NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 29, 2009: Performing yoga is not un-Islamic– indeed, offering namaz, the Islamic prayer is also a form of the practice yoga, according to Adil Siddiqui, spokesperson of Darul Uloom Deoband, India’s leading Islamic seminary.
Dismissing the recent controversy over the issue, Siddiqui said Wednesday that “Yoga is not a problem in Islam, but giving a religious color to it is wrong. … The purpose of yoga is simple, that is to maintain good health; and it can always be performed for the sake of exercise.”
He pointed out that Islam gives health a major priority. “If you observe closely, ‘namaz’, which every Muslim is expected to perform five times a day, is itself a sort of yoga and plays an important role in keeping a person healthy,” he said.
Malaysia’s top Islamic body, the National Fatwa Council, imposed a ban last year on the performance of yoga by Muslims, on the grounds that it combines elements of physical exercise and chanting of religious mantras. Earlier this week, Indonesia’s top Islamic body also passed an edict banning Muslims from practicing yoga, citing concerns it would corrupt their faith.
[HPI note: As is common in Western countries, the word “yoga” is used here to mean hatha yoga and does not refer to the other seven branches of yoga. Many Westerners practice hatha yoga simply as a form of physical exercise, to enhance flexibility and general health.]