Is a woman's voice an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) or not, and what is the ruling on broadcasting it after it has been recorded?
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The questioner : The esteemed Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen says, may Allah guide you: Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings. And after that,
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The questioner : We heard on the Fatwa program that is broadcast on the radio the voices of women asking questions, but this is the first time a woman's voice has appeared on the Quranic Radio. We know that Your Eminence is one of those who, praise be to Allah, are keen on what is good. We would like you to clarify for us, and for anyone who may be confused about the matter, whether a woman's voice is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered), and what is the ruling on broadcasting it after it has been recorded?
The Shaykh : And what is the ruling
The questioner : And what is the ruling on broadcasting it after it has been recorded
The Shaykh : Broadcasting it
The questioner : Broadcasting it
The Shaykh : in
The questioner : After it has been recorded
The Shaykh : After it has been recorded
The questioner : Yes, he says, and you can see that it is preferable for questions to be submitted as they were previously, through the program's host. May Allah guide you and bless you.
The Shaykh : The answer to this is that we say a woman's voice is not an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) by the explicit text of the Qur'an. Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said to the mothers of the believers, the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):[Al-Ahzab 33:32] So His saying: "Do not be soft in speech," meaning do not be soft in speech. The correct verse is: [Al-Ahzab 33:32] So His saying: [Al-Ahzab 33:32] is permission to speak with men, and there is no harm in a man hearing a woman's voice, but without softness. And so it was with the women in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family); a woman would come to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in his gathering, she would come to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in his gathering and ask him, and the men would be present. So there is no harm in a man hearing a woman's voice. But the question remains: do those who listen to the woman's voice take pleasure in this voice or enjoy it? The one responsible is the man who takes pleasure in women's voices or enjoys them. As for the woman's voice in itself, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Moreover, most of the women who ask questions on this program ask about jurisprudential issues, or about the interpretation of a verse, or something similar, which has no connection to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). Otherwise, we are, if Allah wills, among the most keen people to avoid what leads to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). And what is the rest of the question?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, it is as it was previously. I do not know that it was previously like that. Perhaps he means "Light on the Path." "Light on the Path" is written on papers, meaning letters come to the radio station and are presented to the scholars. There is no need for us to say that the woman hears the host, and then the host conveys her question to us, because this leads to taking up more time, and the number of questions in this program decreases. The program used to broadcast for only ten minutes. We asked them to make it a third of an hour because it is more spacious for people. And today they called us and said that they have made it a third of an hour. It will be broadcast at five o'clock minus a third of an hour after the 'Asr (afternoon prayer) every Monday and every Wednesday, and it will be, if Allah wills, broadcast every day during Ramadan at iftar (breaking the fast). Yes.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The questioner : We heard on the Fatwa program that is broadcast on the radio the voices of women asking questions, but this is the first time a woman's voice has appeared on the Quranic Radio. We know that Your Eminence is one of those who, praise be to Allah, are keen on what is good. We would like you to clarify for us, and for anyone who may be confused about the matter, whether a woman's voice is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered), and what is the ruling on broadcasting it after it has been recorded?
The Shaykh : And what is the ruling
The questioner : And what is the ruling on broadcasting it after it has been recorded
The Shaykh : Broadcasting it
The questioner : Broadcasting it
The Shaykh : in
The questioner : After it has been recorded
The Shaykh : After it has been recorded
The questioner : Yes, he says, and you can see that it is preferable for questions to be submitted as they were previously, through the program's host. May Allah guide you and bless you.
The Shaykh : The answer to this is that we say a woman's voice is not an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) by the explicit text of the Qur'an. Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said to the mothers of the believers, the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet
فلا تخضعن بالقول فيطمع الذي في قلبه مرضthen do not be soft in speech
فلا تخضعن بالقولthen do not be soft in speech
فلا تخضعن بالقولThe questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, it is as it was previously. I do not know that it was previously like that. Perhaps he means "Light on the Path." "Light on the Path" is written on papers, meaning letters come to the radio station and are presented to the scholars. There is no need for us to say that the woman hears the host, and then the host conveys her question to us, because this leads to taking up more time, and the number of questions in this program decreases. The program used to broadcast for only ten minutes. We asked them to make it a third of an hour because it is more spacious for people. And today they called us and said that they have made it a third of an hour. It will be broadcast at five o'clock minus a third of an hour after the 'Asr (afternoon prayer) every Monday and every Wednesday, and it will be, if Allah wills, broadcast every day during Ramadan at iftar (breaking the fast). Yes.