Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu Alikum,

There is a type of folk dance in Middle East countries named Belly Dancing, mostly shown after Desert / Dune Safaris. The lady dances by moving her belly and showing most of her body.When I contested this my friends say it should be looked as an art?

 

Please enlighten me on seeing this?

 

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Answer:

 

Dance art culture fahisha

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 33:

33      Say: The things that my Lord hath indeed forbidden are: ‘fahisha’ (shameful or indecent deeds) whether open or secret; sins and trespasses against truth or reason; assigning of partners to Allah for which he hath given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which ye have no knowledge.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 151:

151    Say: "Come I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from": join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents: kill not your children on a plea of want;  We provide sustenance for you and for them;  come not (even) nigh to ‘fahisha’ (shameful or indecent deeds) whether open or secret; take not life which Allah hath made sacred except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you that ye may learn wisdom.

 

The Arabic and Quranic term ‘fahisha’ (translated lewdness) is used for absolutely every type of sexual indecency, lewdness, vulgarity, filthiness, profanity, etc. and each and every single manifestation of the evil of ‘faahisha’ is absolutely forbidden for the believers who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day.

 

Such is the despise of ‘fahisha’ in the Sight of Allah Subhanah that not only has He Declared it and its every manifestation absolutely forbidden, prohibited and ‘haraam’ for the believers, but the Lord Most Majestic Most Supreme has Commanded His believing slaves to come not (even) nigh to ‘fahisha’ (shameful or indecent deeds) whether open or secret!

 

Your Statement: The lady dances by moving her belly and showing most of her body.When I contested this my friends say it should be looked as an art?

The mere presence of a semi-clad woman amongst non-mehram men is a clear and manifest deed of ‘fahisha’ in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, leave alone her dancing!

 

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 168-169:

168    O ye people! Eat of what is on earth lawful and good; and do not follow the footsteps of the Shaytaan, for he is to you an avowed enemy!

169    For he (the Shaytaan) commands you what is evil and ‘fahisha’ (indecent and shameful deeds), and that ye should say of Allah that of which ye have no knowledge.

 

Dear and beloved brother, it is indeed unfortunate that some people have fallen for the classic ploy of the Shaytaan who has today masked and camouflaged the abomination of ‘fahisha’ and applied fancy and ‘almost acceptable’ terms of art or culture!  Allah is our witness brother, ‘fahisha’ by any other name will still remain a ‘fahisha’, regardless of whether the ignorant wish to call it by an acceptable or respectable term!  The ignorant who are foremost in naming and claiming acts and deeds of manifest ‘fahisha’ by acceptable and respectable terms fool, beguile, and deceive none but themselves!

  

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah Ankaboot verse 38:

The Shaytaan has made their deeds fair-seeming to them and misled them from the Right Path, although they were sensible people.

 

Your Question: Please enlighten me on seeing this?

Every deed and act of ‘fahisha’ is categorically prohibited by Allah Subhanah for those amongst His slaves who sincerely believe in Him and the Last Day.

 

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4886  Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

That he heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: ‘The eye commits ‘zina’, and the palm of the hand, the foot, the body, the tongue and private part of the body confirm it or deny it.’

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.260         Narrated by Ibn Abbas

I have not seen a thing resembling 'lamam' (minor sins) than what Abu Huraira narrated from the Prophet (saws) who said "Allah has written for the children of Adan their share of ‘zina’ which he commits inevitably. The ‘zina’ of the eyes is the sight (to gaze at a forbidden thing), the ‘zina’ of the tongue is the talk, and the inner self wishes and desires and the private parts testify all this or deny it."

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 36 Surah Ya-Seen verse 65:

65      That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths.  But their hands will speak to Us and their feet bear witness to all that they did.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Ha-Meem verses 19-23:

19      On the Day that the enemies of Allah will be gathered together to the Fire they will be marched in ranks.

20      At length when they reach the (Fire) their hearing, their sight, and their skins will bear witness against them as to (all) their deeds.

21      They will say to their skins: "Why bear ye witness against us?"  They (their skins) will say: "Allah hath given us speech, (He) Who giveth speech to everything: He created you for the first time and unto Him were ye to return.

22      "Ye did not seek to hide yourselves lest your hearing, your sight, and your skins should bear witness against you! But ye did think that Allah knew not many of the things that ye used to do!

23      "But this thought of yours which ye did entertain concerning your Lord hath brought you to destruction, and (now) have ye become of those utterly lost!"

 

Thus if one intentionally sees and watches ‘fahisha’ (indecency), it would constitute ‘zina’ of the eyes; if one derives pleasure from talks of ‘fahisha’, it would constitute ‘zina’ of the ears and mouth, if one touches or goes towards something or someone with the intention of ‘fahisha’, it would constitute ‘zina’ of the hands and the legs!  Although there is no prescribed punishment for the ‘zina’ of the eyes, mouth, ears, hands and feet in the life of this world, if one dies without seeking ‘taubah’ and repentance from their Lord, he will be held severely accountable for these acts of ‘minor’ zina in the Presence of their Majestic Lord in the Hereafter.

 

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),   one can be assured of never ever being misled;   but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.  

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan