We live in a world of entertainment in which entertainers carry out the job of making performances for the public to see. One such type of entertainment is dancing. Muslims participate in enjoying many forms of entertainment and in creating many forms of entertainment also.
This brings up the question, is it haram to be a dancer? To answer this question, let us take a closer look at what dancing entails.
What about dancing is impermissible?
Let us take the example of ballet. Ballet dancing involves wearing certain clothes which are attractive in nature, and which may not cover all of the body that is necessary to be covered, especially for Muslim women, who are required to cover their bodies with appropriate clothing in front of men who are not related to them.
Ballet dancing requires dancing between members of the opposite sex, which includes touching each other as part of the dance, and appearing in front of each other in attractive clothes. As Islam does not allow unrelated men and women to touch or appear in front of each other in attractive clothes, this is another factor which makes the performance impermissible.
The audience of the ballet performance usually consists of both men and women, so that the female performers come in front of unrelated men to perform their ballet. Muslim women are not allowed to display their charms in front of unrelated men, so this is another factor that makes it impermissible.
All of these are factors that make it impermissible for Muslims to dance as it is traditionally done.
Is There Any Type of Dancing Which is Permissible in Islam?
We should consider whether there are any conditions in which it is permissible for Muslims to dance. Let us take the example of ballet again, but this time it is not a traditional ballet theater. It is an all-female ballet theater in which all the performers are female, their instructors are female and all of the audience is female.
This removes the factor of the gaze of the unrelated male watching the performance, therefore it becomes permissible in such conditions for dancing to be carried out and watched. Other factors that must be considered are the nature of the clothes worn by the dancers.
In an all-female gathering, the female dancers can wear attractive clothes which they could not wear in a mixed gathering. However, the clothes must still not be sexualized or reveal too much of the dancer’s body. Even with an all-female audience, a level of modesty must be maintained.
Other conditions which make it permissible for this all-female dancing entertainment to be carried out are that there is no sexual touching done as part of the dance, either of oneself or of one’s fellow dancer.
The dance can be as elegant and as complicated and as true to the nature of ballet as it is desired, but the sexualized elements must be removed in order to preserve modesty.
Some other factors which must be considered are that there must not be any alcohol served at this performance, as consuming alcohol is impermissible for Muslims.
Is it Permissible to Dance in Public?
Now let us move away from the example of ballet and take a step back and look at dancing as a whole. Generally speaking, dancing in public is something that can only be done by men, and even then, it cannot be sexual in nature.
We have the example of the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he and his wife Ayesha came across some Abyssinians dancing, and Prophet Muhammad stood there to allow Ayesha to watch the performance. This tradition is narrated in the Hadith collection of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal.
Even in present times, it is considered common in Muslim countries for men to be hired to celebrate weddings by performing with dance and music. As long as the dance is carried out by only men, and they are properly attired and the dance is not sexual in nature, it is permissible for such a dance to be carried out in public, though it is not permissible for dancing men to be called to perform in front of an all-female gathering.
The difference lies in the fact that dancing in public is dancing in the general eye, where man, woman and child may see, and as long as the dance is appropriate and there is no drinking of alcohol involved in the event, it is permissible.
When there is a gathering of women, it is more appropriate that they have women put on a dance performance for them instead of men, so as not to lead to anything inappropriate.
Can Muslim Women Dance in Public?
Women dancing in public, however, is something that is impermissible in Islam. As we see in the Quran in Surah Noor, verse 31, in which Allah speaks to the believing women, “And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment.”
This verse is in relation to women as they move in the public sphere, telling them not to attract attention to their hidden beauty by stamping their feet. This instruction tells Muslim women to behave modestly and not display their charms. How then can women be permitted to display their beauty in public by dancing?
Muslim women are guided to hide their charms in public and in private gatherings where unrelated men are present. The space for a Muslim woman to bloom and put her charms on full display is either in a gathering of women or alone with her husband.
Can a Muslim Woman Dance for Her Husband in Private?
In fact, it may be argued that a woman is limited in putting her charms on display even in a gathering of women, as she must still maintain the standards of modesty and cannot express herself sexually in such a gathering. Sexual expression in Islam remains something private between husband and wife.
In the privacy between husband and wife, the couple may express themselves freely and openly. In this space, attracting the other person sexually is permissible and encouraged. The woman is encouraged to beautify herself for her husband, as she is the only source of feminine attraction that is halal for her husband. Then comes the question, can a woman dance for her husband in private?
The answer to this question is: of course. If the woman is comfortable with expressing herself through dance, and wishes to express herself in such a way to please her husband, it is permissible for her to do so.
She may display her charms for her husband in private, so she may dance for her husband. As husband and wife are permissible for each other sexually, the wife may even incorporate sexual touch into her dance for her husband. Dancing for her husband can be seen as a way for her to please her husband and to create variety in their sex life.
It is narrated in a Hadith from Muslim that, “Having intercourse (with one’s wife) is a charity.” The people around the Prophet asked, “O Messenger of Allah, if one of us fulfils his desire, is there reward in that?” The Prophet said, “Do you not see that if he does it in a haram way, he will have the burden of sin?
So, if he does it in a halal way, he will have a reward for that.” Therefore, it may be seen that whatever a woman does that is permissible to please her husband in their sex life is a source of reward for her, including dancing for her husband.
Conclusion
Dancing is a form of entertainment enjoyed by people the world over. Islam allows Muslims to enjoy entertainment within a framework of guidelines that shows Muslims how to enjoy themselves while still keeping Islamic principles intact.
Keeping this in mind, dancing is permissible for Muslims in many ways, and they can make it a part of their lives if they wish to do so.
