Fatwa #3471024 December 2015Cambodia
Samsung Products
Question
I had a question. I found out that the word Samsung means 'three stars' referring to three star deities that were worshipped known as 'sanxing'. They were worshipped by the Chinese. Obviously this has shirk implications. I have Samsung products, do I have to remove the logo from my phone? I have no problem in doing so because if I owned something that had for example buddha or krishna etc, I would think that we would have to remove those names too. Please advise me asap. Jazakallahu khayr
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In Korean, the word Samsung means “three stars.” The name was chosen by Samsung founder Lee Byung-chull whose vision was for his company to become powerful and everlasting like stars in the sky.1
The Korean concept derives from the Chinese deities Sanxing which are the personified ideas of Prosperity (Fu), Status (Lu), and Longevity (Shou) in the Chinese traditional religion.2
However, since it no longer carries any religious signification in the eyes of people but it is seen simply as the name of a global electronics brand, it would be permissible to use their products and there is no need to remove the logo.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Huzaifah Deedat
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
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1 http://news.samsung.com/global/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-samsung
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanxing_(deities)