Genshin Impact got a new update recently, which added a new area to the map, which includes places called the Gate of Zulqarnain and Wadi Al-Majuj. These names have Islamic references and have Muslim Genshin Impact players around the world wondering whether the game is even halal to play.
Last updated on April 20th, 2023 at 07:48 am
Genshin Impact Wadi Al-Majuj Reference
Yājūj and Mājūj are mentioned in the Quran as two hostile and corrupt forces that are going to ravage the earth before the end of the world. They are the counterparts of Gog and Magog in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament. So not only are they mentioned in the Quran, but they have their counterparts in other religious scriptures as well.
Wadi Al-Majuj translates to the valley of the Majuj. While there is no reference to a valley that I could find. We do know of a wall that has been made to keep the Yājūj and Mājūj at bay and keep them from destroying the earth. This wall will be removed in due time by god close to the day of judgment. When that might be is anyone’s guess, and only god knows.
Gate Of Zulqarnain Reference
Dhu al-Qarnayn is mentioned in the Quran in Surah Al-Kahf (chapter 18, Ayat 83-101) as one who travels to the east and west and sets up barriers between a certain people called Yājūj and Mājūj. Dhul-Qarnayn (Pronounced as Zul-Qarnain) is a great ruler in Islamic history, and the title means Processor of the Two Horns. While some scholars believe that this could be Alexander the Great, there are some that think that it could be King Cyrus. While there are some scholars that believe that it is neither of the two.
Is Genshin Impact Halal?
Since the update came out, these new locations have caught the attention of Muslim players around the world, and they are wondering whether the game is even halal to play. This is not the first time that this question has arisen. The game was first labeled haram when players saw that they had to worship idols in order to progress.
While there are some players that think that worshiping statues is a form of shirk or relating idols with god, so it is haram, there are other players that believe that this is a fictional world and should not be taken so seriously. Plus, the Traveler in the game is not from the world that we explore and actually makes fun of the gods in Teyvat. So it might not be considered worship at all when playing at the statues.
This might be an issue for younger players that do not know what they are doing and are not well-versed in religion, but if you are old enough and know that what is happening in the game is not to be taken seriously, then I do not see a problem personally. Aleena, a Muslim player, mentions the following regarding the matter:
I also play genshin and when ever the word “worship statue” comes I just think like literally just to give that floating things and upgrade my stamina or to heal the players, other than that I have never waisted any real life money on that, cuz that’s stupid to waste money, also the game I play with a mind is just to find the travellers brother so I don’t let my thoughts wander else where, so I know my Iman is strong (i hope) so this game does not effect me in daily life, I know my true Lord is Allah so I just play this game as game, is it ok? Cuz it’s my answer and question at the same time…
While another Muslim player Tahir Javed had an opposing opinion regarding the matter:
Allah has sent us in this world to prepare ourselve for getting paradise. The life is very short. We don’t know when we will leave this world. We must not waste our time in such things which show worship of gods. Our each second of this life is important. If one says SubhanAllah then a tree is planted in the paradise. That tree would be so big that if an Arabian horse runs for 100 years under its shadow the shadow will not finish. Such games like Genshin are not suitable for us. Thanks for asking.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has provided his opinion regarding the game and mentions:
It would be best if you stayed away from such games. There is nothing worse in Islam than shirk or associating partners with Allah. To worship a statue or touch it expecting to gain a benefit or prevent harm or other favors, etc., are pure shirk.
You cannot pretend to be a Muslim while practicing such blatant forms of shirk. You need to renew your faith and seek repentance if you have been involved in such games or promoting them.
I am in no way a scholar of religion, but my opinion is that if your view of religion is clear, then these small in-game acts are not going to affect you. They might be more dangerous for younger players that do not know right from wrong.
Let us know what you think about the new areas added in Genshin Impact and whether or not you think the game is halal to play. If you are interested in learning more about the game, then you can check out our Genshin Impact guides hub.
The game was never halal to begin with. The story goes against Islam in everyway and I don’t think the developers are going to change that anytime soon (or even later). Even If not for the story l, the game itself is time consuming. And a good game should be addictive and keep its players occupied with it for the longest time. Any muslim should know that allah will ask us about how we spent our time in our life. Genshin isn’t really designed to teach anything useful (I think) so spending time on it isn’t really justified.
I’m guilty of playing it, and If I knew it was going to be like this I wouldn’t have downloaded it in the first place. When I downloaded it, I didn’t know the story is focused on religion so much. What really got me hooked up was exploring the world and I liked solving the puzzles. I thought I could protect myself from the shirk in its story -because I know my religion and considered myself a good muslim. But I was too naive and too arrogant to think that I’m a good muslim. As time went on I grew further away from allah and without realizing it, it grew on me and I was thinking non-stop about it, Searching for videos about team comps and such til I got semi invested in lore videos. And it was those theory-making video that made me realize I’ve dived too deep without having good mindset to protect myself. The story should be about polytheism but it has a lot of refrences to the bible and torah (supposedly books that was given to messengers of allah buy the books were altered) . The 3.6 patch was when I realized that they won’t be leaving islam alone. The problem about referencing from quran is they won’t be using those references to deliver accurate information about Islam, but they would be using it to make their own stories, by making it related to their game’s lore (like how they implemented jinn into the 3.5 world quest “dirge of bilqis” making them a race born from the seliees which of course isn’t the case in real life).I think no official lore has been released about the place “gate of zualqarnain” but what it looks like that they want to make it related to the abyss and khaenri’ah.
Tl;DR Genshin is a dangerous game and isn’t made to make you good muslims, any good muslim who wants to win their akhirah won’t spend time on it.
It should be made clear that hoyo is using quranic stories and facts to mislead people.