Is It Permissible to Bow Your Head for Martial Arts

We were continuing outside the dojang (dojo). They were taking the old sign down and the new owners were putting up a new sign. My children take tae kwon do classes. When I signed them for classes in this particular dojo years agone, information technology was run past a man from Hashemite kingdom of jordan, (a non-practicing brother, named Master Hashemite kingdom of jordan, who fabricated a musalla (prayer area)  in his office for us).

Forth with the new uniforms and saying expert cheerio to their beloved teacher, my children faced a big change in their martial arts instruction.  They had to relearn many of the forms and larn their names in Korean. The friendly atmosphere had been replaced by formality. Last testing, when the kids were being handed their new belts, I saw that the Grandmaster was making everyone bow (almost like a sajdah) to him. Chief Jordan never asked the kids (whatsoever kid) to bow down to him or to whatever another sensei. I walked upwardly to the managing director and told her that that my children would not exist doing the bow.

Unceremoniously, an instructor (not the Grandmaster) handed the belts/certificate out to my children.

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The dojo had been bought by a Korean family who were very traditional in the mode that they ran the practice.

After the ceremony, nosotros went into the office and thanked the Grandmaster for the certificates.  I explained the whys: why we do not bow down to anyone aside God, information technology is for religious reasons,  etc. I offered several other culturally acceptable methods of showing our respect. We received a terse nod of acknowledgement and were asked to leave.

Lost in Translation

"Mama, they won't let me test! I am so prepared for my blue belt." My daughter was on the phone.  A few months afterwards and it was testing fourth dimension again, and this time my married man had taken the kids to the centre. "Requite the phone to Mrs. Lee," I said.

"Distressing, sorry, they take to come up back on Friday, we exam them when no one else is here!!" I could barely understand her. She was the wife and the director and had moved to the U.S. from Korea 12 years ago.

"Delight, Mrs. Lee," I pressed,"the girls are then excited and they worked really hard; they are mentally ready to spar."

She whispered something in Korean to her 18 twelvemonth old son, he is 4th degree black belt and an instructor. Soon he was on the phone and his unremarkably friendly vocalization was very contrived and terse. "This is Korean culture, you have to bow. I am doing you a favor by setting upwards carve up testing."

'Merely Master Jordan never…"

"Don't speak to me well-nigh him, he didn't run this place in a 'traditional Korean' mode."

I interjected, "But none of your flyers, paperwork list any such rules."

"Listen lady, I don't desire to argue with you." He said that he had never heard of this religion issue. Generally, Korean society is pretty homogeneous but never heard of bowing only to God!?

I knew I was going to lose my absurd; and so I asked my husband to just bring the girls dwelling. I wasn't thinking about the teacher or his male parent, the Grandmaster; all I could think of was my disappointed kids.

My husband was upset, the girls were upset, and the Grandmaster was upset.

And I was really upset and frustrated as I had paid the fees upfront for the whole yr. But to me bowing and sajdah are acts washed solely for the sake of Allah, to Allah. The thought of making sujood to a man had me riled up.

These thoughts rushed through my caput every bit I wrote a quick e-mail to my MuslimMatters resources. I didn't want my beliefs to reflect badly on all Muslims that the dojo may come in contact with but I wanted to brand my point clear.

I didn't want to create a scene, so I decided non to go in right then and make a fuss in front of all the parents who were there for an important fourth dimension in their kids' life, merely I didn't think it was fair for them to transport my children home after calling them to test. I didn't want my kids existence treated similar pariahs, testing separately similar there was something incorrect with them. Office of the fun of martial arts is the whole dojo testing together.

Why did they need to bow?

I understand that in a dojo martial artists hit & choke each other, they toss each other to the ground; they swing sticks, brandish swords and exchange a gamut of sophisticated actual punishment. Without an honest and sincere demonstration of respect before and later an exchange, before and after class, they risk the cosmos of a contentious environs that promotes brawling and discourages mutual benefit. This is the reasoning backside the 'small-scale bow'.

Every bit I researched further, I understood that paying respect tin can hateful to thank someone for grooming with you.  Martial artists also bow to their opponents and to fellow artists (this bow is more like a bending of the torso).  "It can hateful that y'all desire intensity of training. Information technology tin mean you want slowness in training. It can mean that yous admire someone for their abilities. It can hateful that you lot want them to ameliorate. It tin can hateful that you desire to run into the best they have to offer. It tin mean you want them to hit you every bit hard every bit they can. It can as well hateful yous desire them to go lightly on you lot. The word respect, to me, implies that yous are cognizant of what is going on around you and you are intending to learn from information technology. It is an act of agile participation, versus passive participation," writes a martial artist. Bows are used to begin and end practice, sparring bouts and competitions, and when entering and leaving the dojo, or practice room.

