoined byIslam.19 Islam is also positive towards a culture thatenjoins its youth to respect elders. The hospitality andcourtesy observed in the traditional English home is, thus,encouraged in Islam even though it is found in the West.

Therefore, not all aspects of Eastern, Western, African orother traditional cultures are viewed negatively by Islam.

Some cultural practices are considered acceptablesimply because they do not contradict any Islamicprinciple. An example of this is a cultural way of preparingvarious types of non-prohibited food and drinks. The factthat people have a variety of taste preferences isacknowledged in Islam, and the Shari'ah containsprovisions for it accordingly. Other acceptable culturalpractices are traditional verbal greetings, wedding customs,farming methods, forms of leisure and entertainment, anddifferent cultural architecture. With closer examination,therefore, one may readily observe that many aspects ofmost cultures are acceptable in Islam.

19 E.g, Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.8, no.156;Al-Muwatta, vol.49, no.22 inAlim 6.0.


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6. Examples of unacceptable cultural practices:On the other hand, social activities that revolve

around the consumption of alcohol are Islamicallyunacceptable. Other unacceptable cultural practices includethe cutting and drinking of blood from live animals(traditionally practiced among the Masai of Kenya, forexample), greetings involving hugging and kissing betweena male and a female who are not married or immediate

relatives (i.e. non-mahram) to each other, festivities thatinvolve participants displaying nudity or vulgarity, thecompulsory giving of dowry by a woman's family to herhusband (done in some parts of the Indian subcontinent),'coming-of-age' initiation rites that involve bodilymutilation or sexual lewdness; and superstitious acts suchas patronizing a local soothsayer or astrologer whenever amajor decision needs to be taken.

7. In conclusion, no culture is completely un-Islamic.Some aspects of every culture or group of traditions aregood. Other aspects are merely permissible, while othersare Islamically unacceptable. Cultural diversity isrecognized in Islam based on the passage in the Qur'an49:13 where Allah states that He has made us into

different tribes and nations to know each other (not todespise one another), and that superiority is based onwhoever is most deeply conscious of Him.


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PART II: ON ISLAMIC NAMES ANDDRESS

1. Introduction

Some Muslims, particularly converts (reverts),20 raiseconcern when other Muslims insist that their names anddressing should be changed to conform to what is

recognized as more Islamic. Very often, it is believedthat the more Islamic names and dress styles are thosethat are held by the dominant Muslim cultural group(s) in aparticular society. Even books on Muslim namescontain largely Arab and Indo/Pakistani alternatives,thereby reinforcing the stereotype. Hence, the new Muslimis placed in the difficulty of not just changing religions butalso abandoning one culture and heritage for another.

The convert's family is, moreover, often deeplyoffended by the rejection of their bestowed name andcustoms. The impact of this has been, in many cases,alienation and the loss of important da'wah opportunitiesbetween new Muslims and the community they no longeridentify with. The expectation of suffering so drastic anoutcome is also a major obstacle to some new Muslims,

thereby making a difficult choice even harder.In recent times, critics of Islam have exploited thestereotype of Islamic names to further their agendas,either through publishing books under Arab pen-names orthrough the frequent mention of names containing ibn

20 Some contemporary English speaking Muslims prefer to use theterm reverts, since someone that converts to Islam is only revertingback to theirfitrah (innate primordial belief).


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or bin (meaning son of) when screening reports onterrorism or extremism. For all these reasons, it is

incumbent on Muslims to clarify whether a Muslim isobliged to identify suitable Islamic names or not, and todress in the manner of certain cultures rather than others.The question below represents the concern of manypresent and potential Muslims.

2. Are 'Islamic Names' and 'Islamic Dress,' etc. notculturally biased and exclusive, and therefore

ethnocentric or even racist? Otherwise, why donon-Arab converts (or reverts) to Islam have totake new 'Islamic' names and dress?

The notion that some cultural names or styles of dressare Islamic simply because they are Islamically acceptableis a prominent misconception held by both Muslims andnon-Muslims. Arabic versions of various names and

traditional Arab styles of dressing are particularly regardedby some as Islamic, while others names and dresses areviewed as non-Islamic. Indeed, the adjective Islamic is avery common term used by many Muslims to qualify manythings. There are Islamic names, Islamic clothes,Islamic schools, Islamic subjects, Islamic lectures,Islamic art, Islamic architecture, Islamic banking,Islamic political system, Islamic countries, and so on.

However, it is not precisely clear what definition thequalifier Islamic bears in all these labels.

3. What is Islamic?

The truth is that anything, be it a name, dress, food,etc., that does not violate what is permitted by Islamictextual evidence (from the Qur'an and Sunnah) may be


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called Islamic. For instance, some of the Prophet's closestcompanions, such as Bilal(from Abyssinia21), Salman al-

Farisi (from Persia), Umar (from Arabia), and indeed theoverwhelming majority of his other companions (sahaba),held the same names even before they became Muslims.The Prophet () never asked them to change their namesupon conversion.22

Other Islamically acceptable names include Asad(meaning lion), Ghazali (Gazelle), Badawi (Bedouin),Khadir (Green), Zahrah (Flower), Maher(Skilled One orExpert), andAbu Hurairah(Father of a Kitten, or kittenman). Some popular names such as Khan, Adam,Maryam, Suleiman, Musa, Asiya, Isma'il, Ishaq, Idrisand Ibrahim have non-Arab origins. The Qur'an lists manygood and great names that are in fact Hebrew in origin.Well-known Muslim scholars also took their names fromthe lands they came from, such al-Bukhari from the

Uzbek city of Bokhara, and al-Qurtubi from the Spanishcity of Cordoba.

