Dancing is lawful only within the limits of Shariah
Fatwa No: 86352

Question

If one is a teacher at a non-Muslim school, one is it permitted for us to encourage our Muslim students to dance for school shows or they might fail.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. Dancing could be either permissible or prohibited. It is permissible if it does not trespass the limits of moderation and does not involve unlawful things such as drinking alcohol, using musical instruments, imitating the non-believers, or taking dancing as a means of worship. On the other hand, it is prohibited if it involves any of the above. Generally, the kind of dancing taught in the schools of the non-Muslims is the prohibited one. Hence, it is unlawful for a Muslim teacher to encourage children to learn or practice it. Allah Almighty Says: …Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression….[5:2]. Should they fail if they do not practice dancing is not an excuse for committing sin. And we would like to draw the Muslims' attention that it is unlawful to let their children enter the schools of the non-Muslims since their morals and religion will be endangered. Muslims have to cooperate among themselves to establish Islamic schools where their children may learn. Allah knows best.

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