What is

ISLAMIC
CULTURE?
 DIN Publications
Basic TTC 101 Series

1. Authenticity of the Quran

2. Understanding Misconceptions About Islam
3. Appreciating Diversity in Muslim Scholarship
4. What is Islamic Culture?
5. Relations with non-Muslims
6. Should Muslim Women Speak ?
7. Muslim Women in the Public Space
8. The Hijab Q & A
9. Is Polygamy Fair to Women?
10. Jihad and the Spread of Islam
11. Sharing Islam through Dialogue
 What is
ISLAMIC
CULTURE?
An introduction to the
relationship between Islam and
Cultural Diversity

Da'wah Institute of Nigeria

Islamic Education Trust
 Islamic Education Trust, 1430/2009

ISBN 978 - 2159 - 50 - 6

All rights reserved: No part of this book may be

reproduced in any manner except with written
permission from the publisher.

Da'wah Institute of Nigeria

Islamic Education Trust Headquarters
PMB 229, Ilmi Avenue, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria
+234-8036005535
e-mail: dawahinstitute@yahoo.com
website: www.ietonline.org
 Contents

Foreword .................... vi
Acknowledgments .................... viii
Notes on Terminology and Transliteration xi
Preface......................................................... xiii
Part I: Islam and Cultural Diversity
1. Introduction.......................................... 1
2. Racism and Cultural partisanship.. 2
3. Criteria for assessing cultural practices. 3
4. The legal position of local customs ('urf) 5
5. Acceptable cultural practices............ 7
6. Unacceptable cultural practices........ 8
7. Conclusion......................................... 8
Part II: On Islamic Names and Dresses
1. Introduction.......................................... 11
2. Names and Dressing............................. 12
3. What is Islamic? ............................ 13
4. What names are un-Islamic? ........... 14
5. What to consider in an Islamic name 15
6. What is an Islamic dress? ............ 16
7. Conclusion: Use of the term Islamic 16
Bibliography......................................... 19
Recommended Websites.................. 27
 FOREWORD TO THE SERIES

Islam is considered by many observers to

be the fastest growing religion in the world, yet it
is the most misunderstood of the world's major
faiths. Some misconceptions about Islam stem
from calculated propaganda against Islam, but a
good amount of it is attributable to the ignorance
of many Muslims whose limited knowledge and
practice of Islam perpetuates these
misconceptions.

Due to the deficiencies of the common,

restricted way of teaching Islam to children, many
Muslims grow up believing that Islam requires
only blind faith and invites no intellectual
challenges. Often such Muslims manage with
minimal knowledge of their faith until they
interact with larger circles of people, in higher
institutions or the work place, where they are
confronted with many misconceptions about
Islam, and face questions they cannot answer.

It is in response to the need for

empowering Muslims to know their religion, and
to share its beautiful message with the rest of
humanity, that this work was begun.
 This effort is part of a wider project of
intellectual empowerment of the global Muslim
world. Among the programs designed by the
Islamic Education Trust over the past decade and
a half is the Train the Trainers Course (TTC) in
Islam and Dialogue. As its name indicates, the
course is designed to train da'wah volunteers in
clarifying misconceptions about Islam, handling
differences of opinion among Muslim scholars,
and extending personal leadership training to
others. The contents of this series of books
evolved from teaching manuals from the TTC. It
is hoped that this publication will serve as
intellectual resource material for Muslims of
different backgrounds.

Justice Sheikh Ahmed Lemu

National President
Islamic Education Trust (I.E.T)
January 2009
Muharram, 1430 A.H.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All praise and gratitude is due to Allah Who

