Complicated - A To Z of Women's Modern Fiqh Notes - Hosna

Qabeelat Hosna | Student Notes May 2012
Qabeelat Hosna May 2012
Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni
Table of Contents
Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter One: Rulings Related to Female Newborns and Children.......................................12 A) Virtues of Having Daughters ............................................................................................12 B) Naming the Child ...............................................................................................................14 C) The Aqqah ...........................................................................................................................16 D) Shaving the Hair .................................................................................................................17 E) The Urine of the Female Infant ........................................................................................18 F) Circumcision ........................................................................................................................19 G) Photography, Paintings, and Sculpture ..........................................................................19 H) Childrens Toys ...................................................................................................................21 I) Sleeping Arrangements ......................................................................................................22 J) Clothing .................................................................................................................................22 K) Signs of Puberty ..................................................................................................................23 Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................................23 Chapter Two: Rulings Related to Worship which are Specific to Women ..........................31 A) Rulings related to ahrah, Wu, and Ghusl .................................................................31 Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................................33 B) Rules Relating to ay (menstruation), Istiah (bleeding outside of menstruation), and Nifs (post-partum bleeding) .............................................................38 Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................................49 C) Rulings related to dhn, Iqmah, alh, and Dhikr ........................................................51 Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................................55 D) The Rulings Related to al-Janiz (Funerals) and al-idd (Mourning) .......................60 Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................................62 E) The Rulings Regarding Zakh, adaqah, awm, and ajj ................................................67 Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................................69 Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................................73 Chapter Three: The Rulings Related to Clothing and Beautification .................................77 A) General Guidelines Regarding Clothing and Beautification ........................................77 B) Rulings Regarding Womens Clothing .............................................................................79 C) Beautification ......................................................................................................................80 Frequently Asked Questions: .................................................................................................82 Chapter Four: Rulings Related to Social Interaction .............................................................96 A) Important Qualities of the Muslim Woman ...................................................................96 B) Rulings Regarding the Dealings of Women with Non-Relative Males .......................98 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................105 C) Rulings Regarding the Dealings of a Woman with her Family ..................................107 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................110 D) The Ruling Regarding the Muslim Woman with her Friends....................................112 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................113 Chapter Five: Rulings Related to the Role of Women in Society........................................116 A) The Ruling Regarding Leaving the Home .....................................................................116
B) Education of Women ........................................................................................................117 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................119 C) Participation in Dawah ....................................................................................................120 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................121 D) Womens Participation in the Workforce .....................................................................122 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................124 E) Womens Participation in Politics ..................................................................................125 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................126 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................127
Disclaimer: The following are student notes, which are not endorsed by the instructor or AlMaghrib Institute.
Overview
This weekend will be filled with information, knowledge, interesting discussions and stories both funny and inspiring. We will answer so many questions that are asked. Why is this class called Complicated?? The complexity of this class is not related to the subject we are focusing on (females). It is not referring to women being complicated. It is called this because of the nature of the topic we are addressing, which is the fiqh (Islamic rulings) related to women. They are complex, especially when we discuss the modern issues. It needs to be simplified. Its about time someone comes forward and provides a comprehensive approach to all the fiqh issues related to women. We are focusing on issues related to the modern time. We wont talk about owning cattle, goats, and sheep and how much zakh is due. We will talk about working women who have stocks and how they give zakh. We will discuss what proper ijb is and if skirts or pants with a long shirt is proper ijb or not. We will also discuss the issue of mixing and interactions between men and women. Some people today are calling upon the Saudi government to make sure there is one day for men and one day for women during awf for ajj. Some people take it to an extreme. On the other hand, there are others who completely disregard this issue. One very big and respected scholar says the concept of mixing between men and women is unIslamic and there is nothing in Islam that says there is separation no mixing or between men and women. We have these two extremes mainly because people cannot see this issue and the complexity of it because there are so many scenarios and circumstances. Regarding the issue of ijb, so many people have different opinions and approaches. We will discuss cosmetic surgery and what modern scholars say. We will see the complexity of it. Also, we will discuss the issue of purification and menses. Imm Amad (raimahullh) said he spent nine years studying the subject of menses. It took him this long to fully comprehend the subject because of the complexity. The goal of this class is to simplify this subject so that you can understand it and worship Allh (subnahu wa tala) and go through your daily activities while understanding what the Islamic rulings related to the issue are. How can we achieve this goal when it took Imm Amad nine years to study? Shaykh Waleed decided to take an interesting approach to this course. This course falls under one section: the fiqh department of AlMaghrib. This course has so much knowledge for those interested in learning fiqh. You will learn so much about how the Muslim jurists think and apply rules and debate over the issues. Shaykh Waleed decided to do two things: 1. Start with the main principle regarding each topic and the main evidence. 2. The modern part and the application of the principles are in the forms of questions and answers.
