What is the ruling on educating girls in this time, and what is the ruling on what some of the brothers do by educating their daughters only up to the preparatory stage, and what do you say about the one who says that if we do not educate our daughters in those schools, the teachers of the future will be from those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, or from the Christians?
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The questioner : The question concerns the education of girls.
The Shaykh : Specify.
The questioner : Educating the girl in this time leads to many trials.
The Shaykh : That is enough, it means you have received the answer.
The audience: Heh.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. And we see that we do not educate beyond the intermediate level, if that expression is permissible, in what is called the preparatory stage; do not exceed this limit. But our brothers respond to us: if we follow the system you are following, in ten years we will see that all the female teachers from our daughters will be from those people who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, or from the Christians. So, the comment of our honorable professor on this...
The Shaykh : My comment has been repeated often in response to such a question, in person and by correspondence.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : In my belief, those who say this in an absolute sense are not considering the agreed-upon legal rulings; at the very least, they are being stubborn and denying that what I mentioned of trials follows from it. Is the answer clear up to this point?
Another questioner: It is clear here.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Very clear.
The Shaykh : Good. As for the first objective, it is to avoid trials. In other words, I say that if they are Muslims, regarding the trials, as your speech indicates, and I agree with this one hundred percent, one hundred percent. If there are people with us in such trials, and without doubt, having a good opinion of them obligates us to assume they are not being stubborn or denying that some of these trials occur. Therefore, I say that it is a grave error to ignore these trials and to say what you related from them, and we have no need to repeat it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That is because avoiding trials and the places of trials is obligatory. And I also believe that they do not disagree with us on this, due to his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying in the hadith we mentioned at the beginning of the day:Bulugh al-Maram 16:32 And if this is established as obligatory, we say this is an obligatory matter, namely avoiding the trial or trials. Good. Educating the girl in this manner that exposes her to trials is not an obligatory matter, nor is it a recommended matter. So how can it be said that it is permissible? Indeed, some may exaggerate and say that it is obligatory that we educate our daughters in this education, and that it necessitates that knowledge be in the hands of open sinners or disbelievers. Is this not their doubt?
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : We say that the victory of the Muslims over their enemies is not by contradicting the rulings of their religion, but by following and applying the rulings of their religion. This is also another reality that they cannot be stubborn about or discuss. So, let us suppose that in the end, knowledge is restricted to open sinners and disbelievers. We say, if that is the case—and I mean what I am saying, if that is the case, and it does not mean that it is certainly so, as will be explained—if that is the case, let us suppose with us this logic that contradicts several established legal scientific rules: that we contradict the Shari'ah so that we do not give open sinners and disbelievers the opportunity to be more knowledgeable than what? More knowledgeable than our daughters? This means we have entered the rule: "The end justifies the means". A Muslim does not say this. Nevertheless, I say that this result which these people claim, and which you related from them, is not necessarily a realized reality. Why? I say this result becomes a realized reality under two conditions: first, in the beginning, and second, if there are no other people who issue a ruling with this opinion that you related from them. And unfortunately, this exists and exists in many of those in whose creed and knowledge we believe. So, at that time, we must address the reality. Will the reality be that all the girls, or in other words, all the guardians or awliya of these women, will adopt the opinion of Al-Albani, for example, and those who have been vocalizing around him in this opinion? Of course, there are many opinions contradicting his. So, among these educated girls, there will be a section who are not disbelievers and not open sinners, but they are committed and religious, even in our view, where they contradicted our view in this issue. Why? Because from our correct Salafi creed, we do not see for ourselves a legal authority over the people, as long as the Messenger says, and Allah says to His Messenger: So we are not controlling the people, but we say the word that is quoted from some callers: "Cast your word and walk". You have no authority with the sword to force people to your opinion, but rather on the basis of: "The truth is clear and falsehood is obscure". So we... our word, and certainly, as is the case with the most truthful word on the face of Allah, which is: "There is no god but Allah". Did all the people adopt it? No. So, a fortiori, not all people will adopt the opinion of this scholar or that. And therefore, this prohibition, and this is the second answer, I said, will not be realized. And if we finally suppose, and finally suppose, that this will be realized, let us suppose that the matter is so. But what do they say about these long years that have passed, where the Islamic world, even its youth, lived in deep ignorance of much of the specific legal sciences that are obligatory upon them as an individual obligation, let alone the sciences that are obligatory upon them as a collective obligation? Today, we see, of course, an awakening among the Muslim youth in both sciences: the science of the Shari'ah and the other science, what do we call it? Worldly, industrial, etc. So now there is attention to this matter, which they were not paying attention to before. So, if the Muslims have a role in which they were delayed in knowledge, and it is permissible for them, indeed obligatory, to perform it, yet they remained as they are, what do we say if the women are delayed in performing the duty of fearing Allah, when they were not fearing, and the youth were not fearing Allah, they were heedless of the Shari'ah of Allah? What is the great prohibition that will follow if we delay the women from learning a science of the sciences that we call worldly, as some of you said, for a quarter of a century?