has made this work possible. And may the peace
and blessings of Allah be in His last messenger,
Prophet Muhammad.
The Prophet said: Whoever does not show
gratitude to people does not show gratitude to
Allah. It is therefore with great pleasure that the
Da'wah Institute of Nigeria (DIN) takes this
opportunity to express its sincere gratitude to all
the brothers and sisters from all over the world,
who have in various ways contributed to the
development of the Train the Trainers Course in
Islam and Dialogue (TTC) and its study material
of which this book is a part.
The material has evolved into its present
form over a long period before and after the TTC
became an organized course in 1994.
The contributions to the course and its
material have come in many ways, through
numerous channels, both formally and informally,
and from all over the world. They have come from
contributors of various backgrounds, age-groups,
organizations, and specializations.
 It has unfortunately become practically
impossible to cite all who deserve mention - but
Allah has counted them all, and we continue to
pray Allah to bless them with the best in this life
and the next. We will however mention at least the
countries where the major contributors have come
from, and may Allah forgive us for any omissions.
Contributions to the development of the
course have come from Australia, Bahrain,
Burundi, Cameroun, Egypt, the Gambia, Ghana,
Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, New Zealand,
Niger, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sierra
Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, U.K.,
U.S.A., and most importantly, Nigeria.
In Nigeria, we would like to acknowledge
the following organizations for their key support
in the development of the TTC material. They
include the Da'wah Coordination Council of
Nigeria (DCCN), the Federation of Muslim
Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN),
the Movement for Islamic Culture and Awareness
(MICA), the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria
(MSSN), the Muslim Corpers Association of
Nigeria (MCAN), and the Nasirul Fatih Society of
Nigeria (NASFAT). Others include numerous
University departments, Colleges of Education,
Colleges of Arts and Islamic Legal Studies, etc.
 We wish to acknowledge those who, to the
best of our knowledge, had the greatest input to
the TTC 101 Series. The chief editor of the
material was Asiya Rodrigo, who also located most
of the references in this work. Others who greatly
assisted in important capacities such as structure,
contents, style and preparation of the materials for
printing include Justice Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, B.
Aisha Lemu, Abdullahi Orire, Isa Friday
Okonkwo, Muhammad Dukuly, Bashir Mundi,
Nuruddeen Lemu and Aliyu Badeggi.
Finally, and on behalf of the research team
and all the staff of the Da'wah Institute of Nigeria
(DIN), I would like to pray for the Trustees and
minds behind the Islamic Education Trust (IET),
and the DIN in particular, Justice Shiekh Ahmed
Lemu and B. Aisha Lemu, whose wisdom,
support, encouragement and leadership have
helped bring the DIN to where it is today
alhamdulillah and jazkum Allahu khair.
As only the Qur'an is perfect, this material
will by Allah's leave continue to evolve through
revisions and improvements with better
contributions from people like you, the reader,
insh Allah.
May the reward of whatever benefit comes
from this material go to those who have in any
way contributed to it. The Da'wah Institute of
Nigeria (DIN) takes full responsibility for any
imperfection in this work, and we pray that such
will be forgiven by Allah and you the reader.

Alhaji Ibrahim Yahya

Director
Dawah Institute of Nigeria
January 2009
Muharram 1430 A.H.
 NOTES ON TERMINOLOGY AND
TRANSLITERATION

Use of
It is a time-honored and cherished tradition
among Muslims that whenever the name of any of
the numerous Prophets of God is mentioned,
peace and blessings of God are invoked upon him.
In line with this tradition and the injunction in
Qur'an 33:56, wherever the title the Prophet,
Messenger of Allah, Apostle of Allah, or the
Prophet's name, Muhammad, appears in this
text, the blessing in Arabic () appears next to it.
It means may the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him. Contemporary writings on Islam by
Muslims use many variations and abbreviations of
this benediction in Arabic or English or other
languages such as S.A.W., s.a.s., s, p,
pbuh and others. In deciding which customary
symbol to use, it is worth mentioning that in
manuscripts belonging to the first two centuries of
Islam's intellectual heritage the writers did not
rigidly adhere to the custom of writing a
benediction after the Prophet's name, and hence,
there is no 'best' way of representing it.
 References to ahadith and commentaries
drawn from computer software
Efforts have been made to ensure that all
ahadith (narrations or reported actions of Prophet
Muhammad ) in this material are drawn from
reliable and well-respected collections.
Reservations expressed by respected authorities
about the authenticity of any hadith have been
indicated in footnotes, even as its presence in this
text indicates that it is considered authentic by
other scholars of repute. An abundance of Islamic
classical texts and some of their translations now
exist on CD-ROMs. The present material has
made use of some of these CD-ROMs for
obtaining ahadith and their commentaries
(tafasir). The most commonly utilized CD-ROM
database of hadith in English has been the Alim
Version 6.0 software. Hence, references to hadith
collections that end with the phrase in Alim 6.0
throughout this material refer to those obtained
from the Alim Version 6.0 database (ISL Software
Corporation, 1986-2000). References to
collections of hadith commentaries which have
been drawn from other CD-ROMs have been
noted in footnotes throughout the text.
Transliteration of Arabic words
 Modern Islamic literature in English utilizes a
number of transliteration systems for Arabic
words. With a few exceptions, this material has
followed the system used by the majority, the
details of which may be found in the International
Journal of Middle East Studies. However, for our
ease and simplicity, we have omitted the diacritical
dots and dashes which facilitate exact
pronunciations. It is expected that this should not
render the words unreadable.
 PREFACE
Islam is considered by many observers to be
the worlds fastest growing religion, yet it is the
most misunderstood of the world's major faiths.
Some misconceptions about Islam stem from
calculated propaganda, but a good amount of it is
attributable to the ignorance of many Muslims
whose limited knowledge and practice of Islam
perpetuates these misconceptions. Many Muslims
grow up believing that Islam requires only blind
faith and invites no intellectual challenges. Often
when such people in due course interact more
broadly at school or in the work place, they find
themselves unable to explain or rectify
misconceptions about Islam.
In response to the need for empowering
Muslims to preserve their religion, and share its
beautiful message with the rest of humanity, this
work was begun.
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of
Current English defines culture as the customs,
arts, social institutions, etc. of a particular group or
nation. Culture is therefore one way of
identifying distinctive groups or nations. Some
Non-Muslims and even Muslims have
unfortunately assumed that whatever is Arab is
Islamic, and whatever is Islamic is Arab. This has
led to the wrong conclusion that to become
Muslim necessitates abandoning all aspects of a
person's cultural heritage for that of Arabs, Indo-
Pakistanis, Hausas, or any other Muslim-majority
culture. The first part of this book addresses this
misconception.
The second part of the book looks into the use
of the term Islamic in describing various aspects
of culture, especially names and dresses of Arab or
non-Arab origin. It critically examines the criteria
for considering any cultural practice as Islamic or
not.
This effort is part of a greater project of
intellectual empowerment for the global Muslim
community. Among the tools designed by the
Islamic Education Trust over the past decade and
a half is the Train the Trainers Course (TTC) in
Islam and Dialogue. As its name suggests, the
TTC is designed to train da'wah volunteers in
answering misconceptions about Islam, handling
differences of opinions among Muslim scholars,
and personal leadership and development courses.
The write ups that constitute this series evolved
from teaching manuals from the TTC. It is hoped
that this publication will serve as intellectual
resource material for Muslims of different
backgrounds.
 What is ISLAMIC Culture?
PART I: ISLAM AND CULTURAL
DIVERSITY1
1. Introduction
Islam acknowledges the diversity in people's customs,
race, languages, dress, food, and other cultural expressions,
as not only legitimate but a sign of Allah's bounties. Islam,
however, also disapproves of and even condemns those
aspects of a culture that contradict its teachings and
principles. No culture, Arab or otherwise, may therefore be
regarded as completely Islamic or completely un-Islamic.
Allah says And among His signs are the creation of
the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your
tongues and colors: for in this, behold, there are messages
for all who are possessed of (innate) knowledge! (Qur'an
30:22)
In another verse, Allah says, O mankind! We created
you from male and female, and made you into nations
and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily, the
noblest of you in the sight of God are the most deeply
conscious of Him. Behold, God is All-Knowing, All-
Aware (Qur'an 49:13).

