Is it permissible for a woman to visit her friend when there are wrongdoings in her home, such as hanging pictures, or to attend wedding parties that include dancing and singing?

The questioner : There are many questions regarding attending places where there are wrongdoings, such as a quick question from someone who says she visits her friend and there are hanging pictures in her home, and the ruling on attending parties where dancing and singing take place on wedding occasions. There are also many other questions related to this matter: What do we do if we attend a guest's home or a friend's place and there is a wrongdoing?

The Shaykh : First, it is not permissible for a Muslim, nor for a Muslim woman, it is not permissible for them all to attend places of wrongdoing, due to His saying—Blessed and Exalted is He—: , and due to his saying—peace and blessings be upon him—: ; therefore, if a Muslim woman goes or is invited to a place and she has prior knowledge that there is a wrongdoing in that place, it is not permissible for her to attend that place unless she is able to forbid that wrongdoing. But if she is not able, or if this condition is not met, it is not permissible for a Muslim to attend that place, and thus for a Muslim woman, especially if those entertainments are among the entertainments of open sinfulness and debauchery, which is undoubtedly forbidden in Islam. However, if the place has some pictures, and there is scholarly disagreement regarding the prohibition of these pictures, and the person attending there considers them forbidden, as is the correct view, then he attends with the intention of preparing to offer advice to the person who invited him or whom he visited. For example, if a woman visits her friend in a home where there are forbidden pictures, let her intend in her heart that she is not visiting out of hypocrisy or showing off, but as a preparation to call her to adhere to the Shari'ah of her Lord—Blessed and Exalted is He. If she attends with this intention, I hope that no sin will befall her; rather, she has a reward for seeking to guide her companion and friend. And he said—peace and blessings be upon him—: . And let no one say that the Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—said this to a man and specified the one who is guided as a man. As we said earlier: , and every ruling that comes in the Shari'ah addressed to a man is the same for a woman. So here, if he—peace and blessings be upon him—said to Ali: , the same is directed to Fatimah, for example. If a woman is guided through her, she also has that reward which the Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—mentioned regarding Ali if a man is guided through him. In short, if a Muslim woman intends to visit her sister or friend who has some wrongdoings in her home, with the intention of forbidding the evil and being gentle with her in forbidding it, so that perhaps she may be guided, then in my opinion, there is no sin on her. The sin is on the woman who visits her friend and does not care that she is approving that wrongdoing, and that woman feels, because of the visit of this Muslim friend, that there is nothing wrong with these things, because so-and-so, who may be characterized as a caller to Allah, so-and-so the caller visited me and did not forbid me anything of that. Here is the calamity. But if she visits and waits for opportunities and occasions to admonish and remind her, then there is nothing wrong with that, if Allah wills.