Fatwa ID: 07826
Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Question:
I heard that some scholars said that wearing a hat like a baseball cap is kufr because of the front of the hat’s meaning is “I don’t prostrate to Allah”. I wear hats and that’s not my intention to wear it. I just wear it to block the Sun. I heard most of the scholars saying it is not haram now because it’s cultural, not religious to wear them but I am still confused. İs there any info on this matter?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
There is no religious significance to the baseball cap, and the front of the hat does not mean one does not prostrate to Allah (عز و جل). It is simply a type of hat popularised by American baseball players. In modern times, it is an extremely common type of hat which, unadorned with logos, doesn’t have any particular meaning.1
Therefore, in most cases, wearing a baseball cap would be completely permissible. There are some situations, however, which could render wearing one impermissible.
If the logo on the hat represents immorality, such as the name of a music band, then wearing the hat would become impermissible. Similarly, if one is wearing such a cap which emulates a specific person or style which is associated with immorality, such as a singer or musical genre, it would become impermissible. If the hat has the image of any living being (ie: a human, animal, or other sentient creature) it would not be permissible to wear it unless the image is very small or is lacking an organ vital for functioning.2
In your specific case, since you are simply wearing a baseball cap to block the sun, it is permissible for you to do so.
In Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, a narrator reported: “I saw Ibn Zubair [ra] wearing a cap with a brim which he used to seek shade with when he was making Tawaf around the House [i.e. the Ka’bah].”3
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
(1)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/history-baseball-cap-180977162/
(2)
وَهُمَا بِهَا لِلتَّشَبُّهِ بِأَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ: أَيْ إنْ قَصَدَهُ؛ فَإِنَّ التَّشَبُّهَ بِهِمْ لَا يُكْرَهُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، بَلْ فِي الْمَذْمُومِ وَفِيمَا يُقْصَدُ بِهِ التَّشَبُّهُ، كَمَا فِي الْبَحْرِ.
…
مَطْلَبٌ فِي التَّشَبُّهِ بِأَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ(قَوْلُهُ لِأَنَّ التَّشَبُّهَ بِهِمْ لَا يُكْرَهُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ)فَإِنَّا نَأْكُلُ وَنَشْرَبُ كَمَا يَفْعَلُونَ بَحْرٌ عَنْ شَرْحِ الْجَامِعِ الصَّغِيرِ لِقَاضِي خَانَ، وَيُؤَيِّدُهُ مَا فِي الذَّخِيرَةِ قُبَيْلَ كِتَابِ التَّحَرِّي. قَالَ هِشَامٌ:رَأَيْت عَلَى أَبِي يُوسُفَ نَعْلَيْنِ مَخْصُوفِينَ بِمَسَامِيرَ، فَقُلْت:أَتَرَى بِهَذَا الْحَدِيدِ بَأْسًا؟ قَالَ لَا قُلْت:سُفْيَانُ وَثَوْرُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ كَرِهَا ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ فِيهِ تَشَبُّهًا بِالرُّهْبَانِ؛ فَقَالَ «كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – يَلْبَسُ النِّعَالَ الَّتِي لَهَا شَعْرٌ»وَإِنَّهَا مِنْ لِبَاسِ الرُّهْبَانِ. فَقَدْ أَشَارَ إلَى أَنَّ صُورَةَ الْمُشَابَهَةِ فِيمَا تَعَلَّقَ بِهِ صَلَاحُ الْعِبَادِ لَا يَضُرُّ، فَإِنَّ الْأَرْضَ مِمَّا لَا يُمْكِنُ قَطْعُ الْمَسَافَةِ الْبَعِيدَةِ فِيهَا إلَّا بِهَذَا النَّوْعِ. اهـ وَفِيهِ إشَارَةٌ أَيْضًا إلَى أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِالتَّشَبُّهِ أَصْلُ الْفِعْلِ:أَيْ صُورَةُ الْمُشَابَهَةِ بِلَا قَصْدٍ.
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fitr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.624
قَالَ فِي الْبَحْرِ:وَفِي الْخُلَاصَةِ وَتُكْرَهُ التَّصَاوِيرُ عَلَى الثَّوْبِ صَلَّى فِيهِ أَوْ لَا انْتَهَى، وَهَذِهِ الْكَرَاهَةُ تَحْرِيمِيَّةٌ.
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fitr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.647
قَوْلُهُ لَا تَتَبَيَّنُ إلَخْ)هَذَا أَضْبَطُ مِمَّا فِي الْقُهُسْتَانِيِّ حَيْثُ قَالَ بِحَيْثُ لَا تَبْدُو لِلنَّاظِرِ إلَّا بِتَبَصُّرٍ بَلِيغٍ كَمَا فِي الْكَرْمَانِيِّ، أَوْ لَا تَبْدُو لَهُ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ كَمَا فِي الْمُحِيطِ ثُمَّ قَالَ:لَكِنَّ فِي الْخِزَانَةِ: إنْ كَانَتْ الصُّورَةُ مِقْدَارَ طَيْرٍ يُكْرَهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ أَصْغَرَ فَلَا.
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fitr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.648
أَوْ مَمْحُوَّةَ عُضْوٍ لَا تَعِيشُ بِدُونِهِ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fitr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.649
(3)
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةُ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، قَالَ: «رَأَيْتُ عَلَى ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ قَلَنْسُوَةً لَهَا رُبٌّ، كَانَ يَسْتَظِلُّ بِهَا إِذَا طَافَ بِالْبَيْتِ»
Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (Daar Al-Taaj, https://shamela.ws) v.5 p.169 (24856)
