I have attended many Asian and Arab marriages over the last few months and have seen both men and women dancing (sometimes with each other and sometimes in segregation). I am not a Muslim, but always believed that Islam frowned upon dancing, and if this is the case, why were the Muslims I witnessed participating in these “undesirable actions” and why did no one stop them? I have been looking into Islam recently and found this very confusing and almost hypocritical.

Mr G. McGovern (Leeds)

ANSWER

First and foremost; I thank you Mr. McGovern for going through the trouble of writing to the Islamic Times and confiding in us. Before I begin answering your valid question, please let us all remember that cultural practices and religious practices are different. Let’s begin by looking at the definition of MAHRAM. Mahram in Islamic Shari’ah legal terminology is an unmarriageable kin with whom intimate relations would be considered incestuous, a punishable taboo, i.e., father, brother, etc. Within these boundaries, members of the opposite genders may freely associate socially, without the restriction of draping herself in a veil. From this it is clear that mixing with both genders is not allowed in Islam.

Islam does not prevent people from having entertainment; however, it provides the rules that regulate this entertainment as Islam does not tolerate any kind of pursuit that contains Haraam (forbidden) or even leads to Haraam behaviour.

The religion of Islam does not prevent dancing, but it forbids anything that stimulates people’s desires, whether it is among men or women. They should not exceed the limits by doing anything that stimulates desires and incites evil. Women may dance together unless it involves revealing any of the woman’s `awrah – that is, the parts of the body between the navel and the knee – in front of other women as men may also dance together as long as they cover their `awrah also.

It is also allowed unless the dancing means that mandatory obligations will not be carried out or if it coincides with unlawful acts. However, some scholars do say that if a woman dances in front of her husband, then there is no restriction, as it is a way of cementing relations between spouses – and this a key pillar of establishing the Muslim family. But, under no circumstances, may men and women dance together as this is absolutely Haraam.

The reason behind this prohibition is that with mixed dancing bodily contact is close and improper sexual desires are aroused. This has been strictly forbidden by Islam in an attempt to block the way against evil. Another important point that should be stressed here is that in all cases where there is dancing and it happens to be accompanied by music, the music should be accepted to Islam, whereby, the content of the song should not be against the morals and teachings of Islam and it should be without certain instruments, as the Holy Prophet Muhammad-ur Rasullullaah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) mentions, ‘There will be people from my Ummah who will seek to make lawful fornication, wearing of silk, wine and the use of musical instruments. (Bukhaari vol.2 pg 837).

In another Hadith, Rasullullaah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) states, ‘A group of my Ummah will drink wine calling it by other than its real name. Joyous will be made for them through the playing of musical instruments and by the singing of females. Allah Taa’la will cleave the earth under them and turn them into apes and pigs.’ (Abu Dawood vol.2 pg 519)

The bottom line is that in Islam whatever excites passions opens ways for illicit sexual relations between a man and a woman and promotes indecency and obscenity, is Haraam.

(VERILY, ALLAH TAA’LA IS ALL-KNOWING!)