Any time Shaykh Waleed teaches a class, he is asked to have a special Q&A session with the sisters. We will answer more than 200-300 questions. Shaykh Waleeds style in teaching fiqh is: 1. He makes sure we understand the differences of opinions on an issue. 2. He makes sure we understand the level of the opinions. Not every opinion is recognized as a valid opinion by the Muslim jurists. There are some opinions known as shdh opinions (rejected, weak). We live in a time where Shaykh Google can tell you so many weird things that you have never heard about. You can find an opinion for anything. There are so many people taught religion based on ignorance. Imm al-Ghazli said that the problem with fiqh is that so many people said opinions based on ignorance that were documented and passed on. 3. Shaykh Waleed doesnt mention who said the opinions because it isnt knowledge to know who said what. Who said it doesnt make the opinion accepted or rejected. What makes it accepted or rejected is what kind of evidence the opinion is based on. The important thing is the proof behind the position. We need to know why people said different opinions and their evidences. Whenever you are only exposed to an opinion and dont know the evidence behind it, then you will never value the opinion and will not have respect for it. People dont know the value of the different scholars, such as al-Layth b. Sad. People dont know who scholars are. They dont value the person. To build the sense of respect for an opinion, we learn what it is based on. Also, you should respect the opinion you disagree with. We always think that the other opinion is ridiculous because we dont know what evidence it is based on. Ibn Rajab (raimahullh) said, The first stage of knowledge makes you arrogant (because you know one thing). When you enter the second stage, you are humbled. When you enter the third stage, you will realize that you are ignorant. When Msa (alayhil-salm) said he knew everything, Allh sent him al-Khidr to teach him that there are so many things he didnt have knowledge on. By knowing the evidence behind the opinions, you will have respect and tolerance towards the opinions and those who hold them. In this class, you may hear an opinion that you have never heard in your entire life. We are not trying to change what you do but to teach you to respect the other opinion. The goal of this class is to educate. When Shaykh Waleed started researching for this class, one of his goals was to find out if there was any truth to what the feminist movement said. Shaykh Waleed didnt find any single example that there were anti-women opinions from the four madhhib. The
scholars were only motivated by one thing: what Allh said. They were motivated by the evidence. They never looked at the issue in terms of women and men. They looked at what Allh said and what the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said. They used the same method they used to establish rules for men to establish rules for women. Be 100% confident in the great scholars and imms. When they said what they said, they were really looking at what will please Allh the most and not what will please women or men. Shaykh Waleed saw this very clearly in his research. Shaykh Waleed noticed that the modern scholars and students of knowledge are much more strict when it comes to many womens issues versus the old scholars. Some people blame this on corruption, but corruption has always been there. This is not an excuse for them to put stricter rules on women than on men. There is a big problem in modern issues that we cannot differentiate between the ruling and the impact of the culture on the ruling. Certain cultures are by nature very strict. There are certain cultures where women are very submissive. This is not the religion. You cannot take the culture and make out of it rulings, especially for people living in the West. How do we draw the line in the middle? We need ijtihd for fatwas. It took Shaykh Waleed a lot of research and consulting senior scholars because these are fatwas and new issues that need answers. Shaykh Waleed noticed that a lot of strict rules come because it is very easy for people to say no. Ulem said, The great faqh is not the one who says no but the one who says yes and why. As a mufti, there is no option of the safe side. There are only five options: arm, wjib, obligatory, recommended, not recommended. Giving fatwa is very difficult. The person asking the question has the option of the safe side. The answer of the ulem when giving the ruling is to give one of these five rules. The real ilm is not to tell people about the safe side. It is to tell which category the issue fits into. We differentiate between the culture overseas and the culture in America. We have our own culture in America, and that culture has to be used as a reference to understand some of the rulings. For example, how is what is a proper manner or improper manner determined other than the Sharah? From the culture. In America, it may be culturally acceptable to use some language, but if you use this language overseas, it is not proper. In uull-fiqh, there is even urfl-kh (special culture). For example, inside a masjid it may be acceptable do some things that are not acceptable outside in public. For example, someone may cover better when they go to the masjid than when they go to the mall. When you go to the masjid, a lot of people have a staring problem and check you out, but when you go to the mall, there is no staring problem. The urf (culture) in that particular the place will govern the issue. Understanding this is a key point for success and to have a balanced approach in this subject. There are so many fatwa out there that were not designed for us. A fatwa is a specific case.
What are we going to do in this class? What will we cover? We will start with an important introduction about the role of women in society in general in the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and through the history of the Islam. Then we will start with the issue of newborn girls and the fiqh rulings related to them. Shaykh Waleed is not here to speak about womens psychology. We are here for one purpose: to discuss the fiqh rulings and what is all and what is arm. Through this study, we will have a lot of motivating and inspiring stories. Shaykh Waleed will only discuss issues related to women. For example, what are the different rulings related to baby girls? Shaykh Waleed will talk about childhood and reaching the age of puberty. Then we will discuss the fiqh rulings related to the acts of worship. Shaykh Waleed will talk about modern issues that we see in daily life. For example, if sisters are at a house, should they pray together or pray separately? When women are praying together, is the woman leading the prayer in the front row or in line with the others? We will discuss alh, siym, zakh, ajj, and purification. Then we move on to an interesting discussion on purification and clothing. We will then discuss the fiqh rules related to social issues: dealing with friends, family members. We will discuss the womens role in society, starting with education. Can they study in another state? What kinds of schools can they go to? How do we deal with mixing in public schools? We will also discuss the issue of what role Muslim women play in dawah. Can a woman work? If she can work, what are her financial responsibilities? If her husband is rich, can she still work? What is the proof? The important thing about this course is that the dn will not be used for personal gain. We will discuss the womans participation in society and politics and the right of women to vote. This was allowed in the early stages of Islam, but only recently was it allowed in America. We will also learn about womens role in politics and if she can be the head of a state or a judge. Ibn Abbs said the way to gain knowledge is by asking questions.
Introduction
Lets go back to the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). One of the most difficult moments during the Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) life was when he was left in the battlefield surrounded by no more than ten of his companions during the Battle of Uud. His enemy knew where he was. A group of the mushrikn called upon each other that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was in a place, and their goal was to kill the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and bring an end to this dawah. In this critical moment, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was injured. He wiped his face and found the blood on his hand. He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Success will never be achieved by people who will do such things to their prophet. Was he making
du against them? No. When he said this, he then said, O Allh, please forgive my people for what they have done to me because they dont know. [Bukhri] At that moment, when he needed his friends and the supporters and allies the most, Imm Bukhri, books of Sunan and history reported the following: At that moment, whenever he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) looked right and left, he only saw her Nusaybah bint Kaab, known also as Umm Ammarah. He found her protecting me by shooting arrows and by picking someone up from the floor and helping the injured. She pulled them up to go back to the battle. One of her sons was badly injured and bleeding. She put a bandage on his wound and said, Son, stand up and fight! The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is alone in the battlefield and I need your help! She saw someone coming from behind the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), and she protected him with her own body, so the man hit her in her shoulder instead of hitting the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). For an entire year, this wound was bleeding after the battle. She then picked up a sword and struck the horse so that the men fell off the horse, and then she killed him. In a moment like this, you would think that the people standing in that position and at that moment were men. You would not think that this is a place for women to play a major role. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) documented to us that one of the people he remembered that day was Nusaybah bint Kaab. He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, O Allh, I ask you that she and her two sons be in my company in Paradise. She said that when she heard this, everything became easy and she didnt care about what happened to her. She did what she did because she felt that she had an important role to play in society. She was among a group of a few women who came all the way to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) from Madnah to Makkah and gave the second bayah to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) before he migrated to Madnah. Part of the pledge of allegiance was, Ya Muammad, we are giving our pledge of allegiance and commitment to the dn and to spread the dn. It was not only men who gave that allegiance. Because of that commitment, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) made the decision to move from Makkah to Madnah because he found people willing to sacrifice their own lives for the dn. She lived up to the commitment. It is so easy to have good principles in life, but what is hard is to live up to these principles. One of the words of wisdom of Shaykh Bin Bz is: It is easy to die for the sake of Allh. It is hard to live for the sake of Allh. On the day of Uud, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was left alone with a few people and the army of Muslims was scattered around. In the Battle of unayn, the same scenario was repeated again. Everyone was running in different directions, and the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was left with only a few people, and among them again was this woman. She was willing to give up her life before anyone reached the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam).
Did it stop there? Her son, abb, was taken by a man known in history as The Liar Msaylimah al-Khadhdhb. He tortured and crucified him. He cut him alive. When she heard about her son, she said, I swear by Allh that I will free my son and kill Msaylimah. She made this oath and commitment when she was in her 70s (if not her 80s). She was in the front line with the Muslim army. Some people when they read this adth think that it is before Uud, but this is after fatl-Makkah and after the death of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). She was with the first batch that entered the garden of death (adqatl-mawt). So many people died in this garden that was owned by Msaylimah. This place exists until today in Saudi Arabia, and you can see the marks on some of the graves. This woman was there and she lost her hand in the process. She saw Msaylimah and took the sword and struck. He managed to move so that she missed her, and he then cut off her hand. Abu Bakr and Umar visited her when she came back, and they told her that one of her body parts is ahead of her in Jannah, and her body must be gathered together. They were giving her the glad tidings of Jannah. This woman was a single woman in a society filled with hundreds of women like this. They were always there in the moment when advice, protection, and decisions were needed the most. One of the most famous leaders in Islam was Abdullh b. al-Zubayr. At one moment, he needed advice, and he turned to Asm bint Abi Bakr. She said to go and not turn his back. She said, Ya bunayy, I would rather see you dead while you have your dignity than have you alive and be humiliated. Go and protect the rights that you fought for. The Muslim woman during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) played a major role in society in every single aspect. She was a role model given to us. In the Qurn, there is a verse in which Allh (subnahu wa tala) says, Allh wants to give an example for the believer and someone for them to follow. When hearing this, many think that this verse refers to a man. Who is Allh speaking about? Two females: Maryam and siyah. Many times we dont realize the position that Allh has given women and the status Allh has raised them to. The role of women in society was never meant to be secondary. When Allh (subnahu wa tala) created Eve from dam, He created her from his rib. She was not created from his feet so that he can step on her, and she was not created from his head so that she can rule, but she was created from his rib so that she can be near his heart. There is a woman by the name of Hend who was the mother of Muwiyah. A man said to her, Watch this kid. If he grows up, I think he will be someone special and lead the Arabs. She looked at her son and then the man and said, He is such a loser if he is only going to lead the Arabs. I want to prepare him to lead the whole world! He was the king who ruled the whole world. Mothers made great men. There is a righteous scholar by the name of Imm al-Awzi who was very close to his mother. When she was old, she lost her sight. Every night,
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she would go to a place in the house and touch the floor. If she found the place warm, she would say, Alamdulillh, and then pray fajr. If she found it cold, she would say, La awla wa la quwwata illa billh. She went to the place where he would pray the night prayer. If it was warm, it meant he prayed, but if it was cold then it meant that he was sick or something was wrong. One of Shaykh Waleeds friends went to one of the countries previously a part of the Soviet Union. This man went to the Grand Mufti of that city who said that he wanted to introduce him to the person who preserved Islam in their city during the Communist time. This person was his mother-in-law. He said that when they were under the Communist rule, she kept a copy of the Qurn even though it was not allowed and anyone who had it would be executed. She also had a copy of Bukhri and a copy of Riy al-lin and another book. She would go to the basements of houses and have halaqas teaching. He said that his father learned from her and he learned from her. All of her daughters memorized the Qurn and married influential people. She was one woman, and she saved Islam in an entire city. Many times people ask, What is the womans role today in society? A woman has to believe in herself and have the interest and be excited to take herself to the next level. Women always played a major role in society in all areas. Abu Msa al-Ashari said, When the companions of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) had a dispute, they would go to ishah (rayAllhu anha). She would tell them what the position of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was. In the second generation, Abdul-Ramn b. Qsim said that he wanted to learn, so he came to Madnah. All of a sudden Sad b. Msayyib told him that if he wanted the deep knowledge and real knowledge and the best teacher, he told him to go to Amrah bint AbdulRamn because she was like an ocean of knowledge. Look at the contributions of our sisters and mothers throughout history. It is something unmatched. Ibn Kathr said that he never saw Ibn Taymiyyah get so worried and think twice about an answer for one of his students like he did when a woman named Fimah came. She had memorized the entire book of al-Mughni. Imm Amad once wanted to soften the hearts of his students. He brought his students and told them that they would visit Rabiah al-Adawiyyah, who was a good woman (many things were made up against her which she never said or did). They came to her, and she was sleeping on her bed, and there was a curtain between them. He said, Ya Rabiah, remind us of Allh and the khirah. Imm Amad was looking to soften his heart and went to a woman. Where is this today in our society? Where is it today in our society where women play a major role? Where is a woman like this today? There is a woman named Munbah who was very sick and about to die. Al-asan al-Bari went to visit her and said, Ya abbati, why are you crying? She said, Im crying. He said, Dont worried, you will
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be fine. She said, Im worried that this is my death coming so soon. He said, You will go to Allh (subnahu wa tala). She said, Thats not what makes me cry. Im crying because Im going to die so early and didnt spend enough time worshipping Allh. I wish I would be given more time to enjoy worshipping Allh. The enjoyment of worshipping Allh during this age is something different, and Ill miss it. Where is this today in the lifestyle that we have? When we look at our mothers and sisters and women throughout history, you will be amazed by their contributions and righteousness. There was a woman named Ama bint Khlid b. al-. She was born in the non-Muslim country of al-abashah. She said, Why are we here and not with the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) in Madnah? Her father told her of the torture that happened, and she asked why they didnt now go to Madnah in the 7th year of hijrah. They were given farewell by al-Najshi. When they arrived to Madnah, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was welcoming them to Madnah. From the entire crowd, one young person by the name of Ama stepped forward representing the entire group. She was a teenager. She said, Ya Raslullh, when we were leaving Abyssinia, al-Najshi sent his salm to you. He said, Give my greeting to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Peace be upon you and him. She was not pulled back and told not to speak. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) later gave her a gift, as narrated in a Bukhri. She wore the garment and came to show the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), and the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Beautiful (in the Abyssinian language). The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) knew how to communicate with them in their language, which is a lesson for educators today. There are so many examples of names of great women. Hopefully this introduction raises the bar higher for all of us. Step one to reach that level is to know your dn, be proud of it, and know why you do things and why you dont do things. The women who built the legacy of the past were not raised upon the lyrics and musical instruments. They were not raised memorizing more poetry than Qurn. They were not women who did not know hay and modesty. They were not women who did not learn the religion. They were not of those who didnt pray on time and didnt perform extra prayers. Start thinking about our community and our society and where those women are today. What can make you like them? The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the sisters first to step up to the challenge and take on the task. It is for the community to support them. The more we strengthen our sisters in society, the more it will lead to the strengthening of the ummah.
