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Is there a Hadith that prohibits doing what people disapprove of, find strange, and goes against their customs and traditions?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

People's customs and traditions are divided into two categories:

First: Those that contradict Islamic law (Sharia), and these must be opposed. Examples include shaving beards and women displaying their adornments (tabarruj), because obedience to Allah and His Messenger is more deserving than going along with people in falsehood.

Second: Those that do not contradict Islamic law, and these should not be opposed. Examples include clothing customs, for the purpose of winning hearts and avoiding people's backbiting. Evidence for this is the prohibition of wearing clothing of fame (libas ash-shuhra), and the Prophet's—peace and blessings be upon him—decision not to rebuild the Kaaba on the foundations of Ibrahim out of consideration for the people's circumstances, and Imam Ahmad's abandonment of the pre-Maghrib sunnah prayer because people were unfamiliar with it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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