In another controversial order, the Darul Uloom at Deoband banned women from watching men playing football, saying it would violate the tenets of Islam.
"Football is played wearing shorts, so watching men playing with bare knees is forbidden for women; it's against our religious belief," said Mufti Athar Kasmi, a senior cleric at the top Islamic seminary.
He also came down heavily on men who allow their wives to watch football on television.
"Why do women need to watch these football matches? What they will gain by looking at footballer's thighs. Their attention will be on that only and they will even miss the scores," Kasmi was quoted as saying by a national daily on Tuesday.
Darul Uloom has been in the news for its bizarre orders and fatwas from time to time. Earlier this month, the seminary had urged Muslims to avoid marriages from families whose members are in banking jobs.
"Those who are nourished with haram (illegal) wealth are usually not good in respect to instinct and morals. Hence, it should be avoided. One should find out a match in some pious family," it had said.
Darul Uloom is Asia's largest Sunni Muslim seminary situated at Deoband in northern Uttar Pradesh. Its latest religious decree is, however, in contrast to the decision of Sunni Muslim Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which had, earlier this month, allowed women to watch matches in football stadiums.
