The Ruling on the Mixing of Men and Women, and the Ruling on Women Driving Cars
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His Eminence the Shaykh: In our country, Kuwait, there is a lot of mixing in the universities; the teacher sometimes is alone with the girl, and likewise regarding teaching women to drive cars, we find that the trainer is alone with the girl while he is training her for an hour or two. What is the ruling on that? May Allah reward you with good.
I say regarding the female students: It is obligatory for them to cover their faces, and as for looking at the teacher, there is nothing wrong with that if it is not for desire or for taking pleasure in looking at him, but rather it is for the sake of receiving knowledge from him. This is permissible; because a woman’s looking at a man is not forbidden, as evidenced by the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Fatimah bint Qays: (Stay in the house of Ibn Umm Maktum, for he is a blind man with whom you can remove your clothes) and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to cover Aishah while she was looking at the Ethiopians playing in the mosque.
So the stronger opinion among the opinions of the scholars: A woman has no objection in looking at a man, provided that her looking is not for desire or pleasure.
And as for training a girl to drive a car and her being alone with a man who is training her, this is not permissible, and it is a greater trial than if he were alone with her in a room; because it is known that the soul loves whoever treats it well, and if this trainer treats the girl with kindness and gentleness, there will be a great trial that a person cannot imagine. And how so when the student finds herself next to him, showing her how to operate the steering wheel, how to operate the brakes, and how to do such and such? This is very, very dangerous.
Then, in my opinion, a woman should not drive a car. Have men become few, such that we are forced to rely on women?!! No, men have not become few; they are many. And a woman driving a car involves many dangers. If we are now afraid for our young men when they go out in cars to the desert and elsewhere, fearing trials for them, what about the woman? Who will control the woman if she takes the car and goes out to the desert or to any person she wants? ! The truth is, I am amazed at some people for how they look at matters by their appearances! They say: There is nothing wrong with a woman driving a car, just as women used to ride camels in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
We say: We do not deny the principle of a woman driving a car, so it is not in itself a blameworthy act, but because of the many great harms that result from it, we prohibit it. And the Islamic Shari'ah came to block the means leading to forbidden things, and there is no dire necessity; for the young men are many, praise be to Allah, and if a woman’s brother or son is accustomed to driving a car, that is sufficient for her.
So it is obligatory to prevent the woman from driving a car; not because that is forbidden for her, but rather it is from the category of blocking the means leading to the forbidden, and because of the confirmed harms that result from it.
And with this, this meeting ends, and we ask Allah the Exalted to accept from us and from you righteous deeds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and all his Companions.
I say regarding the female students: It is obligatory for them to cover their faces, and as for looking at the teacher, there is nothing wrong with that if it is not for desire or for taking pleasure in looking at him, but rather it is for the sake of receiving knowledge from him. This is permissible; because a woman’s looking at a man is not forbidden, as evidenced by the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Fatimah bint Qays: (Stay in the house of Ibn Umm Maktum, for he is a blind man with whom you can remove your clothes) and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to cover Aishah while she was looking at the Ethiopians playing in the mosque.
So the stronger opinion among the opinions of the scholars: A woman has no objection in looking at a man, provided that her looking is not for desire or pleasure.
And as for training a girl to drive a car and her being alone with a man who is training her, this is not permissible, and it is a greater trial than if he were alone with her in a room; because it is known that the soul loves whoever treats it well, and if this trainer treats the girl with kindness and gentleness, there will be a great trial that a person cannot imagine. And how so when the student finds herself next to him, showing her how to operate the steering wheel, how to operate the brakes, and how to do such and such? This is very, very dangerous.
Then, in my opinion, a woman should not drive a car. Have men become few, such that we are forced to rely on women?!! No, men have not become few; they are many. And a woman driving a car involves many dangers. If we are now afraid for our young men when they go out in cars to the desert and elsewhere, fearing trials for them, what about the woman? Who will control the woman if she takes the car and goes out to the desert or to any person she wants? ! The truth is, I am amazed at some people for how they look at matters by their appearances! They say: There is nothing wrong with a woman driving a car, just as women used to ride camels in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
We say: We do not deny the principle of a woman driving a car, so it is not in itself a blameworthy act, but because of the many great harms that result from it, we prohibit it. And the Islamic Shari'ah came to block the means leading to forbidden things, and there is no dire necessity; for the young men are many, praise be to Allah, and if a woman’s brother or son is accustomed to driving a car, that is sufficient for her.
So it is obligatory to prevent the woman from driving a car; not because that is forbidden for her, but rather it is from the category of blocking the means leading to the forbidden, and because of the confirmed harms that result from it.
And with this, this meeting ends, and we ask Allah the Exalted to accept from us and from you righteous deeds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and all his Companions.