4. What names are un-Islamic?

The Prophet () did, however, substitute some namesfor more positive ones.23 For example, Abu Dawoodnarrated that, The Prophet () changed the names al-'As,

21 Abyssinia is the historical name of the East African region that nowcomprises Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti.22 As will be discussed further below, the Prophet () only askedconverts to modify their names when they were considered obnoxiousby Islamic principles, such as the name Abdul 'Uzza, meaningServant of (the idol) 'Uzza, etc. This was the Sunnah of the Propheton the question of changing names for new Muslims.23Tirmidhi, no.1232 inAlim 6.0.


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At the time of the

Prophet (), a name

was not an automatic

indication of religion,

and as a rule, theCompanions of the

Prophet () did not

change their names

upon conversion to

Islam.

Aziz, Atalah, Shaytan, al-Hakam, Ghurab, Hubab, andthat ofShihab, and calling him Hisham. He changed the

name Harb (War) to Silm (Peace). He changed the nameof a land,Afra (Barren), and called it Khadra'(Green). Hechanged the name Shi'b ad-Dalala (the mountain path ofstraying), and called it Shi'b al-Huda (mountain path ofguidance). He changed the name Banu al-Zina (childrenof fornication) and called them Banu al-Rushda (childrenof those who are on the right path), and changed the nameBanu Mughwiyah (children of a woman who allures andgoes astray), and called them Banu Rushda (children of awoman who is on the right path).24 Abu Hurairahreported that, Zainab's original name was 'Barrah,'(Righteous) but it was said, 'Bythat she is giving herself theprestige of piety,' so the Prophetchanged her name to 'Zainab.'25

Abu Dawood narrates that,Bashir's name in pre-Islamicdays was Zahm ibn Ma'bad.When he migrated to theApostle of Allah, the latterasked, 'What is your name?' Hereplied, 'Zahm' (Foul Odor).The Prophet said, 'No, you are Bashir'(Glad tidings)26

Therefore, some categories of names are to be avoidedby Muslims, and would not be considered Islamic. Theseinclude derogatory names, names with pessimisticmeanings, names unique to Allah, names that indicate

24Abu Dawood, no.2330 inAlim 6.0.25Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.8, no.212 inAlim 6.0.26Abu Dawood, no.1428 inAlim 6.0.


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A Muslim should be

careful of the subtle

innovation (bid'a) thatlies in making it a

religious requirement to

use a name for religious

identification, when this

purpose of naming was

not the precedent or

Sunnah of the Prophet

() as illustrated above

in the names of his

Com anions.

submission to gods other than Allah, names that aredeemed spiritually self-righteous, and names that are

known to be specific to the opposite gender.27

5. What to consider in an Islamic name:

When selecting names, the Prophet () is reported tohave said, On the Day of Resurrection, you will be calledby your names and by your

fathers' names, so give

yourselves good names.

28

Itis thus the right of everyMuslim to have a good namesuch as the name of arighteous individual of historyor a name that has a positivemeaning. Nonetheless, it maybe observed that even though

certain names arediscouraged, there areinstances where the Prophet() still tolerated those whoinsisted on not changing their names (e.g. Hazn),29provided these names did not contradict the fundamentals

27

Abdullah Nasih Ulwan, Child Education in Islam (Dar al-Salam,2001).28Abu Dawood, no.4930.29 Al-Musayyab narrated that his father (Hazn ibn Wahb) went to theProphet and the Prophet () asked him, What is your name? Hereplied, My name is Hazn. The Prophet said, You are Sahl.

Hazn said, I will not change the name with which my father has

named me. Ibn al-Musayyab added, We have had roughness (in

character) ever since(Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.8, no.209; also no.213 inAlim 6.0).


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of Islam such as the belief in the existence of only OneDeity worthy of worship.

New Muslims may consider the socio-cultural realitiesof their locales in deciding whether to change their namesor not. They should, however, bear in mind the far-reaching positive or negative implications their name-change may have on their condition, the perceptions oftheir loved ones, and the position of the Muslimcommunity. Given the burden of these considerations, anew Muslim should, therefore, be left (without pressure) tomake a personal choice on whether to retain his or heroriginal name, or adopt a new one.

Converts are, however, advised not to change thosenames that are associated with their lineage (such assurnames or their father's names), due to the sternwarnings of the Prophet () against those who are awareof their birthright names but still proceed to name

themselves after people to whom they are not related.

