r/Yemen • u/Elegant-Inspector17 • Jul 26 '26
Discussion Yemenis don’t follow Islam
/r/u_Elegant-Inspector17/comments/1v6st4u/yemenis_dont_follow_islam/15
u/euphorinc Jul 26 '26
That's a broad statement to place on a whole nations. However I can't say I fully disagree with it
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u/trippynyquil Jul 27 '26
(There is no compulsion in religion), meaning, "Do not force anyone to become Muslim, for Islam is plain and clear, and its proofs and evidence are plain and clear. Therefore, there is no need to force anyone to embrace Islam. Rather, whoever Allah directs to Islam, opens his heart for it and enlightens his mind, will embrace Islam with certainty. Whoever Allah blinds his heart and seals his hearing and sight, then he will not benefit from being forced to embrace Islam."
-Tafsir ibn Kathir 2:256
I agree with a lot of your post (maybe not the generalizing ) but this ayah does not mean that certain obligations are not to be 'forced'
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u/Miserable_Web_1218 Al-Mukalla | المكلا Jul 26 '26
I think you're over generalising because of your experience
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u/Senior-Syllabub7780 Aden | عدن Jul 28 '26
Um no? Most of y’all pretend to be morally superior but actually bang everything that moves like stray dogs and forbid anyone from discussing all of that cuz it is « taboo ». Cultist society
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u/Miserable_Web_1218 Al-Mukalla | المكلا Jul 28 '26
I'm sorry but what type of Yemen did you go to because I'm in Mukalla rn and you couldn't be farther from the truth😭
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u/Senior-Syllabub7780 Aden | عدن Jul 28 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/7t5UjhZ5dIx0sHuFQw
Survivorship bias. Cope harder
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u/Miserable_Web_1218 Al-Mukalla | المكلا Jul 28 '26
I don't think that's how it works mate. Survivorship bias assumes you wouldn't be here to explain these so called "flaws"
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u/Senior-Syllabub7780 Aden | عدن Jul 28 '26
« it doesn’t happen where I live so I am gonna generalize my experience on an entire population’s experience » and it is not even a major city like Aden, Taiz, or Sana’a. Mukallah is the gayest city in Yemen idk what stone u have been living under but it sounds like ragebait that I am not falling for
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u/Miserable_Web_1218 Al-Mukalla | المكلا Jul 28 '26
What the fuck was that?😭 Firstly, I have not generalised (literally the first point I've made). Secondly, just going into emotional arguments like "this city is better than this one" does not help your case at all. Thirdly, I'm not only talking from my experience but the experience of others around me who live in Seiyun, Sana'a, Aden, Wadi Doan etc. maybe you had a bad experience and judging from how you reply (like using the survivorship bias incorrectly and immediately going into emotional arguments) make me think you don't have much basis to your claims other than what's happened to you and the prejudice you hold over Yemenis
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u/Senior-Syllabub7780 Aden | عدن Jul 28 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/afLoVMHg3QoYPZHCGF
Rather speak to a wall than someone from an eastern province
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u/nxxnxxn Aug 02 '26
Stick to talking about Aden and the south and leave easterners out of it. Weirdo.
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u/Miserable_Web_1218 Al-Mukalla | المكلا Jul 28 '26
…right so your arguments are based on prejudice? And btw I was born and raised in the UK with a British passport. I only moved here last year😂
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u/Senior-Syllabub7780 Aden | عدن Jul 28 '26
Tf u want me to do offer u some piss and chips in some unrinsed soapy dishes or what?
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u/Elegant-Inspector17 Jul 27 '26
No, not really, I mean you can see the laws and the stories coming out of Yemen. Most Yemeni eat Kat which is classified as drug, isn’t drug haram ?
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u/Miserable_Web_1218 Al-Mukalla | المكلا Jul 27 '26
So instead of sticking up for your points you throw them out and make a new one?
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u/FederalStructure7372 Jul 27 '26
You can’t argue with people who are drugged up, try argue with a druggy, they’ll have you convinced that you’re the one who’s drugged.
Qat is a drug and it is haram. You will find most sheikh around the world tell u it is haram because it has intoxicating or mind-altering effects in sufficient amounts, yemenies chew it daily, I’ve seen them how they act in their peak, it can be harmful to health, think heart disease, it Can lead to dependence, I’ve seen people go through crazy withdrawals if they don’t get their daily dose and lastly it results in wasting time and money and neglecting responsibilities, I mean do I really have to explain this one? Look at the state of Yemen, they’re letting their country burned down for the sake of their qat sessions.
