30.10.2026 15:01
In the yoga question he answered in his column, Prof. Dr. Nihat Hatipoğlu drew attention to the practice's origins in Indian religions and commented, "It is not appropriate for a Muslim to practice yoga knowing that it is based on the beliefs and acts of worship of another religion."
Nowadays, a remarkable assessment has come from Prof. Dr. Nihat Hatipoğlu about yoga, which many people turn to for healthy living and sports purposes. In his column titled "Historic Defense in the King's Presence" in the Sabah newspaper, Hatipoğlu answered readers' question "What is the ruling on doing yoga?"
"IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE," HE SAID
Stating that viewing yoga merely as physical exercise does not fully reflect the truth, Hatipoğlu emphasized the religious elements in the practice's origins. In his article, Hatipoğlu included the following statements: "Yoga is a method practiced in Hinduism and Buddhism to provide a person with certain divine knowledge and abilities, thereby serving as a means for the person's purification and attainment of the truth. In recent years, a significant portion of yoga centers, which have become widespread in our country in the guise of physical exercise and psychological therapy activities, operate with the claim that they are independent yoga practitioners by separating themselves from these religions. However, the claim that yoga has no religious aspect and consists of exercises aimed at mental purification does not fully reflect the truth. Because in Indian religions, yoga continues to exist as a religious practice ("Brahmanism," DİA, VI, 331). Accordingly, it is not appropriate for a Muslim to do yoga knowing that it is based on the beliefs and worship practices of another religion."