What is the ruling on girls studying in schools (middle and high schools that are co-educational...)?

The questioner : In the name of Allah, and may prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. I have a question, O Shaykh. The original rule is that a woman does not leave her house except out of necessity. Now, O our Shaykh, Muslims in our time have been afflicted with the education of girls in primary, middle, and high schools. What is the legal ruling on this matter?

The Shaykh : No, we do not stand here [at that point], but we follow up on whether the girls who enter schools are wearing hijab, like this and that. Are they taught only by women, or are there male administrators? If we assume that girls' schools are established within the limits of the Shari'ah, we have absolutely no objection, because knowledge is not exclusive to men to the exclusion of women. However, women must learn what is appropriate for their femininity. Therefore, we do not approach the issue from this angle. It is true that we are commanded to keep them in their homes, but we know from the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that women used to go out to the mosque, even though, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, . Nevertheless, they used to leave their homes and pray in the mosque for the sake of knowledge, just as men did. Just as men at that time did not have organized schools, so it was with women. Just as men today have organized schools, so it is with women. However, it must be observed that the curricula and programs for both genders must be in accordance with the Shari'ah. Now, you hear that many girls in universities are studying law. I have often heard that they study engineering, engineering, and so on. What do women need this study for? It is one of the problems of the present age: the expansion of granting women rights in the European manner, in the manner of those whom Allah described as . Therefore, the misguidance of Muslims today is that this garment which the disbeliever wears, and which he wears on himself and his wife, he wants to dress us and our women in. My brother, this does not suit us. Yes, due to our negligence, our heedlessness, and our lack of fear of our Lord, we are content with what the disbelievers are upon, who do not prohibit or permit. Therefore—may Allah have mercy on you—therefore, I say there is absolutely no legal objection to establishing schools for women that are Shari'ah-based. I do not mean Shari'ah schools that only teach religious knowledge; there is no objection to them learning mathematics, for example. There is no objection to them learning language, grammar, morphology, and the like, which helps in understanding the Book and the Sunnah. By the word "Shari'ah-based," I mean, as I gave an example: Is their clothing Shari'ah-compliant? Is their education specific? Are the teachers women? If you look at the female teacher, you would not say anything other than that she is a Christian. A large portion of the girls, and praise be to Allah, are influenced by internal upbringing, so you find them entering schools with a type of hijab or jilbab that is acceptable. The teacher, who is supposed to be a role model, is displaying her adornment in the worst way, and she is teaching the girls. It is inevitable that its effect will spread to them in the near or distant future. We must circle around these things and draw attention to them, rather than starting the topic by saying that the original rule for women is to stay in their homes. Yes, but as I said earlier, women used to go out to the mosques, even though it is better for them to pray in their homes, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, . But where is the Islamic system that governs the young men, let alone the young women?

The questioner : Well, O our Shaykh, regarding this current topic...

The Shaykh : Yes, I say that I would say that whoever has a daughter or a sister should only teach her a little, just for guidance, so that she learns the basics of reading and writing, or beyond that, if there is harm for them. Any harm. And I see among the harms that the graduate from high school, let alone what is higher than that, is that the woman becomes masculine, and that if she marries, the marital relationship between her and her husband becomes corrupted. Why? Because she lived freely, with no one commanding her. And Allah the Exalted and Majestic established the Islamic society on the basis of . So Allah established the Islamic society on this. When the upbringing does not proceed in accordance with this system, the effects are reversed later. Therefore, most marriages are not successful. Why? Because the wife is compared to whom? To the husband. She is not similar to him, because you must observe yourself as being commanded, and the one commanding you is your husband, but within the limits of the Shari'ah. Just as the Shari'ah commands the woman to submit to the husband's command, the Shari'ah also commands the husband not to be arrogant over her, not to be haughty toward her, and not to wrong her, and so on. Everyone has their limits according to the Shari'ah. So the point is that the expansion of girls' education today is a harm for them.