How a Muslim Woman Works in Japan to Preserve Her Religion
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa No. ( 17336 )
Q: By the grace of Allah the Exalted and His guidance, some Japanese girls have declared their Islam. From here begins the conflict with the atheist Japanese society, whose families prefer that they remain in disbelief, or even convert to the currently distorted Christianity, rather than convert to Islam. This is because there are no obligations in their distorted Christianity, so a person becomes one who drinks intoxicants, eats pork, has female friends in a forbidden manner, but is a Christian who believes in the Lord, the Son of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit. There is no power or might except in Allah, the One, the Unique, the Single, the Self-Sufficient, who begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable to Him. But if he converts to Islam, he becomes a person distinguished from others, different from them, isolated from their society, and leaving their club. So what the society does is reject him and look at him with the eyes of the irrational.
And often they get rid of him through isolation and preventing him from working, for he is Japanese like them, so how can he do this heinous act and convert to Islam, leaving their parties, their intoxicants, and their pork, and praying to the Allah whom they do not consider their Lord? The problem is doubled for the girl, where her strength is weaker and her financial source usually depends on her job, if she has one, or depends on her disbelieving family. Among these many problems facing the Muslim girl is the problem of establishing the obligatory acts, such as wearing the hijab. Often, her job prevents her from doing so, as it prevents her from performing the prayer at her workplace, which makes her unable to perform the prayer at its time, and she performs it combined as a make-up out of her fear of being fired from her job , which represents her only source of livelihood, where she lives completely isolated from her family, of whom only she has become a Muslim. In another problem of another Muslim woman, we find her unable to fast the blessed month of Ramadan, as she hides her Islam from her family , especially her strict Christian mother, who accepts disbelief for her daughter but does not accept Islam for her. Knowing that this sister is 18 years old and is still in the stages of university education, which her family covers the expenses for,
and therefore she lives with them in the same house, sharing their food, drink, and life completely, which may include many forbidden things. She is unable, for example, to fast the month of Ramadan, otherwise it would appear strange to her family and they would know of her Islam. Here they would harm her and prevent her by all means from completing her studies and forging her path in life, as that would be her only source of income in the future. And in a third problem, represented by a Japanese man who declared his Islam by the grace and mercy of Allah, but his wife is still in her disbelief and his children likewise, refuge in Allah, and he does not know what to do with them . Here we ask your eminence: A - How should the Muslim sister act in the situation mentioned here in Japan? 2 - What should the Japanese brother do towards his wife? Is it permissible for him if she continues in her disbelief? And what does he do towards his children likewise? 3 - Is the prayer of a woman valid outside her house, and in public places, while she is sitting with the purpose of not exposing her 'awrah? And may Allah reward you for them and for the Muslims with the best reward.
A: First: Whoever embraces Islam and hides his Islam out of fear that he will be harmed by declaring it, he should strive to present the merits of Islam to those he fears, without
showing them what reveals his entry into Islam, and he should call upon Allah the Exalted for their guidance, so that Allah may expand their chest for Islam, and good may come to them through their Islam and the removal of the expected harm from them. If they do not find guidance and the harm is still expected from them, or if the country does not allow the display of the symbols of Islam, it becomes obligatory for him to migrate to the lands of the Muslims if he is able. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:100] the verse. Meaning: he finds a place to turn to and a place to move away from what he dislikes, and spaciousness from misguidance to guidance, from tightness to relief, and from poverty to wealth. As for if he is unable to migrate because he is among the weak, then Allah the Exalted has excused him, such as one who is prevented from migrating, or who is a woman. Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nisa 4:97-99],
The meaning is: they are unable to find a solution or provide for their expenses, and they cannot find the way to the place of migration even if they were to leave. Second, if a woman finds her situation difficult, she should contact the Islamic centers in her country, if any exist, in the hope of finding what will help her and resolve her problem. Otherwise, she should be patient and wait for relief from Allah, and ask Allah the Exalted to make her affairs easy. She will be rewarded for all of this, provided she adheres to Islam, its rulings, and its obligatory duties to the best of her ability. This is based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted:[At-Taghabun 64:16], and the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih al-Bukhari 7288, which is agreed upon as authentic. Third, if the husband enters Islam and his wife remains a disbeliever, if she is a People of the Book, meaning a Jew or a Christian, it is permissible for him to continue