So I believe that there will be a generation I can describe as a generation of women who are mixed, meaning they are not committed one hundred percent, one hundred percent, nor are they deviant one hundred percent, one hundred percent, like the two types we mentioned, either open sinners or disbelievers. Rather, they have mixed a good deed with an evil deed. The role of this type in the middle will be to adopt the education of the committed girl that we are vocalizing about, so that this experience falls upon those who expose the girls, or some of the girls, to trial. This is my answer, and I hope it is clear. And I now want to give an example for myself or for some of my zealous brothers. He has a wife, or he has a sister, or he has a daughter. He does not... in putting her in a school or a medical college to learn this science, the science of medicine. And we need Muslim female doctors; no one denies this. But I am jealous for my wife, I am jealous for my sister, I am jealous for my daughter, fearing that this trial we mentioned at the beginning of this speech will touch her and surround her, fearing that some women may fall into it. So I fear for these who are my relatives, and I think the matter should be so for every Muslim who is zealous for his family. What is the prohibition? The result will be that the science of medicine will be in the hands of what? Open sinners or disbelievers. Fine. What do you want, O Zayd, from the people? I want girls from us to learn this science. Fine. If you... your wife or your sister or your daughter is the scapegoat, that is what it means. Does a Muslim say this? I do not believe a person who addresses the issue from all its sides with the legal logic, as we presented earlier, with many rules, and with the emotional logic for his family, I do not think he opens the door wide open.
The Shaykh : Specify.
The questioner : Educating the girl in this time leads to many trials.
The Shaykh : That is enough, it means you have received the answer.
The audience: Heh.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. And we see that we do not educate beyond the intermediate level, if that expression is permissible, in what is called the preparatory stage; do not exceed this limit. But our brothers respond to us: if we follow the system you are following, in ten years we will see that all the female teachers from our daughters will be from those people who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, or from the Christians. So, the comment of our honorable professor on this...
The Shaykh : My comment has been repeated often in response to such a question, in person and by correspondence.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : In my belief, those who say this in an absolute sense are not considering the agreed-upon legal rulings; at the very least, they are being stubborn and denying that what I mentioned of trials follows from it. Is the answer clear up to this point?
Another questioner: It is clear here.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Very clear.
The Shaykh : Good. As for the first objective, it is to avoid trials. In other words, I say that if they are Muslims, regarding the trials, as your speech indicates, and I agree with this one hundred percent, one hundred percent. If there are people with us in such trials, and without doubt, having a good opinion of them obligates us to assume they are not being stubborn or denying that some of these trials occur. Therefore, I say that it is a grave error to ignore these trials and to say what you related from them, and we have no need to repeat it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That is because avoiding trials and the places of trials is obligatory. And I also believe that they do not disagree with us on this, due to his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying in the hadith we mentioned at the beginning of the day:
is like a shepherd who pastures (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it
ومن حام حول الحمى يوشك أن يقع فيهThe questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : We say that the victory of the Muslims over their enemies is not by contradicting the rulings of their religion, but by following and applying the rulings of their religion. This is also another reality that they cannot be stubborn about or discuss. So, let us suppose that in the end, knowledge is restricted to open sinners and disbelievers. We say, if that is the case—and I mean what I am saying, if that is the case, and it does not mean that it is certainly so, as will be explained—if that is the case, let us suppose with us this logic that contradicts several established legal scientific rules: that we contradict the Shari'ah so that we do not give open sinners and disbelievers the opportunity to be more knowledgeable than what? More knowledgeable than our daughters? This means we have entered the rule: "The end justifies the means". A Muslim does not say this. Nevertheless, I say that this result which these people claim, and which you related from them, is not necessarily a realized reality. Why? I say this result becomes a realized reality under two conditions: first, in the beginning, and second, if there are no other people who issue a ruling with this opinion that you related from them. And unfortunately, this exists and exists in many of those in whose creed and knowledge we believe. So, at that time, we must address the reality. Will the reality be that all the girls, or in other words, all the guardians or awliya of these women, will adopt the opinion of Al-Albani, for example, and those who have been vocalizing around him in this opinion? Of course, there are many opinions contradicting his. So, among these educated girls, there will be a section who are not disbelievers and not open sinners, but they are committed and religious, even in our view, where they contradicted our view in this issue. Why? Because from our correct Salafi creed, we do not see for ourselves a legal authority over the people, as long as the Messenger says, and Allah says to His Messenger:
You are not a controller over them.
لست عليهم بمسيطرSo I believe that there will be a generation I can describe as a generation of women who are mixed, meaning they are not committed one hundred percent, one hundred percent, nor are they deviant one hundred percent, one hundred percent, like the two types we mentioned, either open sinners or disbelievers. Rather, they have mixed a good deed with an evil deed. The role of this type in the middle will be to adopt the education of the committed girl that we are vocalizing about, so that this experience falls upon those who expose the girls, or some of the girls, to trial. This is my answer, and I hope it is clear. And I now want to give an example for myself or for some of my zealous brothers. He has a wife, or he has a sister, or he has a daughter. He does not... in putting her in a school or a medical college to learn this science, the science of medicine. And we need Muslim female doctors; no one denies this. But I am jealous for my wife, I am jealous for my sister, I am jealous for my daughter, fearing that this trial we mentioned at the beginning of this speech will touch her and surround her, fearing that some women may fall into it. So I fear for these who are my relatives, and I think the matter should be so for every Muslim who is zealous for his family. What is the prohibition? The result will be that the science of medicine will be in the hands of what? Open sinners or disbelievers. Fine. What do you want, O Zayd, from the people? I want girls from us to learn this science. Fine. If you... your wife or your sister or your daughter is the scapegoat, that is what it means. Does a Muslim say this? I do not believe a person who addresses the issue from all its sides with the legal logic, as we presented earlier, with many rules, and with the emotional logic for his family, I do not think he opens the door wide open.