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Chapter One: Rulings Related to Female Newborns and Children

A) Virtues of Having Daughters
There is not a single verse or adth speaking about the virtue of having a son. Why is there an emphasis on the virtues of having daughters? It was something emphasized. During the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), people were ashamed of having daughters and would bury them. Women during that time were treated badly not only in Arabia. When the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was 30 years old, in France they finished a discussion on the nature of women. They came to the conclusion that women have the body of a human being and the soul of the devil. In Arab culture, they would bury girls alive. Part of Arab culture was also that if the father died, the son would inherit the mother. In Hindu culture, until not long ago, if a husband died, then the wife threw herself in fire. In England in the 18th century, the husband had the right to sell his wife. It is sad when you look at the world at the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) because women were treated badly. Islam came and talked about the virtues of having daughters.
To Allh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; He creates what He wills. He gives to whom He wills female [children] and He gives to whom He wills males. (al-Shra, 42:49) The mufasirn said that Allh started with females before males in this verse because there is a virtue for having daughters. There is more ajr, which is why Allh started with them. The Qurn teaches the story of al-Khidr. When he killed the boy, Allh said, Allh wanted to replace this boy with a better child (a daughter). The Qurn makes us pay attention to the fact that boys are not better than girls. ishah reports that the Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever was given any female children and took good care of them, they will be a shield for him from the Hellfire. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) In another adth, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said two girls, and in another adth, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said three girls. The narrator said that even if he was asked about one girl, he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) would have said that they will be a shield for them from the Hellfire. Ulem also said that this applies to
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adopting a girl. If you adopt a girl or take care of your husbands daughters or your wifes daughters, then the adth applies to you. It is someone you take care of and look after. This adth also applies to teachers who spend hours teaching the children good manners. It is not just applicable to those related to you. In another narration, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said until they reach puberty or until they get married. In another adth, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, and treat them well. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever Allh blessed with a daughter and he doesnt favor his son over her, he will enter Jannah. Another narration gives more conditions: and he was merciful with them. Extra material: how female women are treated in the world today. Today women in China and India and other countries are still being buried alive. There are so many injustices happening to women around the world. Jbir reports that the Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever has three girls, takes good care of them and is merciful with them, he deserves nothing less than Jannah. They asked, Oh, Messenger of Allh, what if they are two? He replied, Even if they are two. Some narrators added that if the Prophet had been asked about one, he would have also affirmed that. (al-Hkims Mutadrak) In another narration, (If one has) three or two daughters or sisters, then he is conscious of Allh in his care for them and treats them well, but that he will enter Jannah. (al-Tirmidhi) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever takes care of two young girls until they reach maturity, he will come on the Day of Resurrection with me, like this, and he joined his fingers together. (Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever has a female child and he does not kill her, disrespect her, and he does not favor his son over her, then Allh will enter him into Jannah. (Abu Dwd)
And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief. He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide. (al-Nal, 16:58-59)
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Whenever al-Imm Amads son used to give him the news of getting a baby girl, he would say, The prophets were fathers of girls.
B) Naming the Child

There is no narration indicating the superiority of any particular female name. There are aadth that recommend names for boys, but there are no recommended names for girls from the Qurn and Sunnah. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) changed the names of some girls. He changed iyah (disobedient) to Jamlah (beautiful). He changed Barrah (righteous) to Juwayriyyah and Zaynab. The governing rules in the area of naming are: 1. All names are mub (permissible) unless there is a particular proof indicating that it is forbidden or recommended. How do we know if a name is not allowed? If the name in your own language refers to a meaning that is known in Islam to be arm or refers to something evil, then it is arm. You cannot name your daughter Shayn or Firawn. If it is in your tongue, some names are completely different. For example, in Urdu, there is a name Sanam. In Arabic, sanam means idol. In Urdu, sanam means something you love so much. Shaykh Bin Bz was once asked about a name Ilahibaksh, and he asked what the name means in the persons culture and language and was told it means the gift of God, so Shaykh Bin Bz said that it is allowed. If the person asking was an Arab, then it would have been arm to have the name. We look at the meaning based on the language of the people. 2. The meaning of the name must be acceptable religiously, linguistically, and culturally. Any name with a bad meaning is not allowed. Give her a name she will be proud of when she grows up. 3. It is disliked to give a name that is self-praising. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Dont name someone Aflah. [Muslim] The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also said dont name someone Nafi, meaning the one who helps or benefits others. Allh (subnahu wa tala) praised Himself with this.