1 For some very informative sources on this topic, see Umar Faruq
Abdullah's three essays, Islam and the Cultural Imperative, Innovation
and Creativity in Islam, and One God Many Names; also, Faruqi and
Faruqi, The Cultural Atlas of Islam; Ridzwuan Wu (ed.), Readings in
Cross-Cultural Da'wah; Ibn Ashur, Treatise on Maqasid al-Shari'ah
trans. M. El-Mesawi. Proceedings of Cross-Cultural Dawah
Workshop, 3rd & 4th Nov. 2007, Darul Arqam, Singapore.
 It is therefore Allah's will that there be diversity in the
various nations, communities and tribes of humankind. It
is also decreed that there is no inherent superiority of one
nation, tribe, or race over another since the noblest of you
in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious
of Him.
Arab culture is not the basis for Islam, nor is it the
practice of the majority of Muslims. In fact, most of the
followers of Islam live in
Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Only 15-20% of the
and India. Arabs only make up 15- world's Muslims are
20% of the followers of Islam.2 Arab.
Hence, although the majority of
Arabs are Muslim, an Arab is not necessarily a Muslim, and
a Muslim is even less likely to be an Arab. There is, indeed,
at least an 80% chance that a Muslim is not an Arab.

2. Cultural partisanship and tribalism are

unacceptable in Islam
The Prophet () is reported to have said, Behold,
God has removed from you the arrogance of pagan
ignorance (jahiliyyah) with its boasts of ancestral glories.
Man is but a God-conscious believer or an unfortunate
sinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was
created out of dust.3 In another authenticated saying of
the Prophet (), He is not of us who proclaims the cause
of tribal partisanship ('asabiyyah); and he is not of us
who fights in the cause of tribal partisanship; and he is

2 See Q & A on Islam and Arab-Americans, USA Today Online,

2001, http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/islam.htm.
3 Abu Dawood, no.2425; Tirmidhi, no.1268 in Alim 6.0.
not of us who dies in the cause of tribal partisanship. 4
When he was asked to explain the meaning of tribal
partisanship, the Prophet () answered, It means
helping your own people in
an unjust cause5, and this O you who believe! Be ever
applies to Arab partisanships steadfast in upholding
as much as it does to any equity, bearing witness to
other relationship. the truth for the sake of God,
Though Islam respects the even against your own
diversity within mankind, it selves, or your parents and
also recognizes that some kinsfolk. Whether the person
aspects of nearly every culture concerned be rich or poor,
or community are in God's claim takes precedence
contradiction with the over (the claims of) either of
guidance that Islam provides them. (Qur'an 4:135)
for a just and God-conscious community. Islam, therefore,
has criteria for assessing the permissibility or otherwise of
any aspect of society, whether Middle-Eastern, Western,
Asian, African, or others.