with her; because the original ruling is that it is permissible for a Muslim to marry a chaste woman from the People of the Book; based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:5] the verse. As for if she is not from the People of the Book, it is not permissible for him to continue with her; based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted: [Al-Mumtahanah 60:10]. As for if the wife enters Islam, and her husband remains a disbeliever, she becomes forbidden to him; based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted: [Al-Mumtahanah 60:10] the verse. If she is forced to stay with him and is unable to separate from him, she should be patient with him
until relief comes to her, and there is no blame on her, just as the Muslim women in the early period of Islam were patient, among them being Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). She remained with her husband Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi' after her Islam, before he accepted Islam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was unable to separate them until she later joined the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and separated from her husband. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned her to him after his Islam. Fourth: as for the children, they follow the religion of the better of the two parents. Therefore, if one of the spouses accepts Islam, a ruling is made that all minor children are Muslim, because a minor follows the better of his two parents in religion. Fifth: it is obligatory for the woman to veil herself from foreign men and to avoid anything that displays her adornment. She should strive to stay in her home and not leave it except for a need, with modesty and covering. If prayer becomes obligatory for her while she is outside her home, she should distance herself from men and pray. What was mentioned in the question does not permit her to leave off standing, because standing, when one is able to do so, is a pillar of the prayer, and she is able to do it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: By the grace of Allah the Exalted and His guidance, some Japanese girls have declared their Islam. From here begins the conflict with the atheist Japanese society, whose families prefer that they remain in disbelief, or even convert to the currently distorted Christianity, rather than convert to Islam. This is because there are no obligations in their distorted Christianity, so a person becomes one who drinks intoxicants, eats pork, has female friends in a forbidden manner, but is a Christian who believes in the Lord, the Son of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit. There is no power or might except in Allah, the One, the Unique, the Single, the Self-Sufficient, who begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable to Him. But if he converts to Islam, he becomes a person distinguished from others, different from them, isolated from their society, and leaving their club. So what the society does is reject him and look at him with the eyes of the irrational.
And often they get rid of him through isolation and preventing him from working, for he is Japanese like them, so how can he do this heinous act and convert to Islam, leaving their parties, their intoxicants, and their pork, and praying to the Allah whom they do not consider their Lord? The problem is doubled for the girl, where her strength is weaker and her financial source usually depends on her job, if she has one, or depends on her disbelieving family. Among these many problems facing the Muslim girl is the problem of establishing the obligatory acts, such as wearing the hijab. Often, her job prevents her from doing so, as it prevents her from performing the prayer at her workplace, which makes her unable to perform the prayer at its time, and she performs it combined as a make-up out of her fear of being fired from her job , which represents her only source of livelihood, where she lives completely isolated from her family, of whom only she has become a Muslim. In another problem of another Muslim woman, we find her unable to fast the blessed month of Ramadan, as she hides her Islam from her family , especially her strict Christian mother, who accepts disbelief for her daughter but does not accept Islam for her. Knowing that this sister is 18 years old and is still in the stages of university education, which her family covers the expenses for,
and therefore she lives with them in the same house, sharing their food, drink, and life completely, which may include many forbidden things. She is unable, for example, to fast the month of Ramadan, otherwise it would appear strange to her family and they would know of her Islam. Here they would harm her and prevent her by all means from completing her studies and forging her path in life, as that would be her only source of income in the future. And in a third problem, represented by a Japanese man who declared his Islam by the grace and mercy of Allah, but his wife is still in her disbelief and his children likewise, refuge in Allah, and he does not know what to do with them . Here we ask your eminence: A - How should the Muslim sister act in the situation mentioned here in Japan? 2 - What should the Japanese brother do towards his wife? Is it permissible for him if she continues in her disbelief? And what does he do towards his children likewise? 3 - Is the prayer of a woman valid outside her house, and in public places, while she is sitting with the purpose of not exposing her 'awrah? And may Allah reward you for them and for the Muslims with the best reward.