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The four madhhib said that it is disliked to give your son or daughter a self-praising name such as the name Abrr (the righteous one), Barrah, Abidah (the worshipper). What about the names mn, Islam, Huda, Bayyn? Shaykh Uthaymn disliked for these names to be used because there is some self-praise. Shaykh Waleed doesnt think this is a very strong argument because these names are not meant as a description. In modern days, when people use these names, they use them to refer only to the individual as a title but not as a description for the person. In the old days, when they said Barrah, they meant that the person is full of righteousness. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah was asked that his name his Taqil-dn, and he said, Wallhi, I dislike it. My parents gave me this name, but I dont like it. Because it was not forbidden, he did not change his name. It is not acceptable to call your daughter Ramatullh or Kalimtullh because these names fall under the category of self-praising. Also, avoid any name that has a bad meaning according to the language commonly used. What if the parents have different languages or cultures? Avoid names in both languages that may cause a problem in the meaning. There are so many good names that can be used. Also make sure that the name given to your daughter does not refer to something Islamically unacceptable such as a name of a god. What about using certain names that refer to gods / deities? For example, can you name your daughter Denise, which is a name of a Greek god? Can you name your daughter Rama? These are not allowed because the names until today refer to gods. If there is a name that was used at a certain point in history to refer to an idol and it no longer is used, then if the name is still known in the culture and history as a name of a god, then it would not be recommended, but it would not be arm. What about naming your children after an angel? Shaykh Bin Bz, Ibn al-Qayyim and the anbilah said it is not allowed. Shaykh Waleed doesnt see any proof for this. Shaykh Waleed asked Shaykh Bin Bz, and he said that Ibn al-Qayyim said it was not allowed. However, Ibn al-Qayyim never brought a clear evidence to forbid giving the name of an angel to children. Ibn al-Qayyim also said that you cannot your son or daughter with one of the names of the Qurn, which is why Shaykh Uthaymn said you cant name your daughter Bayyn. However, there is no proof that you cant use a name for the Qurn for children. The default rule is that all names are permissible unless there is a proof that it is not allowed. The names of Prophet Muammads (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) daughters: Zaynab Ruqayyah Umm Kulthm Fimah
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The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) named a girl Jamlah. In the Sunan of Ibn Mjah, the man this incident happened with was Umar b. al-Khab. The adth in a Muslim doesnt mention the mans name. A man came and said the name of is daughter is iyah (the disobedient, the sinner). The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Change the name to Jamlah (the beautiful one). The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also named someone Juwayriyyah, meaning the little, petite girl. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) used Zaynab for his daughter and another woman. A woman said her name was Barrah (the one who is so righteous), so the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) told her to change her name to Zaynab or Juwairiyyah.
C) The Aqqah
Many Muslims are ignorant of this very highly recommended act of worship. The Islamic rulings are of five categories: wjib (obligatory), recommended, forbidden, disliked, and permissible. The obligatory are of so many levels and not just one level. If you say al-salmu alaykum, it is obligatory for the person to respond with walaykum al-salm. Treating your mother with respect and honoring your parents is wjib and at a higher level. The recommended acts are also of many levels. Ibn ibbn wrote a book called the a of Ibn ibbn, and he classified the book into more than 360 chapters. The first section of the book was on the obligatory things and then he covered the recommended acts and said that they are classified into 87 categories. He classified the forbidden into different categories. For example, shirk is not equal to backbiting or lying. This was a great work, but it was lost. How could someone look up something in the book? You would have to be an alim to do it. Another scholar Ibn Baghbn redid the entire book and re-organized it alphabetically so that it is easier to find a adth. The book of Ibn ibbn survived until the time of Ibn Baghbn. Ibn Baghbn did save the introduction of Ibn ibbn, which has a huge benefit and lots of knowledge in it. The aqqah is the top of the recommended actions. It is highly recommended. Other highly recommended acts are the witr prayer and sunnah of fajr and taiyyatl-masjid. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever wishes to perform a sacrifice on the occasion of a newborn, then he should sacrifice two sheep for his son and one for his daughter. (al-Nasi) The vast majority of scholars agree with differentiating between males and females and sacrificing two sheep for the boy and one for the daughter. Imm Mlik disagreed and said to sacrifice one sheep for boy or girl. He based his opinion on a adth of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) where he did the aqqah on al-asan, usayn and his daughter with one sheep for each.
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If you dont have the money to offer two sheep for a boy, you can offer one sheep. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Each and every newborn is connected (attached) to his aqqah on the Day of Judgment. What does this mean? The ulem debated over the meaning. - Imm Amad said, Your child will not intercede for you on the Day of Judgment unless you offer the aqqah. This refers to the children who are born and die. Refutation: This limits the adth to one circumstance, which is a narrow understanding of the adth, and there is no proof for it. Another understanding is that the righteousness of the boy depends on the aqqah, and the benefit of the child in the dunya and khirah depends on the aqqah. Refutation: If it is said that the aqqah is a condition for the righteousness of the children, this would not be fair because it is not the childs fault if the parents dont do it. The strongest opinion is what Ibn al-Qayyim said and Shaykh Uthaymn supported. It is a famous opinion amongst the later scholars who interpreted this adth. They said: there is a certain goodness / righteousness and extra things that Allh (subnahu wa tala) will give to the child and parents if they perform the aqqah. Why? The aqqah is a form of being thankful and grateful to Allh. Allh said, If you are grateful to Me, I will give you more. This is the meaning of the adth, and Allh knows best.
The aqqah can only be done with two types of animals: sheep and goats. There are many narrations from the tabin that the bones of the animal cannot be broken in the aqqah, but there is nothing from the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). The tabin said this out of being optimistic, but there is no proof of that. What if the child passes away? If the child passed away before being born, then it is not recommended to do the aqqah. It is only recommended if the baby is born. If someone cannot afford the aqqah, then can people collect money and donate it to them for it? Yes, this is allowed. Are baby showers permissible? Yes, they are permissible. It is part of the culture of the people here, and there is no religious significance. This does not replace the aqqah.