3. Criteria for assessing cultural practices

When evaluating any culture, tradition or custom from
an Islamic perspective, a Muslim must first clearly
understand that in matters which have to do with social
norms and affairs (mu'amalat), the general principle is that
whatever is not prohibited is in fact permissible6 or
everything is permissible except what is prohibited by a

4 Sahih Muslim, No.855 in Alim 6.0; Abu Dawood.

5 Abu Dawood.
6 Tariq Ramadan, To Be a European Muslim (Leicester, UK: The

Islamic Foundation, 1999), p.64, n.18.

clear and decisive (qat'i) text of the Qur'an or Sunnah.7 In
other words, clear textual evidence is required before a
particular act or custom may be prohibited. In those
aspects of a culture which have to do with social affairs,
therefore, no textual evidence is required from the Qur'an
or Sunnah before such an aspect is considered permissible.
Evidence is, in fact, required before a cultural practice
relating to mu'amalat is prohibited.
In other matters of belief or creed ('aqidah) and
formal worship ('ibadah), the general principle (with a few
exceptions8) according to some scholars is that everything
is prohibited, except what is permissible from the Qur'an
or Sunnah. In other words, unambiguous and categorical
textual evidence is required for a particular type of
worship9 ('ibadah) or religious belief ('aqidah) to be
accepted as permissible. Related to this are religious
symbols10 or anything that is unique to and identified with
a religious group, such as their beliefs, worship, dressing11,
grooming, customs, festivities, etc. These would be either

7 This is a well-known principle of Usul al-Fiqh in Arabic is called

Al-'asl fil ashya'i al-ibahah (the legal premise of everything is
permissibility). See Yusuf al-Qaradawi's brief discussion of this
principle in The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam (London: Al-Birr
Foundation, 2003), pp.3-7.
8 See Nuh Ha Mim Keller, The Concept of Bid'a in the Islamic

Shari'ah (Cambridge: Muslim Academic Trust, 1995).

9 i.e. any type of worship other than those already performed by the

Prophet and his Companions, such as salat, du'a, dhikr, Hajj,

Umrah, reciting Qur'an, etc.
10 Such as the cross and the star of David.
11 Religious dress should be noted, here, as meaning dress that

identifies a religious belief such as a pastor's collar, bishops' gowns, the

saffron or orange robes of Buddhist monks, ceremonial headgear worn
by some animist diviners and pagan priests, and certain jewelry worn
for non-Islamic religious purposes.
discouraged or prohibited, unless Islam clearly permitted
them. It is with reference to such issues that the Prophet is
reported to have said, He is not one of us who imitates a
people other than us. Do not imitate the Jews and
Christians. (Tirmidhi, No.120712). According to another
version, Whoever imitates a people is one of them.
(Ahmad).13
It is along these lines that the distinguished medieval
scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah states:

12 This well-known hadith is recorded in Tirmidhi as having a weak

isnad (chain of narration). This is also the opinion of Hafiz al-Iraqi, al-
Mundhir, and Haythami. Al-Sakhawi and al-Munawi state that there is
a weakness in the chain but it is strengthened by other witnesses.
However, others, such as Ibn Taymiyyah, Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hajr
consider the hadith as sound and without defect. (See Ibn al-Qayyim,
'Awn al-Ma'bud: Commentary of Sunan Abu Dawood, in Hadith
Encyclopedia, Version 2, (Egypt: Harf Information Technology, 2000).
13 Some Muslims have understood this hadith to mean that it is

prohibited to do anything a Non-Muslim does, even if it has no

religious significance to the Non-Muslim, except what specific actions
were also done by the Prophet and his Companions. The views of
early hadith commentators, however, generally do not support this
interpretation. Munawi and al-Qamee', for instance, say the hadith
condemns those Muslims who follow the path of other faiths both in
the wearing of their uniforms and some of their actions. Al-Qari said
the hadith bears two meanings: whoever imitates those who deny
Truth in their dressing or in their disobedience and vices, he is among
them in sin; and whoever imitates people who engage in spiritual
purification and righteousness, he is among them in goodness. Al-
Qamee' also infers that whoever imitates some of the signs of the
honorable, he will be dignified even if he does not deserve such honor.
Ibn Taymiyyah continues that the condemnation of imitation could be
general, but it could also mean that if a Muslim imitates disobedience
to Allah, the same judgment for non-Muslim wrongdoers is also upon
the Muslim who imitates them. (Ibid.)
 People's sayings and actions are of two kinds: acts of
worship by which their religion is established, and
customary practices which are required for day-to-day
living. From the principles of the Shari'ah, we know
that acts of worship are those acts which have been
prescribed by Allah or approved by Him; nothing is to
be affirmed here except through the Shari'ah. However,
as far as the worldly activities of people are concerned,
they are necessary for everyday life. Here the principle
is freedom of action; nothing may be restricted in this
regard except what Allah has restricted to do
otherwise is to be included in the meaning of His
saying: 'Say: Do you see what Allah has sent down to
you for sustenance? Yet you have made some part of it
halal and some part haram?' (Q.10:59) Since this is
the stance of the Shari'ah, people are free to buy, sell,
and lease as they wish, just as they are free to eat and to
drink what they like as long as it is not haram
[prohibited]. Although some of these things may be
disapproved, they are free in this regard, since the
Shari'ah does not go to the extent of prohibiting them,
and thus the original principle [of permissibility]
remains.14

