Malaysia clerics issue yoga fatwa

[U-571]

This is an open forum, where people are supposed to offer opinions and discuss issues, regardless of whether or not they adhere to a particular nationality, faith or culture. The only requirement is civility.

If you disagree with what he said, then great, the forum offers you a platform for discourse.

Please do not tell members what they can and cannot discuss.

u highlighted my entire post!! very nice of u, hhmmmm....

 

[khanz]

It seems obvious that one should have to have a "license" earned after many years of study and apprenticeship before being allowed to issue bona fide "fatwas". But I guess that is not feasible given that Islam has no central authority. As a Christian, I have often wondered about how the concept of a "fatwa" came into being. We don't have an equivalent proclamation of "Christian" law. What I don't understand is why, in Islam, a "cleric" is allowed to substitute his "opinion" for that of an individual believer. Why isn't the action of the believer (say, practicing yoga) just a matter between the believer and Allah? I thought that Islam was supposed to be a personal faith and that lack of a rigid hierarchal authority structure was an advantage over, say, Roman Catholicism with its pope. It seems to me that, by giving credence to these "manmade" fatwas, the believer is letting a human interpose between himself and Allah? No?

I am muslim and I totally agree with this
mullahs need to mind their own business they embarass muslims with their ridiculous fatwas

 

[U-571]

I am muslim and I totally agree with this
mullahs need to mind their own business they embarass muslims with their ridiculous fatwas

why r u criticizing the system, if ppl r bad, let them be punished!!!, v need good well educated, intellectual clerics scholars(nothing more nothing less), system itself doesnt need to be removed!!!. muslims need to be informed wht according to islam and whts not, only if muslims take islam seriously, they can move in the right path!!!, if every muslim judges whts good to him whts not, the islamic(which is only the right true faith), the entire system wuld collapse, mislead the entire muslim nation!! thts too essential to promote islamic bond which unfortunately they dont have, anyways, i dont instruct u or teach u, its answer to him!!!, look at his christian history!!!, so sad, they have a dark christian history, unlike islam!!!, muslims always concentrate on on way to lead in their destiny, but christians like tham always change their path according to circumstances, i hope they doubt their own faith!!!

an average muslim is much better educated than an average christian, even their preachers or priests r total illeterates!(sorry to say but they r), this shows their ignorance

 

[araz]

What about casino and liqor consumption?? which is ok in Malaysia

What the educated seminaries have to say on that?

What the Quran has already condemned openly is beyond discussion. It is wrong and anybody indulging or supporting these activities is commiting a sin. No seminary need say anything about it,.
Please give me a bit of time and i will try to explain what I think is happenning and the business of Fatwa. I need a bit of time which I do not have at the moment
WaSalam
Araz

 

[garibnawaz]

What the Quran has already condemned openly is beyond discussion. It is wrong and anybody indulging or supporting these activities is commiting a sin. No seminary need say anything about it,.
Please give me a bit of time and i will try to explain what I think is happenning and the business of Fatwa. I need a bit of time which I do not have at the moment
WaSalam
Araz

My Dear Friend please take your time.

 

[Metal Life]

I think Yoga is okay to an extent of being an exercise which involves stretching, but when it comes to meditation, it is one of the most useless things on earth. In meditation you literally try to STOP THINKING. Islamic or not, any virtue which requires you to stop thinking should be banned any way. I am glad they put an end to self mental retardation. As for the exercise aspect of Yogo, there are better alternatives for it such as aerobics and certain martial arts like, Tai Chi.