More ever, a low, deep bow from Koreans at the end of a meeting indicates a successful meeting. A quick, short parting bow could hateful dissatisfaction with meetings. Similar traditional Muslim culture, elders are treated with respect due to to their historic period. I finally realized that in the GM'due south eyes,I had disrespected him when I asked that my kids non bow to him.

Several of MM brothers and their families exercise martial arts as well and had similar experiences: Br. Iesa said that "when I took Aikido the sensei told me create a salute merely I moved before I did, merely nowadays in my jujitsu and kick-boxing classes the instructors don't actually intendance so I merely nod my head when the rest of them bow."

Br Siraaj said "My kids practice wushu,the  instructors are Non-Muslim and understand why we don't exercise this (multiple families coming and explaining)"

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi replied to my email:

Bowing downwardly in front of others for respect is haram (not shirk). At the same time your kids (not baligh) and so rules are lax for them; maybe they could get by if they just 'nodded' and didn't actually bend their backs?!? I had the same issue with my nephews and nieces and we talked to the sensei and he agreed to let them into class a few minutes late considering they would bow at the beginning of the ceremony. They are not baligh so the Shariah would not be as strict on them. Parents needs to exist equally careful as possible and teach them what is appropriate. I wouldn't want my kids to practise that.

(Please excuse the frankness of our discussions, we love our shuyookh and love that nosotros can enquire them questions) As our discussion grew, Br. Wael, a martial creative person asked  "why would you lot say that bowing for respect is haram? There is a big deviation betwixt someone arrogantly demanding that others bow for him (or rise for him) when he enters a room, and two people bowing to each other as a greeting.  The martial arts bow is common. The teacher bows to the students, and the students bow to the teacher. And so, when students pair up to work on techniques, they bow to each other. Quite obviously it is not worship, and has nothing to exercise with worship. No one in Asian culture imagines or thinks that bowing is related to worship in whatsoever way.  Secondly, the martial arts bow (or Asian cultural bow) is not a deep, 90 caste angle bow similar our ruku'. Information technology is a relatively shallow bow. We need to put things in their cultural context. If a Western "noble" walked in the room and expected people to bow, manifestly as Muslims nosotros cannot do that. Simply in East Asia, bowing is a simple greeting. It'south a deeply ingrained part of Asian civilisation. In Japan and Korea (and Communist china to a bottom degree) people bow when greeting a friend or a colleague, or even just running into a friend on the street. Indigenous East Asian Muslims do information technology as much equally anyone else. Are they all committing sins every day by greeting each other in this mode? In many parts of South Eastern asia, people (including Muslims) greet each other or show respect by putting their palms together in front end of the chest. In the Westward, people milk shake hands. Arabs often hug. Well, East Asians bow. Are we to declare all other greeting traditions valid, and the Eastward Asian tradition haram?"

Some sisters shared Islam Q&A fatwas through which this  hadith was shared:

 Al-Tirmidhi (2728) narrated that Anas ibn Maalik [ra] said: A man said: O Messenger of Allah, when one of us meets his brother or friend, should he bow to him? He said: "No." He said: Should he embrace him and kiss him? He said: "No." He said: Should he milkshake easily with him? He said: "Yes."

Wael asked the shuyookh "Is the Prophet flatly prohibiting bowing in this hadith, or is he but describing what type of greeting is best for Muslims? Because if it'southward a apartment prohibition, and so must we also sympathize that embracing your brother is haram? Then a Muslim cannot hug his brother, it's forbidden?  The other fatwas keep maxim that "bowing is a kind of worship". My point is that our ruku' is certainly worship; simply the shallow bow that martial arts practitioners give each other is not. No 1 in martial arts intends or conceives of information technology every bit worship. Otherwise we would be worshipping each other, which makes no sense."

Shaykh Yasir replied: "Whatsoever type of lowering of the head (ruku and sujud) was immune in previous nations if done out of respect (angels to Adam; Yaqub and sons to Yusuf). When Muadh tried to do it to Prophet (saw) he saw, "Do not practice so." And in another hadith, "I practice non permit any man prostrating to another, but were I to permit it I would do so for the wife. I don't know of whatever scholar who would say bowing the caput is something permissible. It is not done in our religion. Possibly you'll discover some who say its strongly discouraged."