4. The legal position of local customs ('urf)

Consequently, 'urf (local custom) or 'adah (tradition or
practice) is permissible, and even admissible, as part of
Islamic law, so long as it does not conflict with the
principles or teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.15
14 Ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Qawa'id al-Nuraniyyah al-Fiqhiyyah, pp.112-
113, cited by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam
(London: Al-Birr Foundation, 2003), pp.5-6.
15 See any credible reference on Usul al-Fiqh for more details, such as

Taha Jabir Al-Alwani's Source Methodology in Islamic Jurisprudence

(Usul al-Fiqh al-Islami), 3rd edition (Herndon, USA: IIIT, 1993);
 In fact:
according to Ibn Abidin, in most legal decisions the
mujtahid (jurist), simply bases his decision on the
prevailing customs ('urf) in his society to an extent that
if he were to operate in a different social set-up or in a
different period of time, he would be obliged to reach a
different conclusion. That is the reason why a mujtahid
must acquire a thorough knowledge of all the customs
and social norms prevalent in his society.16
Thus, from an Islamic legal perspective, various aspects
of a particular culture could therefore be classified as either
compulsory/obligatory (fard or
wajib), encouraged (mustahab), A mujtahid must
merely permissible (mubah), acquire a thorough
discouraged (makruh), or knowledge of all the
prohibited (haram).17 Islam is, in customs and social
this sense, a universal 'supra- norms prevalent in
culture' which permeates and his or her society.
validates the acceptable and
desirable aspects of all cultures.
It is important to bear in mind that it is the Shari'ah
that is the criterion for judging a cultural practice (or 'urf).
It is not the 'urf that is the criterion over Shari'ah. There is

Hashim Kamali's Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, 2nd edition

(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Ilmiah Publishers, 1999); M. Mumisa's
Islamic Law: Theory and Interpretation, (Beltsville, USA: Amana
Publications, 2002), pp.137-138; Tariq Ramadan's Some General
Rulings of Usul al-Fiqh in To Be a European Muslim (Leicester,
UK: The Islamic Foundation, 1999), etc.
16 M. Mumisa, Islamic Law: Theory and Interpretation (Beltsville,

USA: Amana Publications, 2002), p.138.

17 Tariq Ramadan, To be a European Muslim (Leicester, UK: The

Islamic Foundation, 1999), pp.69-72. See also Imran Khan Nyazee,

Theories of Islamic Law (IIIT Islamabad, 1994), p.66.
the need for a clear understanding of the distinction
between a cultural or personal requirement, and a religious
(deeni) or Shari'ah requirement. A cultural preference is
not necessarily a religious one, and a culture-to-culture
conflict is not necessarily a clash between culture and
religion. So long as a local custom or tradition ('urf) does
not contradict the Shari'ah, it is considered permissible
(halal).
For example, a traditional Middle-Eastern or Arab
name, food, drink, dress or way of doing things, is not
necessarily better, from an Islamic point of view, than a
traditional African, Western or East Asian alternative, so
long as they meet the criteria of permissibility in Islam.
However, in the interest of social order and general
public interest, the spirit and purpose of the Shari'ah would
also discourage an otherwise Islamically acceptable custom,
if it is clear that this will create unnecessary civil unrest (or
fitna). Depending on the probability and seriousness
(among others,) of the harm and/or benefit expected, a
permissible act may be discouraged or even prohibited if it
will create or lead to a situation that does more harm than
good, or whose disadvantages are greater than its
advantages.18

18 For more on this and other principles see the discussions on

choosing the lesser of two evils, blocking the means to a
prohibition (Sadd al-dhara'i), public interest (maslaha), etc. in any
credible reference on the Objectives of Shari'ah and Usul al-Fiqh,
such as Hashim Kamali's Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, 2nd
edition (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Ilmiah Publishers, 1999); Ahmad Al-
Raysuni's Imam Al-Shatibi's Theory of the Higher Objectives and
Intents of Islamic Law, (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: IIIT & IBT, 2006),
etc.
 Likewise, it should be mentioned that some puritanical
scholars have a tendency to exaggerate this concern about
fitnah in order to frustrate freedom of speech and cultural
appreciation.
5. Examples of acceptable cultural practices:
The hospitality of the pagan Arabs during their pre-
Islamic days, for example, is acceptable and even
recommended, because to honor the guest is enjoined by
Islam.19 Islam is also positive towards a culture that
enjoins its youth to respect elders. The hospitality and
courtesy observed in the traditional English home is, thus,
encouraged in Islam even though it is found in the West.
Therefore, not all aspects of Eastern, Western, African or
other traditional cultures are viewed negatively by Islam.
Some cultural practices are considered acceptable
simply because they do not contradict any Islamic
principle. An example of this is a cultural way of preparing
various types of non-prohibited food and drinks. The fact
that people have a variety of taste preferences is
acknowledged in Islam, and the Shari'ah contains
provisions for it accordingly. Other acceptable cultural
practices are traditional verbal greetings, wedding customs,
farming methods, forms of leisure and entertainment, and
different cultural architecture. With closer examination,
therefore, one may readily observe that many aspects of
most cultures are acceptable in Islam.