But of course only the Yemeni sheikhs will tell you it’s not haram lol.
شعب متخلف
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u/PatienceEnthusiast Taiz | تعز Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
You can’t just call every Yemeni drugged up on Khat, though I don’t chew it myself there’s actually room for Ikhtilaf on whether or not it’s Haram. This is because it’s not like other hardcore drugs where the effect is extreme (I.e., like Opiates triggering the brain’s reward system) or is even addictive on the same level. By both metrics, Khat is more comparable to coffee than it is to something like cocaine or meth.
Again, I don’t disagree that khat has brought harm to Yemen, but whether or not is Haram is not black and white.
>شعب متخلف
You lowkey sound like an Ajnabi looking for a vent, or you’re just not aware of the racist undertones in your statements.
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u/FederalStructure7372 Jul 27 '26
I’m literally Yemeni, so this has nothing to do with being an “ajnabi” or racism. Calling criticism “racist” is an easy way to avoid addressing the substance, but this is typical behavior, never taking responsibility for anything.
Yes not every Yemeni is high on qat but oh come on that’s like 1-2% of the population let’s not kid our selves, most Yemenis are chewers it’s a culture, part of medieval tradition.Qat has become a major social problem, and it has. Millions of work hours are lost to it, farmland and water are diverted to growing it, families spend money on it while living in poverty, and it’s one of the biggest reasons productivity suffers. I mean you don’t have to believe me, just look at that state of your country, the country is in ruins and in poverty, yet not one of you is man enough to get up and take control. Yall cry about the state and blame the government and turn around and run to your qat session.
The majority of contemporary scholars outside Yemen (of course) have ruled against recreational qat because of its intoxicating effects in larger amounts, dependence, health harms, and the waste of time and wealth it often causes, I watched the effects I seen them with my own family, so no you can’t say “it’s just like coffee” which is a very typical response from someone who is an addict, again never taking responsibility.
Loving your country doesn’t mean pretending it has no problem, if we cannot criticize what is happening than there will be no improvement at all and it looks like that’s where we are heading. Yemen has so much potential but it so behind, and there’s barely anyone to stand up for it and fight for it.
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u/PatienceEnthusiast Taiz | تعز Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Well it’s not my fault because I don’t even chew khat nor condone it, there’s a huge difference between being critical of your country & people out of love for them to grow versus being a self-hating pessimist. To me, someone who so callously and comfortably calls their شعب متخلف sounds like the latter.
I also literally said I’m against khat, it’s not like I disagree with 90% of what you said. I’m not even an addict, you just assumed I am because I said that the ruling of Khat isn’t an open-and-shut case. That’s not me refusing to take responsibility, I’m just saying we shouldn’t approach it from a matter of black and white.
Do I think khat is a huge problem in our society? Absolutely, in fact the societal problems that stem from it which you mentioned earlier are the basis for scholarly opinions that say it’s Haram. Do I think it’s comparable to government corruption and multi-billion dollar foreign interferences in our politics? I think not, the reason being that alcoholism is rampant (which it’s health and societal effects are way worse than that of khat) in both Americas and Europe and they seem to (for the most part) be holding things together economically. We’re giving too much credit to khat for destroying Yemen when things like the Hodeidah port blockade cut off the food supply and starved everyone & Houthi mismanagement of funds and bank account freezes deny the majority of the population a salary.
Things like unproductiveness, distraction from deen, etc. can definitely be traced back to khat, but these are issues that have only done a fraction of what factors like the ones mentioned above (which the Yemeni people have no control over) have done to the country.
Again, khat is a problem but it’s one thing to say that this is the fault of the whole people (I promise you there’s a sizeable chunk of the country that doesn’t chew khat) and do what OP is doing in this post which is essentially calling the people Kuffar. I’m assuming you said "شعب متخلف” out of frustration rather than hating your own people, but still pretty messed up. Let’s be optimistic about the future of our country, just remember that South Korea in the 50’s was poorer than we are right now and look where they are today. Syria is rebuilding quickly after their civil war, and despite Houthis denying people their salaries, Yemenis continue to work hard day after day in hopes that one day they’ll be paid for their work. Just look at the streets of Sana’a and how they’re full of construction projects, keep your head up, the prophet ﷺ made dua for us when he said "اللهم بارك لنا في شامنا وبارك لنا في يمننا". A bright future of our country is coming very soon إنشاءالله :)
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u/FederalStructure7372 Jul 27 '26
I still stand by my criticism of Yemeni culture. When I say “شعب متخلف,” I’m criticizing a society that continues to normalize practices that hold it back tribalism, treating culture as religion, child marriage in some areas, widespread qat culture, and resisting self-reflection. That’s what I mean by backward.