D) Shaving the Hair

It is not permissible to shave the head of a female child because shaving is of the specific characteristics for males. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that the female who shaves her head is cursed. (al-Bukhri)
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On the 7th day, it is recommended to sacrifice the animal and name the child and for the childs hair to be saved. The adth says kullu ghulm, meaning every boy. Does shaving the head apply to boys and girls? There is a difference of opinion. - The anbalis said that the head of the girl is not shaved because shaving the head is something related to men and not to women. It is arm to shave the head of the girl. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Allh cursed the woman who shaved her head. Shaving her head is absolutely forbidden in Islam unless there is a necessity. The concept of shaving the head is an act of worship, and it is only related to men. The famous opinion among the Mlikis and anafis is that they allowed shaving the head of the baby girl. Ibn azm also said this. Why? They base their argument on dall (evidence) and reason. The dall is that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) shaved the head of his granddaughter Zaynab and two grandsons asan and usayn. Refutation: This adth is a weak adth. It is narrated in the Muwaa of Imm Mlik and is a weak narration; therefore, using this as an evidence is not a good argument. Their other evidence is that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said every ghulm which applies to boys and girls. They said it applies to boys and girls unless there is a proof that there is a distinction. Shaykh al-Albni said the adth said that you shave the head and move al-ada, which refers to things that are unwanted from the delivery and applies to both girls and boys. Refutation: the anbilah said the adth did not say removing the ada is by shaving, but the adth said that there are two things you do: you remove the ada and you shave, so you can remove it without shaving. They said that there is no connection and the claim cannot be made that shaving is the tool to remove the ada. Shaykh Waleed follows the position that you should not shave the girls head. Those who said that you can shave the head of the girl say that it can only be done when she is a newborn (not older). The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that you shave, the weight of the hair and give an equal amount in weight of silver as a form of adaqah. For the girl, you dont weigh the hair because you are not shaving it, but you can give a adaqah in any form you want.
E) The Urine of the Female Infant

Umm Karz narrates that a male infant was brought to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and urinated on him. He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) had water sprayed on it. A female infant was brought to him and urinated on him. He had it washed. (Amad)
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The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The urine of the male child is to be sprayed, and the urine of the female child is to be washed. (Abu Dwd and alTirmidhi) This ruling is related to infants who are still nursing and have not begun to eat solid food.
F) Circumcision
The circumcision of boys is a must. The circumcision of females is a hot topic. There are certain practices of circumcising girls in a way that is inhumane, un-Islamic and harmful to the girl. There is no doubt that this is forbidden in Islam. Is there any evidence that females can be circumcised? There are two types of evidence. There are statements that female circumcision is allowed, but these are weak narrations or not authentic narrations. There are some aadth that are not explicit, which mention female circumcision. The bottom line: the ulem said that even those who said that there is circumcision for females and it is permissible (not obligatory or recommended), the condition is that it cannot be done in a way that will harm the girl in the future. Abu Hurayrah says, I heard the Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) say, Alfirah is in five: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, trimming the moustache, trimming the nails, and plucking the underarm hair. (Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also said, If the two circumcised parts meet, then ghusl becomes mandatory. (Muslim) These are the only authentic aadth related to this subject, but they are not explicit. Other narrations specifically reference female circumcision, but they are not authentic. According to the majority of the fuqah, female circumcision is permissible with the condition that it is not harmful. The adth related to female circumcision was narrated via many different chains, all of which contain problems and are weak. They cannot be used as evidence. - Am bdi in Awn al-Mabd G) Photog raphy, Paintings, and Sculpture In order to understand this concept, we have to understand photography. The word for photography in Arabic is tawr. There are so many different views on this issue.
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Photography, painting, and making pictures have to be classified into different categories. 1. The first type of making pictures is doing it by your own hand, for example: painting, drawing, and sculpting. 2. The second category of making pictures is photography by camera. You are not drawing or making anything. You are freezing the reflection of the image. Shaykh Uthaymn used to give fatwas that videotaping was not allowed. Shaykh Waleed asked him why. Shaykh Uthaymn had thought the film has images. Shaykh Waleed explained that was not the case and then Shaykh Uthaymn changed his fatwa and allowed such tapes because no one is making images or pictures. Shaykh Waleed believes that videotaping and pictures does not fall in the category of tawr because you are not making a picture. You are only freezing the image. 3. The third issue is the issue of hanging pictures. It is not permissible to hang images or venerate them. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that angels do not enter the home that has a dog or image. (alBukhri and Muslim) The vast majority of the ulem said that this applies to all houses when the pictures are displayed. Ibn ibbn has a shdh opinion and is the only one to say that this adth is restricted only to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and the angel Jibrl. He said that this adth is mentioned when the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) refused to enter a house because there was a dog and picture in a house. He said that it referred to angel Jibrl. Ibn ibbn also said that angels are with you all the time, so they will enter the house. Refutation: this adth is referring to the angels of mercy. How are pictures defined in Islam? The definition of a picture that you are not allowed to make / display: - The picture of the animals and human being. Ibn Abbs said this, and it was agreed upon. - The image is related to the face. If you have an image that does not show the face, then it does not take the rules and doesnt fall into the category. It doesnt make it all to put a line across the neck. - The picture must represent something that has a soul. If it is an imaginary picture or image, then it will not fall under this category and is all. If someone draws a dragon, then it is okay. Cartoon characters do not fall under this category because the condition of having a soul is missing. Shaykh Bin Bz said it is allowed to make and draw cartoon characters. 4. The next category: there are images made for the purpose of worship. Making these pictures is an act of kufr. For example, the father of Ibrhm.
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There are images that are displayed in the house but the way they are displayed is not in a form of honoring. For example, if there is an image of an animal on your carpet or blankets with animals on them. This is permissible and allowed. This displaying of these images and pictures is not a form of honoring or displaying as a form of beautification. The ulem said that any images you make or draw for the purpose of entertaining is permissible. All toys fall under this category. They would make dolls and play with them. ishah (rayAllhu anha) used to have a horse with wings and dolls. She had them on shelves and covered the shelves with curtains. Some people are very strict and said that these dolls must be like the dolls during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). Refutation: What the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) had in his time does not give the permissibility to the same exact toy but it gives permissibility to the concept. It is another subject to look at what the dolls represent and what the dolls teach. Ulem said, If we allow toys and making images for the purpose of entertainment, then prior to this, it would be allowed for the purpose of education. It improves the skills children had. They used qiys when saying this. Painting pictures, drawing pictures or making sculptures of a human or animal is not permissible unless it is for education or play. Computers have programs to make images. Is this allowed? This falls under the category of things you didnt make because the computer makes it. Another person may say that you did make it because you pushed the button, and this seems to be a stronger opinion. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that among the severest of people in punishment on the Day of Resurrection are those who make these images. (al-Bukhri) Photography and videotaping are exempt from this rule.
