Is Atan Unislamic?

[Levanaye Zalmaye]

I couldn't Google anything on this....

For me, Atan has never been something that has broken any Islamic rules. There's no music and the drum-beat is allowed in Islam. Men and women don't perform the atan together and even the movements themselves are not very dance-like per se like they are in bhanrrgas, salsas, etc.

Now a group of friends were sitting down today and we were watching a video of a recent event at which some friends performed atan. Now one of the friends, a non-Pashtun, pointed towards a Pashtun friend and said, "you know, you're very religious and all and I'm disappointed that even you participated in that dance. You do know that dancing is not allowed in Islam, right? This is all Unislamic".

Now I've watched videos of Taliban performing atan and these guys are even more puritanical than Saudis (in Audis). Since Pashtuns are a conservative people, generally speaking, I don't see how they have continued with atan (a pagan cultural practice) all this time unless they believe that it's not against Islamic teachings, of course.

In the end though, it came down to what the scholars say on this matter. Can anyone shed some light on this? Does the atan break Islamic laws? Is it a sin to perform it?

[AFG21]

I guesse so, but how do you mean there is no music in Attan, most Attan that I did where whith music and a singer singing. I never saw attan whith just drums. But if you think from Islamic point of vieuw then Attan is unislamic becuse Attan is an dance whith most of the time whith music.

[tor_khan]

Contrary to world opinion on the matter, Muslims do smile and enjoy themselves within their cultural boundaries. Despite the media insisting on representing Pashtoons as distorted charicatures, we are not all miserable, kohl-eyed misfits with anger issues.

That doesn't really answer the question about whether attan is Islamic or not, but it goes somewhere towards explaining that there is such a thing as being balanced. If people are neglecting their Islamic duties to perform attan then perhaps there is a problem, otherwise it seems quite okay to me.

[Punjabi]

Contrary to world opinion on the matter, Muslims do smile and enjoy themselves within their cultural boundaries. Despite the media insisting on representing Pashtoons as distorted charicatures, we are not all miserable, kohl-eyed misfits with anger issues.

That doesn't really answer the question about whether attan is Islamic or not, but it goes somewhere towards explaining that there is such a thing as being balanced. If people are neglecting their Islamic duties to perform attan then perhaps there is a problem, otherwise it seems quite okay to me.

So bhangra also is Unislamic ?...

[akbarkhan]

I couldn't Google anything on this....

For me, Atan has never been something that has broken any Islamic rules. There's no music and the drum-beat is allowed in Islam. Men and women don't perform the atan together and even the movements themselves are not very dance-like per se like they are in bhanrrgas, salsas, etc.

Now a group of friends were sitting down today and we were watching a video of a recent event at which some friends performed atan. Now one of the friends, a non-Pashtun, pointed towards a Pashtun friend and said, "you know, you're very religious and all and I'm disappointed that even you participated in that dance. You do know that dancing is not allowed in Islam, right? This is all Unislamic".

Now I've watching videos of Taliban performing atan and these guys are even more puritanical than Saudis (in Audis). Since Pashtuns are a conservative people, generally speaking, I don't see how they have continued with atan (a pagan cultural practice) all this time unless they believe that it's not against Islamic teachings, of course.

In the end though, it came down to what the scholars say on this matter. Can anyone shed some light on this? Does the atan break Islamic laws? Is it a sin to perform it?

Disclaimer: The following is my personal opinion and has nothing to do with Islamic point of view on Attan.

I think we should go to the origins of Attan to find its main objective. Attan has been used as preparation for war through out our history. The war drums along with Attan has prepared our young men for war both physically and mentally for centuries, if its taken in that context then I believe it is allowed to prep for war even in Islamic terms. However, I am not too sure what the verdict would be when people decide to do Attan in let's say a wedding party.

I love Attan in its pure and historical context.

[badmash_khel]

lol, ofcourse not

[IamDZJ]

yes if you grow your hair like a woman and stand in a circle to swing your heads non stop like a bunch of psychos.

[badmash_khel]

^

shoulder length is sunnah and also rural pashtuns do it. thats not a good reason to declare it haram, mufti zahrojaam

[emkhan]

I don't know why a secular mind should think and worry and question about something whether it is Islamic or Unislamic ? Even if it is unislamic, Are you going to give it up ?

[IamDZJ]

^

shoulder length is sunnah and also rural pashtuns do it. thats not a good reason to declare it haram, mufti zahrojaam

i said "grow their hair, stand in a circle and swing their heads non stop.." it becomes haram when you start buying a hair dryers and straighteners for it.

I don't know why a secular mind should think and worry and question about something whether it is Islamic or Unislamic ? Even if it is unislamic, Are you going to give it up ?

people have the right to question whatever they want to question regardless of their beliefs. in this case, you have taken it upon yourself to decide who is what so you don't even get to question them questioning things.