19 E.g, Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.8, no.156; Al-Muwatta, vol.49, no.22 in

Alim 6.0.
6. Examples of unacceptable cultural practices:
On the other hand, social activities that revolve
around the consumption of alcohol are Islamically
unacceptable. Other unacceptable cultural practices include
the cutting and drinking of blood from live animals
(traditionally practiced among the Masai of Kenya, for
example), greetings involving hugging and kissing between
a male and a female who are not married or immediate
relatives (i.e. non-mahram) to each other, festivities that
involve participants displaying nudity or vulgarity, the
compulsory giving of dowry by a woman's family to her
husband (done in some parts of the Indian subcontinent),
'coming-of-age' initiation rites that involve bodily
mutilation or sexual lewdness; and superstitious acts such
as patronizing a local soothsayer or astrologer whenever a
major decision needs to be taken.

7. In conclusion, no culture is completely un-Islamic.

Some aspects of every culture or group of traditions are
good. Other aspects are merely permissible, while others
are Islamically unacceptable. Cultural diversity is
recognized in Islam based on the passage in the Qur'an
49:13 where Allah states that He has made us into
different tribes and nations to know each other (not to
despise one another), and that superiority is based on
whoever is most deeply conscious of Him.
 PART II: ON ISLAMIC NAMES AND
DRESS

1. Introduction
Some Muslims, particularly converts (reverts),20 raise
concern when other Muslims insist that their names and
dressing should be changed to conform to what is
recognized as more Islamic. Very often, it is believed
that the more Islamic names and dress styles are those
that are held by the dominant Muslim cultural group(s) in a
particular society. Even books on Muslim names
contain largely Arab and Indo/Pakistani alternatives,
thereby reinforcing the stereotype. Hence, the new Muslim
is placed in the difficulty of not just changing religions but
also abandoning one culture and heritage for another.
The convert's family is, moreover, often deeply
offended by the rejection of their bestowed name and
customs. The impact of this has been, in many cases,
alienation and the loss of important da'wah opportunities
between new Muslims and the community they no longer
identify with. The expectation of suffering so drastic an
outcome is also a major obstacle to some new Muslims,
thereby making a difficult choice even harder.
In recent times, critics of Islam have exploited the
stereotype of Islamic names to further their agendas,
either through publishing books under Arab pen-names or
through the frequent mention of names containing ibn

20 Some contemporary English speaking Muslims prefer to use the

term reverts, since someone that converts to Islam is only reverting
back to their fitrah (innate primordial belief).
or bin (meaning son of) when screening reports on
terrorism or extremism. For all these reasons, it is
incumbent on Muslims to clarify whether a Muslim is
obliged to identify suitable Islamic names or not, and to
dress in the manner of certain cultures rather than others.
The question below represents the concern of many
present and potential Muslims.

2. Are 'Islamic Names' and 'Islamic Dress,' etc. not

culturally biased and exclusive, and therefore
ethnocentric or even racist? Otherwise, why do
non-Arab converts (or reverts) to Islam have to
take new 'Islamic' names and dress?
The notion that some cultural names or styles of dress
are Islamic simply because they are Islamically acceptable
is a prominent misconception held by both Muslims and
non-Muslims. Arabic versions of various names and
traditional Arab styles of dressing are particularly regarded
by some as Islamic, while others names and dresses are
viewed as non-Islamic. Indeed, the adjective Islamic is a
very common term used by many Muslims to qualify many
things. There are Islamic names, Islamic clothes,
Islamic schools, Islamic subjects, Islamic lectures,
Islamic art, Islamic architecture, Islamic banking,
Islamic political system, Islamic countries, and so on.
However, it is not precisely clear what definition the
qualifier Islamic bears in all these labels.

