Clarification about hadeeth of slaughtering camel in Buwaanah
Fatwa No: 365890

Question

Clarifications on wearing clothing with the Nike symbol. I am a little confused in regards to fatwa 82398; you stated that the Nike symbol is impermissible as it holds connotations to a Greek Goddess and even though the sign of any religious significance is not used in today's world, it is still impermissible today. The fatwa put forward this narration: "The evidence for this rule is the Prophet's question to the person who had vowed to slaughter a camel at 'Buwanah'; he said, 'Did the place contain any idol worshipped in pre-Islamic times?' [Related from Abu Daawood]"
My question is: how would this narration apply to this ruling considering that even in pre-Islamic times, idols surrounded the Ka‘abah, but we nevertheless pray there, and animals are slaughtered in the Haram area. Greek methodology is even used in the days of the week, such as Thursday based on Thors Day, and even products such as Asus are based on Pegasus, what should be done in this regard?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

We mentioned the difference between wearing clothes that have some of the slogans of disbelief, such as idols, which is a way of promoting them and a kind of approval, and the mere pronunciation of their names when speaking in fatwa 350620. So please refer to the above fatwa, as it answers your question.

Also, there is an obvious difference between the ruling on worshiping at a place where a mosque was originally built for worshipping Allah alone and for establishing the remembrance of Allah and a place where nothing was built for this purpose. Allah honored Makkah, and its mosque was basically built for the Tawheed of Allah (i.e. for worshipping Allah alone without associating any partners with him) and to establish the remembrance of Allah.

Allah says (what means): {And [mention, O Muhammad] when We designated for Abraham the site of the House, [saying], "Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaaf [circumambulation] and those who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate.} [Quran 22:26]

Then the idolaters came and brought idols to Makkah. But when Allah enabled His Prophet to conquer Makkah, the Prophet removed those idols and returned Makkah to its former state.

As regards Buwaanah, it is a place like all other places where there is nothing that the Shariah favored with more virtue and advantage, and the Muslims did not build a mosque there for worshiping Allah, so it remained a neglected place. Then when someone wanted to sacrifice a camel there, the Prophet asked him whether there has ever been a worshipped idol there or a festival of the Jaahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic Era of Ignorance), because if that was the case and someone comes to slaughter there, then this may be a reason for bringing back that practice of the Jaahiliyyah.

Had the Shariah honored that place from the beginning and made it a place of worship as Makkah, or had the Muslims built a mosque in it for the worship of Allah – as the Companions did in Taa'if, when they demolished the Laat idol and built the mosque of Taa'if near that place, then the Prophet would not have asked about that. So there is an obvious difference between the two matters.

Allah knows best.

Related Fatwa