Fatwa ID: 08265
Answered by Maulana Sakib Shadman
Question:
Has anyone come across anything related to a Muslim female and her interactions with her non muslim mahaarim, related to the requirements of Hijab, Pardah, etc.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Modesty is one of the most important qualities of a believer as emphasised in the following Hadith;
It was narrated from Abu Bakrah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Modesty is part of faith, and faith will be in Paradise. Obscenity in speech is part of harshness and harshness will be in Hell.’” (Sunan Ibn Majah)
In Islam a woman should avoid unnecessarily intermingling with a non Mahram male. Females are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible and should only leave her house when necessary. In regards to this, Allah Ta’ala says in the holy Quran:
{ وَقَرۡنَ فِی بُیُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجۡنَ تَبَرُّجَ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِیَّةِ ٱلۡأُولَىٰۖ }
[Surah Al-Aḥzāb: 33]
Remain in your homes, and do not display (your) beauty as it used to be displayed in the days of earlier ignorance.
The home is the safest place for women in order to avoid the evils and temptations of the Dunya. They should conceal their beauty and their adornments such as their jewellery and attractive clothing in front of Non-Mahrams. A woman’s clothing should be loose and have a simple design so that it does not attract unwanted attention. It should cover her entire body and conceal her beauty.
Regarding this Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Quran:
{ یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلنَّبِیُّ قُل لِّأَزۡوَ ٰجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاۤءِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ یُدۡنِینَ عَلَیۡهِنَّ مِن جَلَـٰبِیبِهِنَّۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ أَدۡنَىٰۤ أَن یُعۡرَفۡنَ فَلَا یُؤۡذَیۡنَۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورࣰا رَّحِیمࣰا }
[Surah Al-Aḥzāb: 59]
O prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they should draw down their shawls over them. That will make it more likely that they are recognized, hence not abused. And Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.
Even when both males and females leave their house, they should not attend mixed gatherings and should avoid situations where they will be tempted to intermingle with the opposite gender.
However in a public place such as a shopping center or workplace where total segregation is not possible, Allah Ta’ala commands us in the Quran:
{ وَقُل لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِ یَغۡضُضۡنَ مِنۡ أَبۡصَـٰرِهِنَّ وَیَحۡفَظۡنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا یُبۡدِینَ زِینَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَاۖ }
[Surah An-Nūr: 31]
And tell the believing women that they must lower their gazes and guard their private parts, and must not expose their adornment, except that which appears thereof, and must wrap their bosoms with their shawls…
Hence in such public settings, women must wear proper Hijab, and both males and females must keep their gaze lowered. Males and females should try to walk and gather separately from each other even in public and they should not mix with each other freely.
Furthermore, if out of necessity a woman must talk to a man, she should not speak in a soft and sweet tone. She should make her voice low and harsh in order to ward off temptation from the man.
Again, their conversation should be to the point and they should only stick to what is necessary. Once their need to talk has ceased, they should separate and not engage in unnecessary chit chat.
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Maulana Sakib Shadman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
قوله: “إن صوتها عورة” هو ما في النوازل وجرى عليه في المحيط والكافي حيث عللا عدم جهرها بالتلبية بأن صوتها عورة قال في الفتح وعلى هذا لو قيل إذا جهرت بالقراءة في الصلاة فسدت كان متجها لكن قال ابن أمير حاج الأشبه أنه ليس بعورة وإنما يؤدي إلى الفتنة واعتمده في النهر أفاده السيد وظاهر هذا ان الخلاف في الجهر بالصوت فقط لا في تمطيطه وتليينه وهو ينافي ما قاله المصنف ونقله المقدسي عن أبي العباس القرطبي في كتابه في السماع ونصه ولا يظن من لا فطنة له أنا إذا قلنا صوت المرأة عورة أنا نريد بذلك كلامها لأن ذلك ليس بصحيح فإنا نجيز الكلام من النساء الأجانب ومحاورتهن عند الحاجة إلى ذلك ولا نجيز لهن رفع أصواتهن ولا تمطيطها ولا تليينها وتقطيعها لما في ذلك من استمالة الرجال إليهن وتحريك الشهوات منهن ومن هذا لم يجز أن تؤذن المرأة
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قَوْلُهُ: وَكَشْفُ رُبْعِ سَاقِهَا يَمْنَعُ وَكَذَا الشَّعْرُ وَالْبَطْنُ وَالْفَخِذُ وَالْعَوْرَةُ الْغَلِيظَةُ
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ص285 – كتاب البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري – باب شروط الصلاة – المكتبة الشاملة
قَوْلُهُ: وَكَشْفُ رُبْعِ سَاقِهَا يَمْنَعُ وَكَذَا الشَّعْرُ وَالْبَطْنُ وَالْفَخِذُ وَالْعَوْرَةُ الْغَلِيظَةُ) ؛ لِأَنَّ قَلِيلَ الِانْكِشَافِ عَفْوٌ عِنْدَنَا لِلضَّرُورَةِ فَإِنَّ ثِيَابَ الْفُقَرَاءِ لَا تَخْلُو عَنْ قَلِيلِ خَرْقٍ كَالنَّجَاسَةِ الْقَلِيلَةِ وَالْكَثِيرَةِ مُفْسِدٌ لِعَدَمِهَا فَاعْتُبِرَ الرُّبْعُ وَأُقِيمَ مُقَامَ الْكُلِّ احْتِيَاطًا؛ لِأَنَّ لِلرُّبْعِ شَبَهًا بِالْكُلِّ كَمَا فِي حَلْقِ رُبْعِ الرَّأْسِ فَإِنَّهُ يَجِبُ بِهِ الدَّمُ كَمَا لَوْ حَلَقَ كُلَّهُ
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ص285 – كتاب البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري – باب شروط الصلاة – المكتبة الشاملة
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ “ الْحَيَاءُ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ وَالإِيمَانُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَالْبَذَاءُ مِنَ الْجَفَاءِ وَالْجَفَاءُ فِي النَّارِ ” .
Sunan Ibn Majah 4184
Chapter 17: Modesty, shyness, Book 37: Zuhd
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)
https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:4184
١٧١ – قَاعِدَة الضرورات تقدر بِقَدرِهَا (شن)
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ص89 – كتاب قواعد الفقه – القواعد الفقهية – المكتبة الشاملة