 

[haawk]

I think Yoga is okay to an extent of being an exercise which involves stretching, but when it comes to meditation, it is one of the most useless things on earth. In meditation you literally try to STOP THINKING. Islamic or not, any virtue which requires you to stop thinking should be banned any way. I am glad they put an end to self mental retardation.

i think you should stop sleeping too!!!!!you are no thinking when you sleep!!!!!
the purpose of meditation is to free your mind and let it rest,let it be at peace for some time.....its to get your mind relax so that it can perform better....it improves your concentration......it has the same purpose to the brain that sleep has to the body.

you should experience it to feel the difference...believe me it has nothing to do with religion.

what the clerics did is only that they deprived a lot of people of better health! thats it nothing else...........its like lying on deathbed and sayind "i don't want medicine coz Allah will save me" .Of course he will save you but the way he intends to save you is through the medicine....if you are rejecting the medicine then you are rejecting Allah's efforts.

 

[EjazR]

First of all the "fatwa" is only an opinion, its not state law or binding on say all Malaysian or Indonesian muslims. Also this is old news and I might be wrong but Malaysia has even backtracked on this after Indian ulema clarified about the Yoga issue and that it is permissible to do it as an exercise and healthy living.

Muslims can very well do yoga, says Darul Uloom


Indonesian scholars praise Indian ulema for endorsing yoga

 

[pagans]

Yoga is shirk. The fatwa is correct, yoga is UnIslamic. Moreover yoga is not secular it's Hindu.

 

[Dawkins]

time to close the thread i suppose

 

[Ratus Ratus]

First of all the "fatwa" is only an opinion, its not state law or binding on say all Malaysian or Indonesian muslims. Also this is old news and I might be wrong but Malaysia has even backtracked on this after Indian ulema clarified about the Yoga issue and that it is permissible to do it as an exercise and healthy living.

Muslims can very well do yoga, says Darul Uloom


Indonesian scholars praise Indian ulema for endorsing yoga

Somewhat of a light article, all words and little depth.. Interesting though for anyone who has an understanding of yoga.

 

[Ratus Ratus]

time to close the thread i suppose

Yes sounds as if you really have lots to input on the topic.

 

[EjazR]

Somewhat of a light article, all words and little depth.. Interesting though for anyone who has an understanding of yoga.

Not sure what you mean by "all words and little depth".

The point was as long as Yoga is taken up as an exercise, there is nothing wrong with doing it. This opinion (fatwa is an opinion not a "binding ruling") was given by an important school of thought in India that has considerable influence in Indonesia and Malaysia and other parts of the world. Based on that many scholars in these countries as well adopted this viewpoint.

You don't need a lot of words to explain that.

 

[Ratus Ratus]

Thanks all for this entertaining thread which has indicate many here know little about yoga or anything similar.
Yoga is one of a many like practices and can be found in many parts of the world.
The thing that is important is that these all contain 3 levels of practice. They are the body, the mind and the belief, (religion for the narrow minded).

From a christian perspective these practices can be seen as unacceptable because they are considered to stem fro pagan belief and practices. Simple example Druids and similar european cults.

The original article provides an interesting Islamic view.

In a simplistic outline unless the body and mid work as one the third higher level belief does not fully function. Yes belief is in most peopel and dos have a level of interaction with the person. Note belief coves any religion, it does not have to be hindu as suggested.
A good instructor should be able to guide a student through the two lower levels and guide that student to the correct belief instructor where the learning is continued.

For those that consider meditation useless you have not studied the meaning or the depth of this. Don't comment on something you don't know about.

 

[Ratus Ratus]

Not sure what you mean by "all words and little depth".

The point was as long as Yoga is taken up as an exercise, there is nothing wrong with doing it. This opinion (fatwa is an opinion not a "binding ruling") was given by an important school of thought in India that has considerable influence in Indonesia and Malaysia and other parts of the world. Based on that many scholars in these countries as well adopted this viewpoint.

You don't need a lot of words to explain that.

The article has some very interesting and valid points re Islam and yoga. The problem is it did not expand on the points. That is the basis of a problem with the article.
"Harun said better understanding of the art that yoga is would ensure that such steps are not taken in future."

It is via media that any form of even a mild understanding occurs. hence the article is light on and that is a pity.