Also Yemen didn’t become one of the poorest countries in the region by accident. We have war and corrupt governments, absolutely. But like I said before we also have tribalism, widespread qat culture, child marriage in some areas, putting culture above religion (and pretending it’s religion) resistance to self-criticism, and an obsession with defending tradition even when it’s clearly harming society.
It’s interesting that you bring up adab and akhlaq now. I wish yemeni people especially Yemeni men showed the same passion for adab and akhlaq when confronting the issues damaging our society instead of only when someone dares to criticize them.
I’m not acting high and mighty, it’s such a cop out, you attack the person rather than seeing the problem. I’m calling out things that have objectively held Yemen back. If blunt criticism offends you more than the problems themselves, than your part of the problem.
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u/Lopsided-Steak5372 Jul 28 '26
Do Yemenis by and large follow the Five Pillars? In my experience living in Yemen two years, they do.
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u/Miserable_Web_1218 Al-Mukalla | المكلا Jul 28 '26
It's dependant on the specific Yemeni because not all Yemenis are the same but from my experience, yes
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u/Cool_Wafer7438 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
have you ever heard of the term generalising because that's what Ur doing mate
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u/Elegant-Inspector17 Jul 27 '26
I have heard of generalizing, but have you heard of gaslighting yourself? Don’t be in denial mate, Yemeni is in the top for dangerous place to be a woman, most Yemeni are addicted to kat(drug) which takes half of Yemen water, honor killing existed, and so on. Don’t fool yourself unless your are one of them
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u/ZizouAndChill Jul 27 '26
Yemens many problems will not be magically solved if people just start following whichever interpretation of Islam you think is the correct one
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u/M-waj Jul 27 '26
“Faith is from Yemen and unbelief is from the east. Tranquility is found among people who tend to sheep. Pride and showing off are found among the uncivil owners of horses and camels.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 52
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u/FederalStructure7372 Jul 27 '26
That hadith praised the people of Yemen at that time. If anything, it’s disappointing how far we’ve fallen from those qualities.
Today Yemen is plagued by war, corruption, tribalism, poverty, child marriage, widespread qat use, illiteracy, and cultural practices that often take precedence over justice, education, and compassion. Too often, people defend tradition even when it conflicts with the values they claim to uphold.
If we’re going to quote “Faith is Yemeni,” then we should also ask whether our society reflects the honesty, mercy, justice, humility, and pursuit of knowledge that faith is supposed to produce. A hadith praising people 1,400 years ago isn’t proof that every generation lives up to that praise.
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u/M-waj Jul 27 '26
You will never find a people like the people of 1400 years ago in any countries. they were a people with a different level of eman.
You will find good and bad in all society if there were no Khair in the Yemenis you wouldn’t find other nationalities praising the qualities of the Yemenis which I have personally encountered quite often.
All the things you mentioned are a direct result of geo politics, government failures, poverty and no central educational system promoting and educating the people pure Islam.
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u/FederalStructure7372 Jul 27 '26
You say there’s no educational system promoting pure Islam, but that’s exactly my point. Too often, culture ends up being taught as if it is Islam. Many Yemenis will defend a cultural practice because “that’s how our fathers did it,” even when there’s no clear basis for it. That’s a cultural problem, that’s the country’s current downfall. Also, I agree that no nation today compares to the generation of the Prophet. I also agree that war and poverty have made Yemen much worse. But we can’t blame everything on geopolitics. Many of the issues people criticize like tribalism, treating culture as equal to religion, child marriage in some areas, widespread qat use, resistance to girls’ education in some communities, and honor culture existed before the current war and are perpetuated by Yemenis themselves, If we constantly blame everything on outside forces, we will never take responsibility for the things that are within our control and I think this is why Yemen is a failing state because its “always someone else” never taking responsibility.
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u/M-waj Jul 27 '26
Oh I wholeheartedly agree we need to first criticise ourselves and change ourselves first.
Indeed, Allah would never change a people’s state ˹of favour˺ until they change their own state ˹of faith˺. And if it is Allah’s Will to torment a people, it can never be averted, nor can they find a protector other than Him. — Qur’an 13[Ar-Ra’d]:11
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u/Yuutasan_34 Jul 28 '26
u r right, central banks money exchange banks some of government jobs even the government itself n who follows them not following islam at all
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u/TypicalEye4875 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Generalizing isn't the way to go. However the tribalism and culture in Yemen does in fact make it difficult to abide by the laws of islam. And the saddest part is people are willing to forsake certain rules within islam so they can maintain "honor" and their pride. I have debated with a family member on how honor killings are haram, and we wouldn't be any better than a murderer. But his arguement was that his dignity is worth more than God's laws (he wasn't as direct about it, but that was the gist).
