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martial arts
oneway2paradise
11/17/02 at 02:44:37
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I have a question.  I have always been interested in martial arts but have never taken lessons.  I was thinking of looking into it because many places will provide private lessons.  Some will even come to you.  I have heard of having special classes for sisters at masjids.  However, I know that many of the styles require bowing to other people.  I don't know if that can be omitted or not.  Also, I have heard of something called Islamic Martial Arts.  It is called Silat Mubai.  I don't know if it is authentic or if some weird sect of Islam started it.  I was just wondering if any of you have any more information on this subject.  Jazak Allah Khair.

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wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
Amber  :-)  :-*
Re: martial arts
theOriginal
11/17/02 at 06:45:43
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OMGosh let's take lessons together!  And then we can compare notes via the Madina :) Whenever someone asks me what I wanna be when I grow up, my answer is always....

"Chinese."   (the Matrix/Romeo Must Die/Crouching Tiger influence.)

As for bowing....again the concern would never have crossed my mind, but now that you mention it....maybe you should ask around....pick the brains of a few sensais...see what they say.

Wasalaam.

SF.
Re: martial arts
Fatimah
11/17/02 at 07:58:42
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Here's something I found :) (Oh, by the way, here in Egypt they have Islamic Martial Arts.. my friend's son is involved in it. InshaAllah when they come back from Umrah I'll ask them about it)

I checked out Silat Mubai Muslim Martial Art's web page. The articles provided on the site go against the true teachings of Islam. I wouldn't advise learning through them. Allahu Alim.

Question:

What is the ruling on playing karate?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.  

Karate is one of the martial arts, a form of self-defence using one’s hands, without any kind of weapon. It allows hitting with the foot, fist or edge of the hand, focusing on concentrating all one's energy in that blow.

The shar’i viewpoint of this sport:

The sport includes numerous physical, psychological and mental benefits, and it is in accordance with sharee’ah in some ways, and goes against it in others. Among the ways in which it is in accordance with Islam are:

The concealing garments which cover all the ‘awrah completely. The rules of this sport require wearing covering garments composed of a shirt of thick white cotton, and trousers made of the same material, which have to be wide to allow movement of the legs and feet.

Combatants are forbidden to direct blows that will cause harm to their opponents. The rules of the game dictate that attacks must be restrained, and must not cause harm to one's opponent, unlike the rules of boxing, for example.

But on the other hand this sport is not free of things that go against sharee’ah, such as allowing blows to the face.

In addition, it includes some religious rituals that are derived from local Indian religions, such as the exchange of greetings between the combatants, which take the form of bows that are similar to rukoo’ (the Muslim does not bow to anyone except Allaah), and the exercises such as keeping silent and focusing or meditating, which are derived from the religious rituals of Buddhism, etc. All of these are totally rejected by Islam.

But it is not forbidden to practise this sport once these issues have been eliminated. It is possible to eliminate them on an unofficial level, even if it is not possible to do so on an official and international level.  It is not essential to learn these skills at the level of championships and clubs which adhere to these matters and view them as an essential part of the sport which everyone who practises it must adhere to.


From Qadaayaa al-Lahw wa’l-Tarfeeh, p. 369 (www.islam-qa.com)
11/17/02 at 08:26:01
Fatimah
Re: martial arts
Kathy
11/17/02 at 09:13:27
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From two sources:

My son's karate "master"-  it is only a form of respect no religious intentions.

A 4th level Master- he said that in Japan men and women do not shake hads...this is where the bowing  came in.
Re: martial arts
Barr
11/17/02 at 11:08:44
Assalamu'alaikum :-)


[quote]Also, I have heard of something called Islamic Martial Arts.  It is called Silat Mubai.  I don't know if it is authentic or if some weird sect of Islam started it.[/quote]

I surfed at the website a bit, and found it generally OK... with a note that the website emphasises very much on Ali (r.a), though.

But I read an article about anti-hadith.. and I'm not sure whether those who practice this kind fo silat believes in that or perhaps, its just a personal view from one of the members of the group. Allahua'lam. I don't think I can tell you more abt it, except from the website. But I do feel... a slight dodgyness abt it. Just my feelings.

However, personally, I myself used to take up silat. There are various forms of silat, and various levels of silat that a person can go up to.

Its just that for some forms and levels of silat, they have this "spiritual-discipline" thing that may run contrary to the teachings of Islam.. such as having their own mantra-dzikr-tariqat kinda thing, getting into a trance, or using jinns so that they can be invincible etc.

But that only applies to some form of silat, not all. I suggest that you ask the master of the silat group for a more informed decision, on the origin of their silat, their philosophy as well as their discipline.

Allahua'lam :-)
11/17/02 at 11:33:12
Barr
Re: martial arts
oneway2paradise
11/17/02 at 14:35:59
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Yeah, I got the impression that they are Sufi.  Oh well.  I already knew about the Japanese culture of bowing.  That is the way they all greet eachother.  However, I have also read that Fatwa before so that is why I mentioned it.  It doesn't matter if it is out of respect or not, we don't bow to anyone except Allah.  However, I will get my husband to ask our sheikh about it.  My husband is from Egypt and he didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned Islamic Martial Arts.  ;D    Barr, I'm with you.  Every time I saw a movie with Kung Fu, I always wanted to be able to do that.   I never actually wanted to change my nationality, though. ;)  I love Kung Fu,  but I also really like Japanese culture as far as food and styles of homes.  Anyway, I'm getting a little off of the topic now.  Thanks for your answers so far, everyone.
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Amber  :-)  :-*
Re: martial arts
an
11/27/02 at 03:20:33
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I did a self-defence class for women a few months ago. That was so awesome.  :) We learned techniques against a variety of attack and harassment situations. Like, how to act if some stranger is suddenly in a car with you, or if someone suddenly pulls you from behind, or if they have a weapon, etc. How to kick, punch .or injure the attacker if there's no other way. It wasn't only physical techniques but also verbal techniques i.e. what to say, which focuses on assertiveness skills.

The cool thing is I always feel like I could take on the world after each session ..LOL. But the teacher emphasize on taking preventive action, which ofcourse should be the way to go.  ;)
Anyway, I highly recommend it.

I like the punching and kicking part hehe so I'd like to take up a martial art class too as a sport :). There's so many options though ..probably the only way to choose, is just to give each a try. I'd like to take up either karate or aikido.  :-)
11/27/02 at 03:25:44
an
Re: martial arts
an
11/27/02 at 03:48:00
[quote author=truthfinder link=board=sis;num=1037519077;start=0#2 date=11/17/02 at 07:58:42]

In addition, it includes some religious rituals that are derived from local Indian religions, ... and the exercises such as keeping silent and focusing or meditating, which are derived from the religious rituals of Buddhism, etc. All of these are totally rejected by Islam.

[/quote]

Does that mean we can't take up Yoga classes? ??? It's derived from Buddhism isn't it? I always thought it was ok.. I took it up a long time ago to help with stress, etc.. It helped a lot. When we meditate, we basically clear up our minds, focus on our breathing and also relax our body by stretching. So I think of it as a technique for relaxation...any ideas on that?

Jazaki Allahu
11/27/02 at 03:51:20
an
Re: martial arts
oneway2paradise
11/27/02 at 04:52:38
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Actually, Yoga is from Hinduism.

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Re: martial arts
theOriginal
11/27/02 at 12:08:46
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What about things like acupuncture?  That used to have some sort of religious connection...

SF.
Re: martial arts
Ankabut
12/16/02 at 09:54:40
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I have been doing martial arts for the past five years. Alhamdulillah, we are an all-female class and our teacher is also a revert sister, who though in her 50s, always puts us all to shame with her level of fitness  ::). I also had concerns about the bowing when I started but in our class, we do not bow to the teacher or each other, in fact we start the class with a du'aa.

I find the class extremely enjoyable and in sync with many of  the values of a muslim: discipline, respect, courage and humility. In winter our class sometimes runs into Maghrieb salaah and we break and perform the salaah together.

I would definitely encourage sisters to participate in this sport and to learn skills of self-defense as the world is becoming such a dangerous place to live and sadly  :( violence against sisters is increasing.

I hope you find something to suit you sis

[wlm]

Ankabut  :-)
( :-* :-* :-*Jet Li Fan :-* :-* :-* - next thing to do is definitely kung-fu  :D)


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