Wearing Nike Apparel
| Fatwa #657 | Category: Miscellaneous | Country: Zambia | Date: 29th June 2021 |
| Fatwa #657 | Date: 29th June 2021 |
| Category: Miscellaneous | |
| Country: Zambia | |
Question
Asalaamu alaikum. Is wearing nike haraam? some ulama say the nike swoosh/tick is a greek goddess. And some ulama say nike swoosh/tick is symbol of nike not of greek goddesh. What is your fatwa regarding this? In shaa Allah
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The Greek word nī́kē means victory and conquest and is also the name of the Greek goddess of victory.[1]
The swoosh/symbol itself has no known religious origin or link but is rather a marketing logo/trademark which is common in today’s world.
The brand ‘nike’ holds no religious connotation in the minds of people and infact is seen as a sports clothing brand of quality, no more. Many commonly used words, such as the names of the months of the Gregorian calendar and the days of the week hold Greek or Roman mythological origins. However, none of them retain their original implications in the customary understanding of people and are thus permissible to use.
It has come to our attention that recently, nike released a few products that explicitly made reference to the Greek goddess of victory. One should not purchase such products as they make reference to false gods, all of which are contrary to the pure Monotheism of our Deen.
If one chooses to wear nike products, besides those that make reference to false gods, he may do so. Products that refer to false gods must neither be purchased nor worn.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Bilal Pandor
Checked and Approved by
Mufti Nabeel Valli
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
[1] nike | Origin and meaning of the name nike by Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com)
Meaning, origin and history of the name Nike – Behind the Name