His second question states: There are watches in the markets that bear the sign of the cross; is using them permissible or not?
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The questioner : His second question states: There is a type of watch in the markets that bears the sign of the cross; is using it permissible or not?
The Shaykh : It should be known that the cross was among the practices of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to break it and remove it. So if the cross is three-dimensional, it is obligatory to break it. If it is colored, as found on some watches, it should be obliterated by placing a color over it that removes its image, so that nothing of it remains on the watch. It is not befitting for a person to carry in his hand something bearing the emblem of the Christians, for this contains an evident exaltation of them, and it also contains imitation of them.
Someone might say: This cross is not intended to be exalted by placing it on a watch or some devices, but rather it is the company's logo. We say: The apparent meaning of the hadith reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that there is no difference between placing the cross for the sake of exalting it and indicating that it is one of the emblems of the Christians, and placing it merely to indicate this company or this manufacturer. The Muslim must stay far away from what is an emblem of non-Muslims, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 4031Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani).
As for what appears to be not intended as a cross, neither for exaltation nor as a logo, such as some mathematical symbols or some signs that appear on electronic watches like the plus sign, there is nothing wrong with it, and it is not considered a cross in any way.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
This is a message from the listener Saleh 'Umar al-Jarw from the Democratic Yemen, Hadramawt Governorate.
The Shaykh : It should be known that the cross was among the practices of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to break it and remove it. So if the cross is three-dimensional, it is obligatory to break it. If it is colored, as found on some watches, it should be obliterated by placing a color over it that removes its image, so that nothing of it remains on the watch. It is not befitting for a person to carry in his hand something bearing the emblem of the Christians, for this contains an evident exaltation of them, and it also contains imitation of them.
Someone might say: This cross is not intended to be exalted by placing it on a watch or some devices, but rather it is the company's logo. We say: The apparent meaning of the hadith reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that there is no difference between placing the cross for the sake of exalting it and indicating that it is one of the emblems of the Christians, and placing it merely to indicate this company or this manufacturer. The Muslim must stay far away from what is an emblem of non-Muslims, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He who copies any people is one of them.
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهمAs for what appears to be not intended as a cross, neither for exaltation nor as a logo, such as some mathematical symbols or some signs that appear on electronic watches like the plus sign, there is nothing wrong with it, and it is not considered a cross in any way.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
This is a message from the listener Saleh 'Umar al-Jarw from the Democratic Yemen, Hadramawt Governorate.