I received an sms asking about my take on the fatwa (Islamic Religious Edict) regarding yoga.
I’m sure no authority on Islam, but I’m a ‘practicing’ Muslim and have read a little about Hinduism. I suppose that this qualifies me to throw in my '2 sen' worth.
Issuing a fatwa is a great responsibility. In Islamic history, many a leading scholar has chosen to spend time in prison rather then issue a fatwa. So when someone or a group issues a fatwa, they must have considered it in great depth before deciding on it.
In my understanding of Hinduism, God is not only the immanent cause, but also the material cause of creation. (To explain this concept of immanent and material cause, lets take the example of a clay pot. The potter is the immanent cause of the pot, as he/she is the maker. The clay is the material cause as the pot is made out of clay.)
To put it another way, God created creation using Himself as the material from which creation originates i.e. everything is God.
Therefore, when a Hindu greets another by putting both his/her palms together, he/she is actually saying, “I worship you.”
Now to yoga - they say that it’s all right, as long as there are no chants or mantras involved.
From a Muslim viewpoint, invoking any other than Allah amounts to shrik (associating others with Allah) and is THE gravest of sins in Islam. Some even say that reciting specific verses of the Quran (i.e. when used just like a mantra) to obtain specific results may amount to shrik, if it does not have the sanction of Hadith or Sunnah (i.e. the teachings and practices of the holy prophet - peace and blessing be upon him.)
A Muslim going for yoga, does not normally involve himself/herself in chants and mantras. He/She only follows the exercise routines, so where’s the problem?
Yoga has been developed over the centuries by yogis to purify themselves and to achieve union with God. The movements, postures, breathing techniques and everything else associated with yoga are to serve this objective.
If there is one similarity between Islam and Hinduism, it’s that both do not distinguish between what is sacred and what is secular.
How does one distinguish between the religious (sacred) aspect of yoga and the ‘just exercise’ (secular) aspect of it?
Me? I prefer walking.
12 years ago
2 comments:
I am in agreement with your fair and balanced view.
The original yoga includes chanting but one need not fear that his religion will be under any sort of threat by practicing Yoga because Hinduism never threatened another faith, nor does it require allegiance to Hindu faith.
The yoga we have today is religion-free. Practice yoga u can but leave out the chanting. It's just a form of excercise which is good for people. It's great for the body, spirit & mind.
Greetings, old pal! Glad to see you've joined the blogosphere with this very amiable & inviting blog.
Religious sectarianism is a well-known disease on this planet (can you count the number of sects that exist in Christianity & Islam alone? Not on both hands, I don't think!) Yet they fail to realize the interconnectivity of belief systems - how the founder of each faith was influenced by earlier teachings and built his or her essential spiritual system upon the foundations of earlier doctrines enfeebled by wear and tear. Nabi Isa, before he began his public ministry, traveled far and wide, studying in Alexandria and receiving initiation into the mysteries at Heliopolis before he journeyed to Persia, Turkey and India where he absorbed every bit of knowledge he could find. The Prophet Muhammad, before he was proclaimed prophet, spent years in India learning yoga and receiving esoteric instruction from Jain sages and mystics. Revelation is a continuous stream issuing from a single Source - and those who fight over doctrinal differences are indeed benighted.
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