Use this tag for those questions which seek to find what, if any, basis a common practice or belief has in Islamic fundamentals, or if it is just a cultural tradition (e.g. "folk Islam").
Many communities practice forms of "Folk Islam," wherein cultural practices and traditions are absorbed into daily life and described under the umbrella term "Islam," despite having no actual basis in Islamic doctrine or scriptures. For people living in such communities, figuring out exactly where the line between "culture" and "religion" is set can be a difficult task.
Questions seeking to understand what, if any, Islamic basis a commonly-held practice or tradition actually has can be asked under this tag. In particular, such questions should be about practices which:
- are practiced almost exclusively by Muslim-majority communities, or
- frequently referred to as part of Islam
It is not, however, to be used for questions which are seeking a ruling on whether a particular practice is halal or haram, or if a common practice based on a known (albeit unorthodox) interpretation of scripture is correct. It is specifically for extant practices which are already considered somehow part of "Islam," but for which the actual Islamic basis is unknown.
See also the following relevant meta discussions:
