She says, “I am a student in the Faculty of Medicine. Allah has blessed me after I enrolled in the faculty and guided me to His straight path, so I covered my face and committed myself to His Book and the Sunnah.”
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The questioner : Welcome, Shaykh Muhammad.
The Shaykh : May Allah greet you.
The questioner : Shaykh Muhammad, this is a letter we received from the sister S.M.A. from the Arab Republic of Egypt, from Cairo, complaining about her problem with her studies. She says, “I am a student in the Faculty of Medicine. Allah has blessed me after I enrolled in the faculty and guided me to His straight path, so I covered my face and committed myself to His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and to Him be praise, Glorified is He. However, my studies in the faculty require me to fall into many wrongs, the most important of which is free mixing with the opposite sex from the time I leave my house until I return to it, whether in the faculty, which is co-educational, or in the means of transportation, or in the street. She says, ‘I have at least several years remaining until graduation, and I now want to stay at home and leave my studies, not for the sake of the studies themselves, but for the wrongs I encounter. My father and my mother insist that I continue my studies, and I am now confused. Do I fall into the category of those the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) referred to in his sayingSahih Ibn Hibban 5:6, or is my disobedience to them in this matter considered undutifulness to parents?’”
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, the Imam of the Pious, and the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. If the situation is as this woman described regarding her studies, then it is not permissible for her to continue her studies with this wrong that she described to us in her letter. She is not obligated to obey her parents in continuing this study, because obedience to parents is contingent upon obedience to Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The questioner : Glorified is He.
The Shaykh : And obedience to Allah is the higher one and the prerequisite. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, forbids a woman to uncover her face to men and to mix with them in this manner of free mixing that this woman described in her letter. If it is possible for her to transfer her studies to other universities in another field where this free mixing does not occur, that is more preferable and better.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And if that does not happen, she should stay in her house, for the provision of Allah, the Exalted, is vast.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : May Allah greet you.
The questioner : Shaykh Muhammad, this is a letter we received from the sister S.M.A. from the Arab Republic of Egypt, from Cairo, complaining about her problem with her studies. She says, “I am a student in the Faculty of Medicine. Allah has blessed me after I enrolled in the faculty and guided me to His straight path, so I covered my face and committed myself to His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and to Him be praise, Glorified is He. However, my studies in the faculty require me to fall into many wrongs, the most important of which is free mixing with the opposite sex from the time I leave my house until I return to it, whether in the faculty, which is co-educational, or in the means of transportation, or in the street. She says, ‘I have at least several years remaining until graduation, and I now want to stay at home and leave my studies, not for the sake of the studies themselves, but for the wrongs I encounter. My father and my mother insist that I continue my studies, and I am now confused. Do I fall into the category of those the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) referred to in his saying
Whoever pleases people with the anger of Allah, Allah will be angry with him and will make people angry with him
من أرضى الناس بسخط الله سخط الله عليه وأسخط عليه الناسThe Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, the Imam of the Pious, and the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. If the situation is as this woman described regarding her studies, then it is not permissible for her to continue her studies with this wrong that she described to us in her letter. She is not obligated to obey her parents in continuing this study, because obedience to parents is contingent upon obedience to Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The questioner : Glorified is He.
The Shaykh : And obedience to Allah is the higher one and the prerequisite. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, forbids a woman to uncover her face to men and to mix with them in this manner of free mixing that this woman described in her letter. If it is possible for her to transfer her studies to other universities in another field where this free mixing does not occur, that is more preferable and better.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And if that does not happen, she should stay in her house, for the provision of Allah, the Exalted, is vast.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.