What is the ruling on female students studying in co-educational universities for the sake of the benefit of treating female patients and the like?
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The questioner: Something else.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner: It follows the same question. Now, some people, for example, call for saying: "The girl should not study, she should not go to university at all." Okay, and if we accept this, then it means that women will not be examined by anyone but men!
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: Okay, and from here, our seeing them and treating them becomes a matter of necessity. But does this mean it is permissible, or is it permissible for us to make some sacrifice so that generations of women can come, women can study, and generations of Muslim women can graduate to preserve and protect the Ummah in the future!
The Shaykh: Yes: "And at Juhaynah is the certain news," if Allah wills. In any case, one thing reminds me of another. This is not an authentic hadith, but we consider it a wise saying: "And at Juhaynah is the certain news." My answer to this is in two parts: general and detailed. I will present the general one first and say: Is there not in what you mentioned an exposure of the man or the woman to fitnah (trial/temptation), or not?
The questioner : Likewise.
The Shaykh: Okay, so whoever is satisfied to be the scapegoat, let him do it, okay? This is the concise answer. You and I—of course, assuming the best of the Muslim brother—do not accept for his wife, or his sister, or his daughter to stand in positions of suspicion and be the scapegoat. Likewise, he does not accept that for his brother, his son, or any of his relatives. Is this understood up to here?
The questioner: Certainly.
The Shaykh : Very good.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: As for the detailed answer: We say, as you said, exactly. But I have a difficulty with your first statement when you mentioned that some say they should not enter the university at all. I do not think anyone says "at all" absolutely; rather, it is detailed, is it not?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: So a condition must be placed on this absolute statement, okay? "The free man is satisfied with a gesture, and it suffices him from explicit expression." Let us proceed and say: If there is no prescribed way for a Muslim man or woman to learn a science that is a collective obligation (fard kifayah), if there is no prescribed way to acquire this collective obligation knowledge, then we say: If a Muslim faces a conflict between performing a collective obligation and falling into a religious violation, does performing the collective obligation take precedence, even if it violates the Shari'ah, or is the opposite correct? Inform me with knowledge.
The questioner : The opposite.
The Shaykh : What is it?
The questioner: That he avoids the religious violation.
The Shaykh: Well done, the topic is finished, but it is not finished.
The questioner: It is still ongoing.
The Shaykh: I know, hehe. The important thing is that the topic is finished in the sense that we have known: from the scientific jurisprudential aspect, it is not good for a Muslim to prefer performing a collective obligation over his disobedience to his Lord. The doubt will remain, so its solution now is: the Arabic proverb that says: "For every drop in the neighborhood, there is a catcher." And the meaning of this in what we are discussing now is: Not every Muslim on the face of the earth responds to the hadith of al-Nu'man ibn Bashir:, to the end of the hadith. Not every Muslim is like this, but as reality testifies, many Muslims today commit the forbidden as the sun in the fourth hour of the day. Okay, so if I tell people: "Do not deal in riba (usury)," will everyone respond to you?! And it is explicitly forbidden. If I tell them: "My brother, there is exposure to fitnah and so on," not everyone will respond to you, is it not?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: So here comes the place of the previous proverb: "For every drop in the neighborhood, there is a catcher." That is: those who do not care about committing the forbidden and fall into them are the ones who will perform the collective obligation. Is this clear up to here?
The questioner: Very clear.
The Shaykh: So the collective obligation is performed by those people who do not fear Allah in what Allah has forbidden, let alone what may involve leniency. And I do not want to say a final word, and we say it on many occasions, including the occasion that some people with motives and desires exploited when we issued a fatwa on the obligation of emigrating from the lands of disbelief or the lands occupied by the disbeliever, and so on. We say: People, if we say that it is forbidden, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and we do not say from ourselves:Sahih Muslim 1598, will everyone respond?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh: We know the answer: No. Will everyone emigrate? The answer: No. So what is the meaning of this fishing in muddy water? That the Shaykh is calling for emptying Palestine to the Jews. It will not be emptied. There will remain the Ba'athist, the Communist, and the one who does not care about the forbidden and the lawful, who is not Ba'athist or Communist, and so on. Likewise, I will say what I said earlier: Do not be the scapegoat. Do not make your son the scapegoat, your daughter, your wife, your sister, and so on. Then do not fear that the obligation will not be fulfilled, the collective obligation, because there are those who certainly commit the forbidden, let alone that it may be forbidden in the opinion of so-and-so, like for example Al-Albani. And you will find people who issue fatwas for them. And we have read many studies and theses: that one must enter the university for what? To find female doctors to avoid falling into the violation with which the question began. We say: Yes, but not us. We do not make ourselves the scapegoat. Rather, those who do not care about what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden are the ones who will adopt the fatwa of Zayd, Bakr, and 'Amr: that there is no harm in entering the university even if it is co-educational, because we need female doctors, and pharmacies, and so on. I say: This will happen with our fatwa of truth and honesty that this is not permissible Islamically, and I have finished what I have.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: And may Allah protect you, and may He bless you.
The Shaykh: Where is the one who wanted to speak that hour, here?
The questioner: Regarding the first question, which is visiting historical sites.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: This is usually done by traveling a long distance.
The Shaykh: May Allah forgive you, I have already answered. May Allah forgive you. If you had remained silent, it would have been better for you. Yes?
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner: It follows the same question. Now, some people, for example, call for saying: "The girl should not study, she should not go to university at all." Okay, and if we accept this, then it means that women will not be examined by anyone but men!
