What is the Ruling of Yoga?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question: What is the ruling regarding yoga? Is it a way of practicing Hinduism, as one Mufti has proclaimed? What if the instructor makes no allusions to religion, but just helps us to become flexible and relieve stress?

Answer: In the name of Allah, Most Merciful.

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

There are a number of practices that are referred to as “yoga.”

When yoga is practiced purely for the element of physical exercise, then there is no harm in it.

However, one needs to avoid the meditative and “spiritual” aspects, as a believer does not engage in the meditative and spiritual practices of other traditions.

And Allah alone gives success.

Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani