Understanding Islam

Explaining Islam in Light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ‎)

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Further Exchange on ‘Can We Point Our Legs Toward the Ka`bah?’

September 13, 2001

Question

First of all, I am not a religious scholar and hence whatever I say is my personal opinion.

I think the idea expressed in the answer is right if you make little change in there and make sure that pointing feet towards something is not considered disrespect in that society. For example, in Pakistani, Indian society, in general, this act is considered and people do not like some one pointing his feet/legs to his father or teacher etc. Similarly in those societies it should be considered disrespectful if someone points his legs towards Ka`bah.

Answer

I would agree with you, on the whole. Nevertheless, the point that needs to be stressed is that no symbol of reverence and respect – as for instance avoiding to point our feet toward the Ka`bah – should be considered a part of the Shari`ah, unless it is expressly promoted by the Qur’an or the Sunnah. Secondly, because of the large variance within even a particular society and culture, it has become more and more difficult to make generalizations about the symbols of reverence and respect adopted in that society. Therefore, “being disrespectful”, in my opinion, should not merely be derived from an action, especially when that action has the potential of being performed without the intent of disrespect.

I would, therefore, suggest that in all such cases, a person should avoid passing value judgments about the ‘intent’ entailed in the actions of another.

Thank you for your comments.

Regards,

Moiz Amjad
September 13, 2001

Filed Under: Customs and Symbols, Discussions, Worship and Fasting

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