Leisure in an Islamic context

Abstract

Islam is one of the world's most important religions. This paper focuses on three aspects of leisure in an Islamic context. These are: first, what Islam has to say about leisure time, leisure activities and related concepts; second, what can be seen as specifically Islamic forms of leisure; and third, the actual forms of leisure activities that can be identified as of significance in Islamic countries. The authors review a wide variety of published material relating to leisure and Islam, drawing on analyses of Islamic scriptures as well as research on time use and activity patterns in different countries. They conclude that, on an objective basis, the concept of leisure has relevance in an Islamic context, and Islamic teachings support an essentially positive view of leisure and recreation. But at least some leisure activities, common in the West, are considered unacceptable (haram) by Muslims, and the subjective meaning of leisure to individual Muslims is still little understood.