What is your advice for the members of the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice who face many problems, such as seclusion with women and missing the congregational prayer?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
His EminenceThe Shaykh : You know, may Allah preserve you, that many members of the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice face instances of seclusion. Among these instances are the women they encounter, who are wearing clothing that does not cover them properly and are displaying their adornment and mixing with men. What is your advice to these members who face such problems and who are sometimes, or perhaps often, late in performing the prayers?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by seclusion?
The questioner : Whether it is seclusion in a home.
The Shaykh : By seclusion, do you mean the seclusion of a man with a woman?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. In any case, I think there are directives from the General Presidency regarding this matter. I see that the member should follow these instructions and directives. If he sees something in them that is not appropriate, it is obligatory for him to write about it and clarify that it is not appropriate, and that perhaps these instructions were issued twenty years or more ago. Yes, matters have certainly changed. I mean, the situation of women today is not like the situation of women five years ago, let alone twenty years or more. So, what I see is that it is obligatory for the member to follow what the system or directive has brought. And if he sees something that is not appropriate, it is upon him to write about it.
The questioner : ... the person.
The Shaykh : This is my position, because the person is one who takes on this authority according to what the one in authority and the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, said. They said that the one who takes on a matter from the affairs of the state does not have authority over more than what he was delegated. They even mentioned in the context of judgment that the judge does not judge except in what he was directed to judge. They say that one is either delegated general oversight of general work, or general oversight of specific work, or specific oversight of general work, or specific oversight of specific work. This means that a person might be delegated judgment in marriage contracts only. This judge who was delegated judgment in marriage contracts cannot judge between two people in matters of sales, because his actions are limited to what he was delegated. And praise be to Allah, as long as this is something he was directed to do, his conscience is clear. But there is no harm in speaking, for example, if he sees strong evidence indicating that this man and this woman are not in a proper state, that he speaks to them calmly, if it does not lead to a greater harm. Because some of the brothers have jealousy or impulsiveness; as soon as they see a man with a woman, they stop the car and speak, saying "why" and "what is this" and so on, and this is not appropriate.
The questioner : The prayer?
The Shaykh : As for the prayer, there is nothing wrong with the members being late in order to establish the people for prayer. Even if they miss the prayer, they pray in congregation. Perhaps this is indicated by the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 548Sahih (Al-Albani).
His EminenceThe Shaykh : You know, may Allah preserve you, that many members of the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice face instances of seclusion. Among these instances are the women they encounter, who are wearing clothing that does not cover them properly and are displaying their adornment and mixing with men. What is your advice to these members who face such problems and who are sometimes, or perhaps often, late in performing the prayers?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by seclusion?
The questioner : Whether it is seclusion in a home.
The Shaykh : By seclusion, do you mean the seclusion of a man with a woman?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. In any case, I think there are directives from the General Presidency regarding this matter. I see that the member should follow these instructions and directives. If he sees something in them that is not appropriate, it is obligatory for him to write about it and clarify that it is not appropriate, and that perhaps these instructions were issued twenty years or more ago. Yes, matters have certainly changed. I mean, the situation of women today is not like the situation of women five years ago, let alone twenty years or more. So, what I see is that it is obligatory for the member to follow what the system or directive has brought. And if he sees something that is not appropriate, it is upon him to write about it.
The questioner : ... the person.
The Shaykh : This is my position, because the person is one who takes on this authority according to what the one in authority and the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, said. They said that the one who takes on a matter from the affairs of the state does not have authority over more than what he was delegated. They even mentioned in the context of judgment that the judge does not judge except in what he was directed to judge. They say that one is either delegated general oversight of general work, or general oversight of specific work, or specific oversight of general work, or specific oversight of specific work. This means that a person might be delegated judgment in marriage contracts only. This judge who was delegated judgment in marriage contracts cannot judge between two people in matters of sales, because his actions are limited to what he was delegated. And praise be to Allah, as long as this is something he was directed to do, his conscience is clear. But there is no harm in speaking, for example, if he sees strong evidence indicating that this man and this woman are not in a proper state, that he speaks to them calmly, if it does not lead to a greater harm. Because some of the brothers have jealousy or impulsiveness; as soon as they see a man with a woman, they stop the car and speak, saying "why" and "what is this" and so on, and this is not appropriate.
The questioner : The prayer?
The Shaykh : As for the prayer, there is nothing wrong with the members being late in order to establish the people for prayer. Even if they miss the prayer, they pray in congregation. Perhaps this is indicated by the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):