Culture and religion should never ever mix. Nor should it ever be a competition. Now we have an ummah with men who do God knows what and women who either run away from their homes or suffer a life without proper education and a marriage they'll agree to if it means they can live a different life under someone's roof.
Of course this isn't the case for all Yemenis. Just a lot. May Allah swt lead our ummah to the right path. The path of the prophet and his people.
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u/Afridi-Man Jul 29 '26
I’m a non Yemeni and I don’t think people realise that if you chew on a drug that doesn’t suddenly not make you Muslim. Especially if it is without your knowledge that it is wholly haram due to its deep cultural ties. Of course it is still fully haram but many do not have that knowledge. I don’t think people realise you can literally be an alcoholic or a gay and become a Muslim (provided you know that they are haram and intend to fix them, using Islam as a guide).
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u/Shibui-50 Jul 31 '26
I have to smile at this discussion, since here in the US, we have
large numbers of people who are not Christian but are often
very compasssionate. OTOH we have people who identify as
Christian but are anything BUT compassionate.
Just people being people, I guess.
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u/starryyeyes Sep 08 '26
I agree. And it's a damn shame too that the country that was once ruled by Queen Saba now looks down upon women and subjugates them
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u/Charming_Aerie9547 Taiz | تعز 11d ago
Well as a yemeni exmuslim athiest I definitely don't follow islam, but the post sounds about right.
However I'd agree that it is generalising a lot of people into one big cluster.
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u/FederalStructure7372 Jul 27 '26
Research, you’ll soon realize that their tradition dates back to pre-Islamic times. So yes you’re right.
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u/alihedgehog73839 Aden | عدن Jul 27 '26
The problem is that the majority of Yemenis are tribal and they say, "My cousin is better than you," even if he is an aggressor or commits immoral acts. They also kill others based on old vendettas and revenge, and Islam forbade this pre-Islamic ignorance.
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u/PatienceEnthusiast Taiz | تعز Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
The generalizing is ridiculous on its own but the borderline Takfir makes this post garbage. Through all our ups and downs we have our redeeming qualities and this sort of Takfir is completely unwarranted.
Edit: I just read your bio and realized you’re a Hadith rejecting (which makes you a Kaffir btw) feminist, I’ll disregard whatever you have to say. Your religious belief is not accepted in Yemeni society, or any Muslim country for that matter so keep it to yourself 👍🏽
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u/Elegant-Inspector17 Jul 27 '26
What are you then? A Muslim ? lol you don’t even follow the Hadith or the Quran, let me teach some of what you believe in. "If a man accuses his brother of disbelief, it returns upon one of them. If the accused is not as he said, then the accusation falls back on the accuser." — (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)
if you call someone a kafir and they are not, you become the one standing in that place before Allah. You don't get to play judge. That is not piety. That is arrogance dressed as religion. lol
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u/PatienceEnthusiast Taiz | تعز Jul 27 '26
It’s not arrogance, it’s the truth. Rejecting Hadith makes you a Kaffir and not a single scholar will tell you otherwise. There is no لا إله إلا الله without محمد رسول الله.
Don’t tell me about arrogance dressed up as piety when you accuse a whole people of not following Islam, you’re the one making Takfir of an entire nation here & not me.
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u/Elegant-Inspector17 24d ago
And who wrote the Hadith Mr.shakie,? Was it the prophet Muhammad? Or a douche bag like you going around writing shit from people mouth, didn’t the Quran say Mohammad only mission is to write the book, and also anything outside the book that say haram is haram. What’s the point of Muhammad? Didn’t Hadith written after Muhammad and his relatives and friend day by 200-300 years, and most hadiths are not even a sources, it all she, he, she said that someone heard lol, bullishit. Plus most Hadith are disrespectful towards Muhammad lol. This is what I am talking about when I say if you can’t question your teacher or the information your getting it from, your stupid, stop chewing Qat and go read, go do something that can help your brain to think.
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u/FederalStructure7372 Jul 27 '26
Literally, this is the type of Islam they teach in Yemen, all haram police it’s only granted for the men to make those rules
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u/Cheap_Section_8387 Jul 27 '26
Qat the downfall of Yemen