A: First: Whoever embraces Islam and hides his Islam out of fear that he will be harmed by declaring it, he should strive to present the merits of Islam to those he fears, without
showing them what reveals his entry into Islam, and he should call upon Allah the Exalted for their guidance, so that Allah may expand their chest for Islam, and good may come to them through their Islam and the removal of the expected harm from them. If they do not find guidance and the harm is still expected from them, or if the country does not allow the display of the symbols of Islam, it becomes obligatory for him to migrate to the lands of the Muslims if he is able. Allah the Exalted said:
And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance
وَمَنْ يُهَاجِرْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يَجِدْ فِي الأَرْضِ مُرَاغَمًا كَثِيرًا وَسَعَةً(97) Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves - [the angels] will say, "In what [condition] were you?" They will say, "We were oppressed in the land." The angels will say, "Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?" For those, their refuge is Hell - and evil it is as a destination. (98) Except for the oppressed among men, women and children who cannot devise a plan nor are they directed to a way - (99) For those it is expected that Allah will pardon them, and Allah is ever Pardoning and Forgiving.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنْتُمْ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا فَأُولَئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا (97) إِلا الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلاَ يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلا (98) فَأُولَئِكَ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَفُوًّا غَفُورًاThe meaning is: they are unable to find a solution or provide for their expenses, and they cannot find the way to the place of migration even if they were to leave. Second, if a woman finds her situation difficult, she should contact the Islamic centers in her country, if any exist, in the hope of finding what will help her and resolve her problem. Otherwise, she should be patient and wait for relief from Allah, and ask Allah the Exalted to make her affairs easy. She will be rewarded for all of this, provided she adheres to Islam, its rulings, and its obligatory duties to the best of her ability. This is based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْAnd if I order you to do something, then do of it as much as you can.
إذا أمرتكم بأمر فأتوا منه ما استطعتمwith her; because the original ruling is that it is permissible for a Muslim to marry a chaste woman from the People of the Book; based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you
الْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْAnd hold not to marriage bonds with disbelieving women
وَلاَ تُمْسِكُوا بِعِصَمِ الْكَوَافِرِO you who have believed, when the believing women come to you as emigrants, examine them. Allah is most knowing as to their faith. And if you know them to be believers, then do not return them to the disbelievers; they are not lawful [wives] for them, nor are they lawful [husbands] for them
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا جَاءَكُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتُ مُهَاجِرَاتٍ فَامْتَحِنُوهُنَّ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَانِهِنَّ فَإِنْ عَلِمْتُمُوهُنَّ مُؤْمِنَاتٍ فَلا تَرْجِعُوهُنَّ إِلَى الْكُفَّارِ لاَ هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّuntil relief comes to her, and there is no blame on her, just as the Muslim women in the early period of Islam were patient, among them being Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). She remained with her husband Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi' after her Islam, before he accepted Islam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was unable to separate them until she later joined the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and separated from her husband. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned her to him after his Islam. Fourth: as for the children, they follow the religion of the better of the two parents. Therefore, if one of the spouses accepts Islam, a ruling is made that all minor children are Muslim, because a minor follows the better of his two parents in religion. Fifth: it is obligatory for the woman to veil herself from foreign men and to avoid anything that displays her adornment. She should strive to stay in her home and not leave it except for a need, with modesty and covering. If prayer becomes obligatory for her while she is outside her home, she should distance herself from men and pray. What was mentioned in the question does not permit her to leave off standing, because standing, when one is able to do so, is a pillar of the prayer, and she is able to do it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.