Playing With A Conch
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question: Assalamualaikum, We went to the Bahamas last year and my kids bought a conch and for fun blow into it. Is this haram? My father has told them that the Hindus use it and we should not.
Answer: Wa ‘alaykum assaalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
It is better to discontinue the use of the conch. It is used by Hindus in their religious ceremonies, so it is superior to avoid it.
Imitating the Disbelievers
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said, “Whoever imitates a people he is one of them.” (Abu Dawud). This hadith is intended to dissuade the believers from attempting to imitate disbelievers and the morally corrupt in matters specific to them and their identity. Doing so would be impermissible and sinful.
There is a lot of detail to this topic, but what is relevant here is the issue of the act of worship they do with the conch. It’s clear that your children do not try to imitate the Hindu ritual, but there is a strong association between the conch and the ritual so it is best avoided. (Itr, I’lam al Anam)
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with erudite scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish, and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic with teachers such as Dr. Ashraf Muneeb, Dr. Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr. Mansur Abu Zina, and others. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabir and Shaykh Yahya Qandil. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.
