A Woman Appearing Before Men
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Question: Many men in some families allow their wife, daughter, or sister to appear before non-mahram men, such as their congregation, friends, and colleagues, and to sit with them and talk to them as if they were mahram to her. When we advise them, they say: "These are their customs and the customs of their fathers." They also claim that their hearts are pure. Some are arrogant and stubborn, though they understand the ruling, while others are ignorant of it. What is your advice to them?
Answer: It is obligatory for every Muslim not to rely on customs, but rather it is obligatory to present them to the pure Shari'ah. Whatever it approves of is permissible to do, and whatever it does not approve of is not. The fact that people are accustomed to something is not evidence of its permissibility. All the customs that people have adopted in their countries or tribes must be presented to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Whatever Allah and His Messenger have permitted is permissible, and whatever Allah has forbidden must be abandoned, even if it is a custom among people.
If people become accustomed to being lax about seclusion with a non-mahram woman or about her uncovering her face before her non-mahrams, these are invalid customs that must be abandoned, just as if people became accustomed to committing unlawful sexual intercourse, sodomy, or drinking intoxicants, it would be obligatory for them to abandon them. Custom is not a proof for them in this matter; rather, the Shari'ah is above everyone. So whoever Allah guides to Islam must stay away from what Allah has forbidden him, such as intoxicants, unlawful sexual intercourse, theft, undutifulness to parents, severing family ties, and all else that Allah has forbidden , and he must adhere to what Allah has made obligatory upon him.
Likewise, the family must respect the command of Allah and His Messenger and stay away from what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. If it is their custom to expose their women to non-mahram men or to have seclusion with non-mahram men, it is obligatory for them to abandon that.
It is not permissible for a woman to uncover her face or anything else to her paternal cousin, her sister's husband, her husband's brothers, his paternal uncles, or his maternal uncles. Rather, it is obligatory for her to observe hijab and cover her face, head, and entire body from those who are not her mahram (relatives one may not marry). As for speaking, there is no harm in it, such as returning a greeting or initiating one, provided there is hijab and she avoids seclusion. This is based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab: 53] and His saying, peace and blessings be upon him: : [Al-Ahzab: 32]. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, forbade the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from speaking with softness and coquetry, which means softening and breaking the voice, so that one who has a disease in his heart, meaning the disease of desire, might hope for her and think she is receptive and has no barrier. Rather, she should speak in a moderate manner, without harshness or coquetry.
And He, the Exalted, informed that hijab is purer for the hearts of everyone. He said, the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab: 59]. The jilbab (outer garment) is a garment thrown over the head and body; the woman throws it over her head and covers her body with it over her clothes. And he said, peace and blessings be upon him: : [An-Nur 24:31] the verse [An-Nur: 31]. There is no harm in a woman displaying her adornment to those mentioned in the verse.
It is obligatory for all Muslim women to fear Allah and to be cautious of what Allah has forbidden them, which is displaying their adornment to anyone other than those to whom Allah has permitted them to display it.
Answer: It is obligatory for every Muslim not to rely on customs, but rather it is obligatory to present them to the pure Shari'ah. Whatever it approves of is permissible to do, and whatever it does not approve of is not. The fact that people are accustomed to something is not evidence of its permissibility. All the customs that people have adopted in their countries or tribes must be presented to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Whatever Allah and His Messenger have permitted is permissible, and whatever Allah has forbidden must be abandoned, even if it is a custom among people.
If people become accustomed to being lax about seclusion with a non-mahram woman or about her uncovering her face before her non-mahrams, these are invalid customs that must be abandoned, just as if people became accustomed to committing unlawful sexual intercourse, sodomy, or drinking intoxicants, it would be obligatory for them to abandon them. Custom is not a proof for them in this matter; rather, the Shari'ah is above everyone. So whoever Allah guides to Islam must stay away from what Allah has forbidden him, such as intoxicants, unlawful sexual intercourse, theft, undutifulness to parents, severing family ties, and all else that Allah has forbidden , and he must adhere to what Allah has made obligatory upon him.
Likewise, the family must respect the command of Allah and His Messenger and stay away from what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. If it is their custom to expose their women to non-mahram men or to have seclusion with non-mahram men, it is obligatory for them to abandon that.
It is not permissible for a woman to uncover her face or anything else to her paternal cousin, her sister's husband, her husband's brothers, his paternal uncles, or his maternal uncles. Rather, it is obligatory for her to observe hijab and cover her face, head, and entire body from those who are not her mahram (relatives one may not marry). As for speaking, there is no harm in it, such as returning a greeting or initiating one, provided there is hijab and she avoids seclusion. This is based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts.
وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ ذَلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّO wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.
يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ فَلا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ وَقُلْنَ قَوْلًا مَعْرُوفًاAnd He, the Exalted, informed that hijab is purer for the hearts of everyone. He said, the Exalted:
O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلابِيبِهِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَنْ يُعْرَفْنَ فَلا يُؤْذَيْنَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًاAnd tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands'
وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّIt is obligatory for all Muslim women to fear Allah and to be cautious of what Allah has forbidden them, which is displaying their adornment to anyone other than those to whom Allah has permitted them to display it.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.