30

This applies even if the surnames are anti-Islamic inmeaning, such as retained by the Companion, Abu al Asibn Rabi'a ibnAbd al Shams, who was the husband of theProphet's daughter, Zainab, and the father of the Prophet'sgranddaughter, Umamah.31

When handling converts, a Muslim should be carefulof the potentially subtle innovation (bid'a) that lies in

making it a religious requirement to use a name forreligious identification, when this purpose of naming wasnot the precedent of the Prophet () as illustrated above inthe names of the Companions. Once a name does not fall

30 See Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.4, no.711, 712; and vol.5, no.616 inAlim6.0.31 See al-Muwatta, vol.9, no.84; Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.1, no.495 in

Alim 6.0.


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under the category of prohibited names, all other names,whether their meanings are known or unknown, are left to

individual preference, even if it is a cultural variation of anArab name. For such cultural variants as are commonlyfound in Muslim countries, there is no religious basis fortheir condemnation. This follows the same principle that isapplied to choice of food, clothing, and other areas ofsocial affairs (mu'amalat).

6. What is an Islamic dress?

Any dress style that meets Islamic dress requirements isacceptable, and hence Islamic. A new Muslim does nothave to adopt a foreign style of dress, but may find a wayto adapt his/her customary dress in any way that pleaseshim/her and covers his/her body in conformity withIslamic standards of modesty as mentioned in the Qur'anandAhadith.

7. Conclusion: Use of the term Islamic

What is important for Muslims to know is that Islam isa way of life and that any other activity that does not fallwithin what Islam prohibits is Islamically permissible.The same logic applies to many other words or phrases towhich the adjective Islamic is attached, when what isreally meant is Islamically acceptable, or simply halal(permissible). Thus, Islamic knowledge, Islamic politicalsystem, Islamic culture, Islamic banking, Islamicmovement, etc, are all broad terms which may encompassmany acceptable (halal) permutations. Similarly, the termIslamization simply means a process of making a thinghalal or more just, and in line with what Islampermits, enjoins, or encourages.


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If da'wah (or propagating

Islam) alone is referred to

as Islamic work, thennursing, teaching,

administration, or

environmental activism

(which are all part of the

Muslims' collective duties,

orfard kifaya) may be

denied the Islamic

description they merit, andthose who practice such

professions may

undervalue the spiritual

value of their work.

Since the spectrum of permissibility (halal) in Islamranges from what is compulsory/obligatory (fard/wajib),

to what is encouraged (mustahab/mandub), to merelypermissible (mubah), and to some of what is discouragedbut tolerated (makruh), the use of qualifiers such asIslamic seems to over-simplify and negate the diversityacceptable in Islam.

A simplistic description ofa thing as either Islamic ornon-Islamic may result inthe misunderstanding thatwhat is conventionally termedan Islamic thing or practiceis the only option acceptable,and that anything else isunIslamic andunacceptable, or even

prohibited (haram). If such apremise were valid, then thestudy of anything other thanwhat is conventionally calledIslamic Studies, such asEngineering, Medicine,Education, or Management,would be considered unIslamic. If da'wah (or propagating

Islam) alone is referred to as Islamic work, then nursing,teaching, administration, or environmental activism(which are all part of the Muslim Ummah's collectiveresponsibilities or fardu kifaya) may be denied theIslamic description that they equally deserve, and thosewho practice such professions may underestimate thereligious value of their work.


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The term Islamic as attached to various features ofpresent-day Muslim populations may also give the

impression that an Islamic alternative or society iscompletely at odds with the features of modern non-Muslim or Western societies, which is not necessarily so.

It may therefore be argued that the term Islamiccould in some cases create more misconceptions than ittries to clarify! Allah knows best.


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IBN RUSHD (AL-HAFID), ABU AL-WALIDMUHAMMAD B. AHMAD B. MUHAMMAD B.AHMAD AL-QURTUBI. Bidayat al-Mujtahid wa

Nihayat al-Muqtasid. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, 1997

IBN TAYMIYYAH, TAQI AL-DIN AHMAD B. 'ABDAL-HALIM. Majmu' al-Fatawa. Ed. 'Abd al-Rahmanb. Muhammad b. Qasim. Cairo: Maktabat IbnTaymiyyah, n.d.


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ZAYDAN, 'ABD AL-KARIM. Al-Mufassal fi Ahkam al-Mar'ah. Beirut, Lebanon: Mu'assasat al-Risalah,1993


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Recommended Websites32

www.altafsir.comwww.discoverislam.netwww.ietonline.orgwww.irf.netwww.islam.about.comwww.islam-guide.comwww.islamic-awareness.orgwww.islamicgarden.com

www.islamicity.comwww.islamicweb.comwww.islamonline.netwww.islamunveiled.comwww.jannah.comwww.jannah.orgwww.masud.co.ukwww.muhaddith.com/index.html

www.muslimtube.blogspot.comwww.renaissance.com.pkwww.shamela.ws (Arabic)www.soundvision.com/infowww.sunnipath.comwww.uga.edu/islamwww.witness-pioneer.org/Www.zaytuna.org

32 These online resources have very useful information and productson Islam. This list is, however, far from being exhaustive, as new

websites debut on the internet daily. Other Islamic websites may beeven more informative than the above listed, and whereas these

What is Islamic Culture

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