3. What is Islamic?
The truth is that anything, be it a name, dress, food,
etc., that does not violate what is permitted by Islamic
textual evidence (from the Qur'an and Sunnah) may be
called Islamic. For instance, some of the Prophet's closest
companions, such as Bilal (from Abyssinia21), Salman al-
Farisi (from Persia), Umar (from Arabia), and indeed the
overwhelming majority of his other companions (sahaba),
held the same names even before they became Muslims.
The Prophet () never asked them to change their names
upon conversion.22
Other Islamically acceptable names include Asad
(meaning lion), Ghazali (Gazelle), Badawi (Bedouin),
Khadir (Green), Zahrah (Flower), Maher (Skilled One or
Expert), and Abu Hurairah (Father of a Kitten, or kitten
man). Some popular names such as Khan, Adam,
Maryam, Suleiman, Musa, Asiya, Isma'il, Ishaq, Idris
and Ibrahim have non-Arab origins. The Qur'an lists many
good and great names that are in fact Hebrew in origin.
Well-known Muslim scholars also took their names from
the lands they came from, such al-Bukhari from the
Uzbek city of Bokhara, and al-Qurtubi from the Spanish
city of Cordoba.

4. What names are un-Islamic?

The Prophet () did, however, substitute some names
for more positive ones.23 For example, Abu Dawood
narrated that, The Prophet () changed the names al-'As,

21 Abyssinia is the historical name of the East African region that now
comprises Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti.
22 As will be discussed further below, the Prophet () only asked

converts to modify their names when they were considered obnoxious

by Islamic principles, such as the name Abdul 'Uzza, meaning
Servant of (the idol) 'Uzza, etc. This was the Sunnah of the Prophet
on the question of changing names for new Muslims.
23 Tirmidhi, no.1232 in Alim 6.0.
Aziz, Atalah, Shaytan, al-Hakam, Ghurab, Hubab, and
that of Shihab, and calling him Hisham. He changed the
name Harb (War) to Silm (Peace). He changed the name
of a land, Afra (Barren), and called it Khadra' (Green). He
changed the name Shi'b ad-Dalala (the mountain path of
straying), and called it Shi'b al-Huda (mountain path of
guidance). He changed the name Banu al-Zina (children
of fornication) and called them Banu al-Rushda (children
of those who are on the right path), and changed the name
Banu Mughwiyah (children of a woman who allures and
goes astray), and called them Banu Rushda (children of a
woman who is on the right path).24 Abu Hurairah
reported that, Zainab's original name was 'Barrah,'
(Righteous) but it was said, 'By
At the time of the
that she is giving herself the
Prophet (), a name
prestige of piety,' so the Prophet
was not an automatic
changed her name to 'Zainab.'25
indication of religion,
Abu Dawood narrates that,
and as a rule, the
Bashir's name in pre-Islamic
Companions of the
days was Zahm ibn Ma'bad. Prophet () did not
When he migrated to the change their names
Apostle of Allah, the latter upon conversion to
asked, 'What is your name?' He Islam.
replied, 'Zahm' (Foul Odor).
The Prophet said, 'No, you are Bashir' (Glad tidings)26
Therefore, some categories of names are to be avoided
by Muslims, and would not be considered Islamic. These
include derogatory names, names with pessimistic
meanings, names unique to Allah, names that indicate

24 Abu Dawood, no.2330 in Alim 6.0.

25 Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.8, no.212 in Alim 6.0.
26 Abu Dawood, no.1428 in Alim 6.0.
submission to gods other than Allah, names that are
deemed spiritually self-righteous, and names that are
known to be specific to the opposite gender.27

5. What to consider in an Islamic name:

When selecting names, the Prophet () is reported to
have said, On the Day of Resurrection, you will be called
by your names and by your
A Muslim should be
fathers' names, so give
28 careful of the subtle
yourselves good names. It
innovation (bid'a) that
is thus the right of every
lies in making it a
Muslim to have a good name
religious requirement to
such as the name of a
use a name for religious
righteous individual of history
identification, when this
or a name that has a positive
purpose of naming was
meaning. Nonetheless, it may
not the precedent or
be observed that even though
Sunnah of the Prophet
certain names are
() as illustrated above
discouraged, there are in the names of his
instances where the Prophet Companions.
() still tolerated those who
insisted on not changing their names (e.g. Hazn),29
provided these names did not contradict the fundamentals

27 Abdullah Nasih Ulwan, Child Education in Islam (Dar al-Salam,

2001).
28 Abu Dawood, no.4930.
29 Al-Musayyab narrated that his father (Hazn ibn Wahb) went to the