A corking part of being  MM Family is the access to a variety of scholars, and then hither is Shaykh Yahya Ibrahim's take which slightly differed from Shaykh Yasir's:

Bismillah,

Some have a very conservative opinion and turn down whatever grade of bowing.  That of course is acceptable and prudent.

Yet, if the children are young, taught well nigh our worship and how none deserve information technology only Allah, I find information technology is acceptable to acknowledge others with a move of the caput and trunk that meets the expectation of respect without compromising our religion and education of our kids.  I think the compromise offered is not bad. I grew up, for half dozen years, in tae kwon do gyms… I bowed with a motion from the head and trunk slightly throughout.

Wa allahu a'laam

The Big Bow

But the big bow as information technology is called in many dojos was the major result. This bow is literally called the "90 degree bow" (90도 인사) in Korean because it is. It'due south a course of utter respect, an intentional showing of service and obedience.  Sabae (큰절) or deep bows that are reserved for special occasions, for example the Korean News Year'south. Many Korean traditions stem from Confucianism. Although Confucianism is sometimes described every bit a organized religion because of it allusions to ancestor worship Confucius himself never endorsed antecedent worship. He stressed devotion to ancestors out of reverence to their wisdom and moral leadership not as a means of worshiping their spirits.

Hither is what Shaykh Abdul Rahman Mangera says:

In the name of Allah the Inspirer of truth. Information technology is not permissible to bow in these circumstances. Although it may not have any religious significance to the fine art, however, equally a Muslim it is an empathetically prohibited human activity for you. Information technology is an deed reserved for Allah alone, and doing it for other than Allah is either unlawful, or tin can leads ane to kufr if washed with intention to worship. If it had been permissible, fifty-fifty as to honor someone, information technology would accept been permissible to do it for the Prophet (upon him be peace) or i's elders, which is not the case.

Wael had some applied advice for me: "Sister Hena, I just noticed that you are referring to the full prostrating bow, which resembles our sajda. In this case I agree that it's not advisable for a Muslim. It sounds similar the new instructor is very traditional and formal. This may not be the correct class for a Muslim. You might think about switching your kids to another schoolhouse, or to a different martial arts style. Some styles, such as those that come from Indonesia or the Philippines, do not crave bowing considering it's not a part of their culture. There are likewise schools that do non require bowing considering they are Christian-run and accept eliminated Asian cultural trappings. And some that are simply Americanized."

The Sajdah

I realized what a neat learning opportunity this is for my kids. The kids and I spoke near Sujud- the significant of the discussion, sajdah:

Southward J D-lowly, humble, submissive, worship, adore, prostrate, make obeisance, lower/bend oneself down towards the ground, lower the head, to salute/laurels/magnify, to pay respect, to stand up upward, to look continually and tranquilly.

A sajdah is our body hymning the submission of our souls. How metaphorically we do Sajadah when we obey Allah. We spoke of how i can exercise superficial prostration while disobeying God.

In our give-and-take on the MM listserv, we did veer off topic and talked well-nigh how pitiful information technology is that virtually parents volition not or can not get their kids to brand evenruku' to Allah, just will find time and put in the effort to put their kids in karate schools to make ruku' to an instructor. And the reality is most Muslim families are not even getting their kids to pray five times a 24-hour interval.

I wanted to share this topic with our readers as many of u.s. face live in a multicultural environment where our actions/interactions may upset some other based on their cultural norms. Bowing to other than God is non a modern issue only its ramifications in a martial arts setting maybe new. I want to share how my family and friends accept handled this state of affairs and how shurah with people that y'all trust can assist guide yous through a complex situation that may initially seem black and white. My children learnt the important of sajdah, a seemingly physical act and information technology's profound metaphysical and spiritual meaning in a way that I could not accept explained to them if they didn't accept this experience. They also learnt how respect is expressed in other cultures.

My children go on to stand up upwards for their belief and refuse to bow down to anyone except to their Lord. They tested separately until the Grandmaster yielded.  Every bit a sign of respect, we took flowers for their instructor to prove them respect at their ceremonial testing (American style). Until we left California, when we entered and exited the dojo we did a quick nod of greeting and respect. We promise that their instructors are richer in learning that there are others whose views may differ from theirs, and that respect can be expressed in many cute ways. As I search for a new dojo for them in our new metropolis, I volition keep my MM brothers' communication in mind.

For my children just Allah is the Grandmaster, Alhamdulillah. May Allah always go on them firm in their iman.

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Source: https://muslimmatters.org/2013/05/17/martial-arts-a-grand-masters-big-bow-and-the-muslim-take/