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: Okay, and from here, our seeing them and treating them becomes a matter of necessity. But does this mean it is permissible, or is it permissible for us to make some sacrifice so that generations of women can come, women can study, and generations of Muslim women can graduate to preserve and protect the Ummah in the future!
The Shaykh: Yes: "And at Juhaynah is the certain news," if Allah wills. In any case, one thing reminds me of another. This is not an authentic hadith, but we consider it a wise saying: "And at Juhaynah is the certain news." My answer to this is in two parts: general and detailed. I will present the general one first and say: Is there not in what you mentioned an exposure of the man or the woman to fitnah (trial/temptation), or not?
The questioner : Likewise.
The Shaykh: Okay, so whoever is satisfied to be the scapegoat, let him do it, okay? This is the concise answer. You and I—of course, assuming the best of the Muslim brother—do not accept for his wife, or his sister, or his daughter to stand in positions of suspicion and be the scapegoat. Likewise, he does not accept that for his brother, his son, or any of his relatives. Is this understood up to here?
The questioner: Certainly.
The Shaykh : Very good.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: As for the detailed answer: We say, as you said, exactly. But I have a difficulty with your first statement when you mentioned that some say they should not enter the university at all. I do not think anyone says "at all" absolutely; rather, it is detailed, is it not?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: So a condition must be placed on this absolute statement, okay? "The free man is satisfied with a gesture, and it suffices him from explicit expression." Let us proceed and say: If there is no prescribed way for a Muslim man or woman to learn a science that is a collective obligation (fard kifayah), if there is no prescribed way to acquire this collective obligation knowledge, then we say: If a Muslim faces a conflict between performing a collective obligation and falling into a religious violation, does performing the collective obligation take precedence, even if it violates the Shari'ah, or is the opposite correct? Inform me with knowledge.
The questioner : The opposite.
The Shaykh : What is it?
The questioner: That he avoids the religious violation.
The Shaykh: Well done, the topic is finished, but it is not finished.
The questioner: It is still ongoing.
The Shaykh: I know, hehe. The important thing is that the topic is finished in the sense that we have known: from the scientific jurisprudential aspect, it is not good for a Muslim to prefer performing a collective obligation over his disobedience to his Lord. The doubt will remain, so its solution now is: the Arabic proverb that says: "For every drop in the neighborhood, there is a catcher." And the meaning of this in what we are discussing now is: Not every Muslim on the face of the earth responds to the hadith of al-Nu'man ibn Bashir:
Indeed, the lawful is clear, and the forbidden is clear, and between them are matters about which people are doubtful. So whoever avoids the doubtful matters has safeguarded his religion and his honor. And indeed, every king has a protected area, and indeed, the protected area of Allah is His prohibitions. And whoever goes around the protected area is likely to fall into it.
إنَّ الحلال بيِّنٌ ، والحرام بيِّنٌ ، وبينهما أمور مشتبهات ، لا يعلمهنَّ كثير من الناس ؛ فمَن اتَّقى الشبهات فقد استبرأ لدينه وعرضه ، ألا وإن لكلِّ ملك حمى ، ألا وإن حمى الله محارمه ، ألا ومَن حام حول الحمى يُوشكُ أن يقعَ فيهThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: So here comes the place of the previous proverb: "For every drop in the neighborhood, there is a catcher." That is: those who do not care about committing the forbidden and fall into them are the ones who will perform the collective obligation. Is this clear up to here?
The questioner: Very clear.
The Shaykh: So the collective obligation is performed by those people who do not fear Allah in what Allah has forbidden, let alone what may involve leniency. And I do not want to say a final word, and we say it on many occasions, including the occasion that some people with motives and desires exploited when we issued a fatwa on the obligation of emigrating from the lands of disbelief or the lands occupied by the disbeliever, and so on. We say: People, if we say that it is forbidden, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and we do not say from ourselves:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) cursed the accepter of interest and its payer, and one who records it, and the two witnesses
لَعَنَ اللهُ آكلَ الربا ، وموكلَه ، وكاتبَه ، وشاهدَيهِThe questioner : No.
The Shaykh: We know the answer: No. Will everyone emigrate? The answer: No. So what is the meaning of this fishing in muddy water? That the Shaykh is calling for emptying Palestine to the Jews. It will not be emptied. There will remain the Ba'athist, the Communist, and the one who does not care about the forbidden and the lawful, who is not Ba'athist or Communist, and so on. Likewise, I will say what I said earlier: Do not be the scapegoat. Do not make your son the scapegoat, your daughter, your wife, your sister, and so on. Then do not fear that the obligation will not be fulfilled, the collective obligation, because there are those who certainly commit the forbidden, let alone that it may be forbidden in the opinion of so-and-so, like for example Al-Albani. And you will find people who issue fatwas for them. And we have read many studies and theses: that one must enter the university for what? To find female doctors to avoid falling into the violation with which the question began. We say: Yes, but not us. We do not make ourselves the scapegoat. Rather, those who do not care about what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden are the ones who will adopt the fatwa of Zayd, Bakr, and 'Amr: that there is no harm in entering the university even if it is co-educational, because we need female doctors, and pharmacies, and so on. I say: This will happen with our fatwa of truth and honesty that this is not permissible Islamically, and I have finished what I have.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: And may Allah protect you, and may He bless you.
The Shaykh: Where is the one who wanted to speak that hour, here?
The questioner: Regarding the first question, which is visiting historical sites.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: This is usually done by traveling a long distance.
The Shaykh: May Allah forgive you, I have already answered. May Allah forgive you. If you had remained silent, it would have been better for you. Yes?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.