Eric Ferrier, Trinidad, Cuba

Is It Permitted in Islam to Ride Ferris Wheel?


Shafi'i Fiqh

Answered by Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan

Question: Assalam alaykum,

Is it permitted in Islam to ride Ferris wheel? Someone said that it is not allowed in Islam beause our beloved prophet Ibrahim (Peace and blessings be upon him) was thrown by this wheels.

Answer: Wa alaykum al-Salam

What is famously transmitted in the commentaries of the Quran is that Nabi Ibrahim was casted into the fire with a mangonel or catapult (manjaniq). The manjaniq was also used by the Prophet Muhammad sallaLlahu alayhi wasallam during war [ibn Hisham].

In addition, the ferris wheel was the creation of George Washington Gale Ferris in 1893. Consequently, we may conclude that the ferris wheel was not used and did not exist in the time of Prophet Ibrahim ‘alayhi al-Salam.

Finally, and hypothetically, even if it was such that Nabi Ibrahim was flung into the fire with a ferris wheel, it would not serve as evidence to prohibit one from riding it today. This is clearly understood from the fact that the Prophet sallaLlahu alayhi wasallam used a mangonel, the actual artillery that casted Nabi Ibrahim in the fire.

In short, if the riding of the said wheel is considered safe, it will be permissible to do so.

And Allah knows best
Wassalam
[Shaykh] Abdurragmaan Khan

Shaykh Abdurragmaan
received ijazah ’ammah from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib Umar ibn Hafiz—a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan—the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur—the current Mufti of Tarim; Habib ‘Umar al-Jaylani—the Shafi‘i Mufti of Makkah; Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi; Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh; Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki; Shaykh Ala ad-Din al-Afghani; Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others.