H) Childrens Toys
ishah said, I used to play with dolls with my friends. When the Prophet entered, they would leave, and when he left, they would come back. (al-Bukhri) ishah said, The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) came back from one of his trips, to either Tabk or Khaybar, and a wind came and blew a curtain covering a shelf where I had placed my toys. He asked, What are those? I said, Those are my dolls. With them, he saw a horse with two wings. He asked, What is this? I said, A horse. He asked, With wings? I told him, Didnt you hear that Sulaymn had horses with wings? The Prophet laughed until I could see his premolars. (Abu Dwd)
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Al-Rab bint Muawwadh said relating the fasting of the Day of shr: And we used to take our children to the masjid (fasting). If they cried for food, we used to give them the toys we made out of cotton to play with until ifr time comes. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The default ruling regarding childrens toys is that all are permissible unless there is a specific reason forbidding the particular toy, such as an image of an idol, a representation of Shayn, a cross, etc. ACTIVITY: What are the best five toys for girls?
I) Sleeping Arrangements
Children should be separated while sleeping at the age of ten. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Separate between them in their places of sleep at ten. (Amad) If you have two girls, they cannot sleep together after the age of ten. What does separate them mean? - Two different beds - They must have two different covers if you cannot give them two different beds - She must be wearing proper clothes (i.e. long pants). The mother must also be properly covered if sleeping with her daughter. In the old days, they would sleep and not wear clothes, which is why ulem were very strict about this. Even with the pajamas, it is better to separate them in the covers.
J) Clothing
ijb is not obligatory upon pre-pubescent girls unless her body has matured. In that case, she should dress modestly. It is recommended to train girls in dressing modestly and wearing ijb during their childhood, as we train them in praying from the age of seven. It is recommended to train girls to be modest in their dress and behavior and in their dealings with the opposite gender. You should educate and inspire her to wear the ijb from a very early age so that she will be attached to it and get used to it. If she is 10 years old and has started praying, then she needs to know what the proper ijb for praying is. It is not good to let your children go free from a very young age. Even if she is two or three years old, dont let her wear really short clothes. Put the concept in her head and heart that she is modest and shouldnt expose herself. ACTIVITY: Share your first experience with ijb.
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K) Signs of Puberty
1. Having wet dreams 2. Menstruation 3. Pregnancy 4. Growth of coarse pubic hair The anbalis, Mlikis and Abu Ysuf said that it has to be coarse, thick hair. Light hair is not considered a sign of puberty. The anafis, Shfiis and some Mlikis said the growth is not a sign of reaching puberty because some kids grow this very early. The anbalis and some Mlikis do believe that it is a sign because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) treated the one who grew this hair as an adult in the incident of Bani Quraydah. 5. Reaching the age of 15 without any other signs showing first (Shfiis, anbalis, Abu Ysuf and Muammad b. al-asan al-Shaybani) or 18 (Abu anfah and Mlikis). They said this because during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), Ibn Umar came to participate in the army at 14 and was sent home, but when he came back the next year, he was accepted. Al-Shfii said that this happened to several of the companions, so 15 means the age of an adult. Al-Zuhri said that it is the Sunnah of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and the companions that when a person is 15, he is treated like an adult. Mlik and Abu anfah said that when a child reaches 18 and hasnt had any of the other signs, then he has reached puberty. Mlik said if you have become 18, then you are an adult. Imm Abu anfah said 18 for a boy and for a girl, it is by the end of the 17th birthday (right before reaching 18). Where do they get this? How did they come up with 18? From a verse in the Qurn: You are not allowed to spend the money of the orphan until the orphan reaches the age of ashuddah and then they can control the money after that. The orphan reaches the age of being an adult and having control of his money at the age of 18 according to Ibn Abbs. Because of this narration, Mlik and Abu anfah said 18.
Frequently Asked Questions

1. When is naming a girl necessary? You can decide on a name before she is born, but you cant give the name to her before she is born. Does the name have to be given in the first day? The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The newborn must be given the name on the seventh. Some scholars said that this means you name your child on the seventh day. Does that mean you are not allowed to name your children until the seventh day? No, this is not the correct understanding. This adth means that the name must be given by the seventh. There is a proof that the name can be given before
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the seventh. In Bukhri, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, A child was born to me tonight, and I named him Ibrhm. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) named him the same time he was born, so it shows that it is allowed. It is not allowed to have a baby and not name him/her after the seventh day. What if the mother and father have a dispute on the name? Who has the final say? The father has the final choice because the child is going to carry the name of the father. Husbands and wives should try to both come to a mutual agreement. How do you start counting the days? Imm Mlik stated that you start from the day after the baby was born. If the baby was born on a Friday, then Saturday is day 1. The day the baby was born doesnt count. What if the baby was born Saturday night? Sunday is the first day. 2. Can a name be changed later? Yes, the first name can be changed later. Can a person change his/her name that the parents gave them? You can take another name if you ask your parents and they agree. The parents feelings must be considered. 3. Can I give my daughter a middle name? Yes, you can give a middle name. 4. Are Arabic names recommended? What about names taken from the Qurn? Arabic names are not recommended. Any name that you like can be given. There is no proof to say that Arabic names are recommended. What is recommended is to give her a name that is valued and that she will be proud of when she grows up. Ibn Sad reported that the abah named most of their children who died in the battle of Uud to keep the legacy of those people alive. It is important to think about what kind of legacy your son or daughter will revive when they grow up. Naming children by randomly opening the Qurn and putting your finger on a word is an innovation. This method of picking the name is an innovation and a wrong method. Is it recommended to name your children after the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)s daughters? Someone may say it is Sunnah because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) did it. No, it is not recommended. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) gave these names to them as part of his culture, and if his actions are from culture, then it is not sunnah ibdah, and it is not recommended religiously for us to do it.
