The Meaning And Ruling Of Dancing

Dancing is swaying, lowering, and raising the body with measured movements. It may occur in several forms. Some of it is done with children. Some of it occurs during the days of Eid. Some of it is done together with remembrance. Some of it is done by a woman in the presence of unrelated men.

As for what is done with children, meaning that a mother moves her child in dance to amuse him and bring him comfort, then there is no harm in it. It is reported in a hadith that Fatimah رضي الله عنها used to move al Hasan رضي الله عنه in dance, meaning she would gently move him in dance, and he was a small child.

As for what takes place during the days of Eid, it is permissible. However, if it becomes excessive, then it is disliked because it removes honourable conduct.

Aisha رضي الله عنها said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting when noise and the voices of children were heard. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up, and there were Abyssinians dancing while children were around them. He said: Aishah, come and look.

This is permissible as mentioned, as long as it does not go beyond moderation and as long as it is not accompanied by something forbidden such as drinking wine, gambling, or musical instruments.

Dancing during remembrance, or taking dancing itself as remembrance or as an act of worship, is considered a sin which Allah has not permitted, nor His Messenger ﷺ, nor any of the imams, nor the salaf.

As for the dancing of a woman, if it takes place only in front of her husband, then there is no harm in it in any circumstance. Likewise, if it takes place in front of other women while she covers her body, there is also no harm in it, though leaving it is better.

However, if it takes place in front of men, then it is forbidden, because a woman is commanded to cover herself from unrelated men.

The fuqaha have agreed that the testimony of a dancer is rejected, because it removes honourable conduct, and honourable conduct is one of the conditions for the validity of testimony.

And Allah knows best.

Ruling On Dancing From The Madhhabs

From Anas رضي الله عنه who said: The Abyssinians used to dance in front of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and move in dance, saying: ‘Muhammad is a righteous servant.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘What are they saying?’ They said: ‘They are saying: Muhammad is a righteous servant.’
(Hadith of Anas: “The Abyssinians used to dance in front of the Messenger of Allah.” It was narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad 3/152, al Maymaniyyah edition, and its chain is graded authentic)

And from Aishah رضي الله عنها who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting, and we heard noise and the voices of children, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ got up, and there was an Abyssinian woman dancing, that is, moving in dance, and the children were around her. He said: ‘Aishah, come and look.’ (Hadith of Aishah: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting and we heard noise.” It was narrated by al Tirmidhi 5/621, al Halabi edition, and he said: “A hadith that is good, authentic and strange.” )

So the Hanafis, the Malikis, the Hanbalis, and al Qaffal from the Shafiis held that dancing is disliked, and they explained this by saying that doing it is low behaviour and foolishness, that it takes away a person’s honourable conduct, and that it is a type of amusement.

Al Abi said that the scholars understood the hadith of the dancing of the Abyssinians as jumping with their weapons and playing with their spears, so that it matches what has come in another report: ‘They were playing with their spears in the presence of the Messenger of Allah.’
(Hadith of Abu Hurayrah: “They were playing with their spears in the presence of the Messenger of Allah.” It was narrated by Muslim 2/610, al Halabi edition)

All of this is as long as dancing is not accompanied by something forbidden, such as drinking wine or uncovering the private parts or the like of that. If such things are present, then it is forbidden by agreement.

And Ibn Taymiyyah held that taking dancing as a form of remembrance or as an act of worship is an innovation and a sin that Allah has not commanded, nor His Messenger ﷺ, nor any of the imams, nor the early generations. (See al Mubdi 10/226; Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah 5/64, 5/83, 11/599, 11/604, 11/605; Bulghat al Salik 2/138; Hashiyat Ibn Abidin 3/307, 5/253; Nihayat al Muhtaj 8/282; Hawashi Tuhfat al Muhtaj 10/221; Rawd al Talib and its commentary by al Ansari 4/346; Mughni al Muhtaj 4/430; Kashshaf al Qina 5/184; and Sharh al Abi on Sahih Muslim 3/43.)

And the Shafiis held that dancing is not forbidden and not disliked, rather it is permissible. They used as proof the hadith of Aishah رضي الله عنها who said: Abyssinians came and were dancing on a day of Eid in the masjid, so the Prophet ﷺ called me, and I put my head on his shoulder, and I began to look at their playing, until it was I who turned away from looking at them.
(Hadith of Aishah: “Abyssinians came and were dancing on a day of Eid.” It was narrated by Muslim 2/609–610, al Halabi edition)

This is proof that he ﷺ approved of what they did, so it is proof for its permissibility. Its proof from reason is that dancing is nothing but movements, sometimes straight and sometimes bent.

And al Bulqini held that if dancing is done a lot in such a way that it takes away a person’s honourable conduct, then it is forbidden, and the stronger view in the madhhab is different from that.

The Shafi’is restricted this permissibility to when there is no soft, twisting movement in it like the actions of effeminate people. If there is such movement, then it is forbidden for men and for women. As for the one who does it by nature, without forcing himself and without affectation, then he does not sin by it.

It is said in al Rawd: When there is this soft, twisting movement, it is forbidden, even if it is from women. (See Nihayat al Muhtaj 8/282–283; al Jammal 5/381; and Hawashi al Tuhfa 10/221)

Kitāb al Mawsuʿah al Fiqhiyyah al Kuwaytiyyah 23/9–10

The Testimony Of A Dancer & Ruling On Hiring A Dancer

Testimony Of The Dancer

The fuqaha agreed that the testimony of the dancer is to be rejected, because he has fallen from honourable conduct, and this is one of the conditions for the validity of testimony.

The Shafi’is and Hanbalis clearly said that what counts in bringing down honourable conduct is being constant in dancing and doing a lot of it. Among the Shafiis this is restricted to the one for whom dancing is fitting.

As for the one for whom it is not fitting, his honourable conduct falls away even if it is only once. What is relied on in judging constancy and doing a lot is custom, and the matter differs according to the customs of different regions and lands. A degree of it may be found ugly from one person which is not found ugly from another.

The apparent words of the Hanafis also show that constancy and doing a lot are taken into account, since they expressed it in forms that show excess. It is said in al Binayah: The testimony of the parasite, the trick player, the dancer, and the one who is made fun of is not accepted, without any disagreement. (Fath al Qadir with Sharh al Inayah 6 / 39, al Binayah 7 / 180, al Sharh al Saghir 4 / 242, Nihayat al Muhtaj 8 / 282–284, Rawdat al Talibin 11 / 230, Kashshaf al Qina 6 / 423, al Furu 6 / 573, and al Sukhrah is the one who is made fun of.)

Hiring For Dancing

Hiring for dancing follows the ruling of dancing itself. Wherever dancing is forbidden, disliked, or permissible, the ruling of hiring for it is the same.

The Malikis clearly said that when dancing is forbidden, it is not permissible to hire someone for it, and it is not permissible to give money to the dancer.

There is no disagreement among the jurists about the fact that it is not permissible to hire for benefits that are forbidden and have no recognised worth. So wherever dancing is forbidden, it is not permissible to hire for it. (al Sharh al Saghir 4 /10.)

Kitāb al Mawsuʿah al Fiqhiyyah al Kuwaytiyyah 23/10–11