[badmash_khel]

i said "grow their hair, stand in a circle and swing their heads non stop.." it becomes haram when you start buying a hair dryers and straighteners for it.

true i don't like when they swing their head too much like they are on crack but why the hell would straightners be haram. it might be considered feminine just like putting sorma in your eyes by western standards but i ain't sure if its haram.

[IamDZJ]

true i don't like when they swing their head too much like they are on crack but why the hell would straightners be haram. it might be considered feminine just like putting sorma in your eyes by western standards but i ain't sure if its haram.

it's not like applying surma. it's more like wearing a skirt even though covering your legs to a certain point is sunah for a man. more on that subject some other time.

[Al Hanif]

I couldn't Google anything on this....

For me, Atan has never been something that has broken any Islamic rules. There's no music and the drum-beat is allowed in Islam. Men and women don't perform the atan together and even the movements themselves are not very dance-like per se like they are in bhanrrgas, salsas, etc.

At first glance, it's true. From what I've seen, it's not affecting their mind. They are just enjoying themselves.

Here's a fatwa about dancing :

Is it unlawful to dance?

Answered by Sidi Moustafa Elqabbany [Shafi]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all things. May Allah bless and grant peace to our Master Muhammad, his family, and companions.

To quote Reliance, r40.4:

(Nawawi: (n: with commentary by Muhammad Shirbini Khatib)) It is not prohibited to dance ((Shirbini which is not unlawful because it is only motions made while standing or bowing. Furani and others have expressly stated that neither is it offensive, but rather, is permissible, as is attested to by the hadith related in the Sahihs of Bukhari and Muslim that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) stood before ‘A’isha (Allah be well pleased with her) to screen her from view so that she could observe the Abyssinians sporting and dancing) – unless it is languid, like the movements of the effeminate (Mughni al-muhtaj ila ma’rifa ma’ani alfaz al-Minhaj (y73), 4.430)

Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami uses similar wording and argumentation:

Beating the kuba is prohibited… but dancing isn’t, being neither prohibited nor offensive, because it is only motions made while standing or bowing, and further because he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) consented to the Abyssinians doing so in his mosque on the day of Eid, as related by Bukhari and Muslim.

(The bold text is from the Minhaj of Imam Nawawi while the rest is Ibn Hajar’s commentary.) [Tuhfa al-Muhtaj fi Sharh al-Minhaj]

A Word of Caution
If there is anything prohibited mixed with the dancing, such as music [Reliance, r40.1-3] or unlawful intermingling of the sexes, then it becomes prohibited.

Allah the Exalted knows best and He alone gives success.

Moustafa Elqabbany

Metro Vancouver, Canada

Now a group of friends were sitting down today and we were watching a video of a recent event at which some friends performed atan. Now one of the friends, a non-Pashtun, pointed towards a Pashtun friend and said, "you know, you're very religious and all and I'm disappointed that even you participated in that dance. You do know that dancing is not allowed in Islam, right? This is all Unislamic".

Your friend is right. It's a bad behaviour. If you see some of them with long hair, it's bad. (the prophet had long hair but he used to wear something on his head) If you see some of them whiping their head back and forth, then it's bad. But it's not haram.

It's bad like if you use too much water to wash yourself but it's not haram.

Meaning it is better to not do it. You will be rewarded if you stop yourself from doing it but you will not be punished if you did it.

Now I've watched videos of Taliban performing atan and these guys are even more puritanical than Saudis (in Audis). Since Pashtuns are a conservative people, generally speaking, I don't see how they have continued with atan (a pagan cultural practice) all this time unless they believe that it's not against Islamic teachings, of course.

Welcome to Earth. People do not follow Islam. People are mixing pagan beliefs and Islam. They are mixing culture and religion. Very few people are following Islam.

In the end though, it came down to what the scholars say on this matter. Can anyone shed some light on this? Does the atan break Islamic laws? Is it a sin to perform it?

I don't think it is a sin.

The correct Islamic term for this might be "Makruh". It's not a sin but it's disliked.


Allahou 'alam (and Allah SWT knows best)

[Afghanistan2010]

yes if you grow your hair like a woman and stand in a circle to swing your heads non stop like a bunch of psychos.

yes i assume the new art of socalled Attan which is fake and pretty gay as something contrary to islam.

but the old(is gold) simple Attan with Dohl , i dont see there anything that goes against Islam.

[PakistaniAtheist]

Hi quran is clear and complete but should we cover our hands face dance listen to music wear this buy that things that affect modern society is all missing and to clear that we need to use something even more degenerate like hadiths to find solutions. Looks like allah didnt think much of this age. I just wonder what would the future ages of muslim do that would be even more complicated as technology goes beyond todays understanding. Also if attan is pagan it should be no problem many things in islam are pagan like the symbol of the moon on every mosque which represented hubul some how ended up all over the monothesitic muslim religion but blamed on ottomans. Dont forget the black stone the kabba and hajj rituals very much pagan.