Is a woman's voice an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered)?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and Allah's mercy.
The questioner : How are you, Professor Muhammad?
The Shaykh : I am well, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. What is the ruling on a woman's voice, Honorable Shaykh? Is it considered 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), Honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : What is the first word?
The questioner : He asks: Is a woman's voice 'awrah?
The Shaykh : Yes, a woman's voice is not 'awrah. This is indicated by the Noble Qur'an and the Prophetic Sunnah. As for the Qur'an, Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ahzab 33:32] So Allah the Exalted did not forbid the woman from speaking, but He forbade her from speaking with softness. This indicates that He permitted her to speak in ordinary speech that does not contain softness.
As for the Sunnah, there are more instances than can be counted of women coming to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to plead their cases while people were present and hearing her, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not disapprove of that. The point is that a woman's voice is not 'awrah, but she should not speak with softness. However, if the man addressed by the woman feels that he is enjoying her voice or taking pleasure in it, he must refrain from listening to her voice. Yes.
The presenter : All right, Honorable Shaykh, what concerns us is fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
The questioner : Thank you. We have another call with us.
The Shaykh : Yes, questioner.
The questioner : What is the fitnah that is feared? The fitnah, Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Fitnah is in everything. Everything is called fitnah. Even if you eat and you feel fitnah, it is forbidden for you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and Allah's mercy.
The questioner : How are you, Professor Muhammad?
The Shaykh : I am well, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. What is the ruling on a woman's voice, Honorable Shaykh? Is it considered 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), Honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : What is the first word?
The questioner : He asks: Is a woman's voice 'awrah?
The Shaykh : Yes, a woman's voice is not 'awrah. This is indicated by the Noble Qur'an and the Prophetic Sunnah. As for the Qur'an, Allah the Exalted said:
then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet
فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌAs for the Sunnah, there are more instances than can be counted of women coming to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to plead their cases while people were present and hearing her, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not disapprove of that. The point is that a woman's voice is not 'awrah, but she should not speak with softness. However, if the man addressed by the woman feels that he is enjoying her voice or taking pleasure in it, he must refrain from listening to her voice. Yes.
The presenter : All right, Honorable Shaykh, what concerns us is fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
The questioner : Thank you. We have another call with us.
The Shaykh : Yes, questioner.
The questioner : What is the fitnah that is feared? The fitnah, Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Fitnah is in everything. Everything is called fitnah. Even if you eat and you feel fitnah, it is forbidden for you.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 2236- هل صوت المرأة عورة/سؤال على الهاتف 📞 /ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.