Prophet and the Prophet () asked him, What is your name? He

replied, My name is Hazn. The Prophet said, You are Sahl.
Hazn said, I will not change the name with which my father has
named me. Ibn al-Musayyab added, We have had roughness (in
character) ever since (Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.8, no.209; also no.213 in
Alim 6.0).
of Islam such as the belief in the existence of only One
Deity worthy of worship.
New Muslims may consider the socio-cultural realities
of their locales in deciding whether to change their names
or not. They should, however, bear in mind the far-
reaching positive or negative implications their name-
change may have on their condition, the perceptions of
their loved ones, and the position of the Muslim
community. Given the burden of these considerations, a
new Muslim should, therefore, be left (without pressure) to
make a personal choice on whether to retain his or her
original name, or adopt a new one.
Converts are, however, advised not to change those
names that are associated with their lineage (such as
surnames or their father's names), due to the stern
warnings of the Prophet () against those who are aware
of their birthright names but still proceed to name
themselves after people to whom they are not related.30
This applies even if the surnames are anti-Islamic in
meaning, such as retained by the Companion, Abu al As
ibn Rabi'a ibn Abd al Shams, who was the husband of the
Prophet's daughter, Zainab, and the father of the Prophet's
granddaughter, Umamah.31
When handling converts, a Muslim should be careful
of the potentially subtle innovation (bid'a) that lies in
making it a religious requirement to use a name for
religious identification, when this purpose of naming was
not the precedent of the Prophet () as illustrated above in
the names of the Companions. Once a name does not fall
30 See Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.4, no.711, 712; and vol.5, no.616 in Alim
6.0.
31 See al-Muwatta, vol.9, no.84; Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.1, no.495 in

Alim 6.0.
under the category of prohibited names, all other names,
whether their meanings are known or unknown, are left to
individual preference, even if it is a cultural variation of an
Arab name. For such cultural variants as are commonly
found in Muslim countries, there is no religious basis for
their condemnation. This follows the same principle that is
applied to choice of food, clothing, and other areas of
social affairs (mu'amalat).

6. What is an Islamic dress?

Any dress style that meets Islamic dress requirements is
acceptable, and hence Islamic. A new Muslim does not
have to adopt a foreign style of dress, but may find a way
to adapt his/her customary dress in any way that pleases
him/her and covers his/her body in conformity with
Islamic standards of modesty as mentioned in the Qur'an
and Ahadith.

7. Conclusion: Use of the term Islamic

What is important for Muslims to know is that Islam is
a way of life and that any other activity that does not fall
within what Islam prohibits is Islamically permissible.
The same logic applies to many other words or phrases to
which the adjective Islamic is attached, when what is
really meant is Islamically acceptable, or simply halal
(permissible). Thus, Islamic knowledge, Islamic political
system, Islamic culture, Islamic banking, Islamic
movement, etc, are all broad terms which may encompass
many acceptable (halal) permutations. Similarly, the term
Islamization simply means a process of making a thing
halal or more just, and in line with what Islam
permits, enjoins, or encourages.
 Since the spectrum of permissibility (halal) in Islam
ranges from what is compulsory/obligatory (fard/wajib),
to what is encouraged (mustahab/mandub), to merely
permissible (mubah), and to some of what is discouraged
but tolerated (makruh), the use of qualifiers such as
Islamic seems to over-simplify and negate the diversity
acceptable in Islam.
A simplistic description of
a thing as either Islamic or If da'wah (or propagating
non-Islamic may result in Islam) alone is referred to
the misunderstanding that as Islamic work, then
what is conventionally termed nursing, teaching,
an Islamic thing or practice administration, or
is the only option acceptable, environmental activism
(which are all part of the
and that anything else is
unIslamic and Muslims' collective duties,
or fard kifaya) may be
unacceptable, or even
denied the Islamic
prohibited (haram). If such a
description they merit, and
premise were valid, then the
those who practice such
study of anything other than
professions may
what is conventionally called
undervalue the spiritual
Islamic Studies, such as
value of their work.
Engineering, Medicine,
Education, or Management,
would be considered unIslamic. If da'wah (or propagating
Islam) alone is referred to as Islamic work, then nursing,
teaching, administration, or environmental activism
(which are all part of the Muslim Ummah's collective
responsibilities or fardu kifaya) may be denied the
Islamic description that they equally deserve, and those
who practice such professions may underestimate the
religious value of their work.
 The term Islamic as attached to various features of
present-day Muslim populations may also give the
impression that an Islamic alternative or society is
completely at odds with the features of modern non-
Muslim or Western societies, which is not necessarily so.
It may therefore be argued that the term Islamic
could in some cases create more misconceptions than it
tries to clarify! Allah knows best.
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 Recommended Websites32
www.altafsir.com
www.discoverislam.net
www.ietonline.org
www.irf.net
www.islam.about.com
www.islam-guide.com
www.islamic-awareness.org
www.islamicgarden.com
www.islamicity.com
www.islamicweb.com
www.islamonline.net
www.islamunveiled.com
www.jannah.com
www.jannah.org
www.masud.co.uk
www.muhaddith.com/index.html
www.muslimtube.blogspot.com
www.renaissance.com.pk
www.shamela.ws (Arabic)
www.soundvision.com/info
www.sunnipath.com
www.uga.edu/islam
www.witness-pioneer.org/
Www.zaytuna.org

32These online resources have very useful information and products

on Islam. This list is, however, far from being exhaustive, as new
websites debut on the internet daily. Other Islamic websites may be
even more informative than the above listed, and whereas these
websites are recommended, not all the views and opinions expressed in
them necessarily reflect those of DIN or the IET.