Aslam

Praise be to Allah.Karate is one of the martial

arts, a form of self-defence using one’s hands, without any kind of

weapon. It allows hitting with the foot, fist or edge of the hand, focusing

on concentrating all one's energy in that blow.

The shar’i viewpoint

of this sport:

The sport includes numerous

physical, psychological and mental benefits, and it is in accordance

with sharee’ah in some ways, and goes against it in others. Among the

ways in which it is in accordance with Islam are:

The concealing garments which cover all

the ‘awrah completely. The rules of this sport require wearing covering

garments composed of a shirt of thick white cotton, and trousers made

of the same material, which have to be wide to allow movement of the

legs and feet.

Combatants are forbidden

to direct blows that will cause harm to their opponents. The rules of

the game dictate that attacks must be restrained, and must not cause

harm to one's opponent, unlike the rules of boxing, for example.

But on the other hand

this sport is not free of things that go against sharee’ah, such as

allowing blows to the face.

In addition, it includes

some religious rituals that are derived from local Indian religions,

such as the exchange of greetings between the combatants, which take

the form of bows that are similar to rukoo’ (the Muslim does not bow

to anyone except Allaah), and the exercises such as keeping silent and

focusing or meditating, which are derived from the religious rituals

of Buddhism, etc. All of these are totally rejected by Islam.

But it is not forbidden to practise

this sport once these issues have been eliminated. It is possible to

eliminate them on an unofficial level, even if it is not possible to

do so on an official and international level.  It is not essential

to learn these skills at the level of championships and clubs which

adhere to these matters and view them as an essential part of the sport

which everyone who practises it must adhere to.