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5. Are there recommended days for offering an aqqah? What if it is difficult to perform it on the recommended days? On the seventh day. Imm Mlik said dont count the day he was born in unless he was born the previous night, then it is counted. There is a famous statement from ishah (rayAllhu anha): The 7th, 14th, 21st. This is a statement also attributed to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). It is commonly known in the books of fiqh as a statement of the ishah (rayAllhu anha). What if you cant do it on one of these days? The point is not eating or cooking it but sacrificing the animal. Sacrificing the animal should be done on one of these days, and the party can be done on the weekend. You can sacrifice the animal on the 7th and serve it to the people on the 10th or 11th. Can you do it overseas or in another country? Can you do it using Islamic Relief? Yes, you can. It is just recommended to it on these days, and it is okay that you do it on another day. 6. My daughter is an adult, and I did not perform an aqqah for her. Can I still do it? Yes, because these days are just recommended days. You can do it any time, even if you are an adult right now. 7. Should I perform an aqqah on myself if my parents didnt? Many parents dont know the ruling on aqqah. The ulem have two approaches: - You are not allowed. Why? The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, It will be performed on his/her behalf. This is a form of being grateful and thankful to Allh by the parents. - You are allowed. You can do it on behalf of yourself because there is no proof to prevent you from it. The point is to offer the meat and feed the poor and thank Allh for this life, so you can do it on behalf of your parents. You do it on their behalf. It is like you are giving adaqah on their behalf. The stronger opinion is that it seems to be permissible. Imm al-asan al-Bari was asked if someone could do it on behalf of their parents since they didnt do it for him, and he said that it was allowed. This is an evidence that it is allowed. 8. Is it permissible to shave my little girls hair to improve its texture/thickness? Shaving is forbidden when she is a few years old. When she has passed the infant age, then shaving the head is forbidden.
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9. My daughters urine got on the bed and dried without washing. What is the ruling? Umm Karz reported that a male infant was brought to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and he urinated on him. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) had water sprayed on him. A female infant was brought to him and urinated on him, and he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) had it washed. Imm Mlik and one narration among the Shfiis say that the urine of the boy and girl are treated the same: spray water on it. They said that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) ordered it to be washed because it was more urine on it, so spraying would not take care of it. This understanding is not correct because in Sunan Abi Dwd and al-Tirmidhi, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) clearly stated that the urine of the male child is to be sprayed, and the urine of the female child is to be sprayed. This is why the majority of the Muslim scholars like Imm al-Shfii (his most known opinion) and the vast majority of Shfiiyyah and a narration of Imm Mlik and the madh-hab of Imm al-Awzi and Sad b. Msayyib stated the same position of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam): spray the urine of the boy and wash the urine of the girl. Abu anfah (raimahullh) and some of the Mlikis said to wash both of them because there is no difference. However, the adth is very clear in differentiating. Why is there a differentiation? The urine of the boy usually falls in one place, but the urine of the baby girl does not. An infant in Sharah means someone who depends only on the milk of the mother or bottled milk. The moment the baby starts eating other food, then he/she is not considered an infant. Then the urine is najas and must be washed. Any way the najsah (impurity) will be removed is permissible. If it removed by the sun, the time, etc. it is acceptable. What does removing the impurity mean? There is no more smell and no more stain and no more wetness. You cannot smell it, feel it, or touch it, or see the color. If it disappears, then it means that it is pure. If there is a stain, then you have to wash it. What if there is a stain after you wash it? Then it is okay because you have washed it. 10. My daughters urine got on the carpet. Can I clean it using chemicals, or must I pour water on it? Chemical cleaning is fine. 11. Is it enough to wash a dirty diaper or sheet in a washing machine? Is it permissible to wash unsoiled items along with it? Yes, it is permissible and will be sufficient. In the washing machine, it is washed and rinsed.
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12. Does touching my daughters urine or feces break my wu? No. Touching any impurity will never break your wu. Once the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was praying and all of a sudden when he was praying, he took his shoes off, so the abah did the same. Afterwards, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Jibrl told me that I had impurity on my shoes. Ulem said that carrying najsah, even if you dont touch it will break the alh. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) had to take his shoes off. The fuqah said, If you carry a bottle full of urine in the alh, then the alh is invalid. What if you didnt know about it until you put her down? Then it is fine and it doesnt break it because you didnt know. 13. Does touching my babys private parts while cleaning them break my wu? This goes back to the concept of touching the private parts. The ulem have a debate over this. Some ulem said touching the private part of anything will break the wu immediately, and this is the position of the majority (Mliki, anbali, Shfii). Whoever touches his private part must make wu. The anafis and Ibn Taymiyyah said that anyone who touches his private parts in a sexual meaning, then it will break the wu but not just touching, so if you are touching for cleaning purposes, then it does not break wu. They said that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that touching the private part is like touching part of the body. Shaykh Waleed believes that this is the strongest opinion: touching without lust does not break the wu. Even if you believe in the majority position that touching private parts breaks the wu, for the mother and the father, there is an exception. The babysitter and daycare is also an exception. Ibn al-Qayyim said that even those who take the position that touching the private parts breaks the wu, they made exceptions for the ones who take care of the children because they have to deal with this constantly, and it would be very hard to keep making wu. If anything puts you in a difficult situation, ease will be brought to you. 14. Is babys vomit or spit-up impure? The vast majority and the four madhhib said that vomit is impure. Imm Mlik has one condition: he said that if you put water and it comes out pure water, then it is pure, but if it is water mixed with chemicals of the stomach or the color or smell changed, then it is najas. All the four madhhib made an exception for the mother and the babys vomit because it is hard to protect herself from it. If the baby is vomiting, then you have to change your clothes all the time. Because of the need, an exception is made.
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If someone has waswasa that their daughter vomits everywhere and on the carpet, the scholars say that even if the child did and it isnt clean, an exception is made. Spit-up is pure. If it is only from the mouth, then it is pure. If it comes from the stomach, then it is impure. 15. Can I perform al in clothing stained with breast milk? Breast milk is pure, so there is no problem. 16. Can I buy character dolls such as Barbie, Bratz, celebrity dolls, etc.? If it is a cartoon character like Buzz from Toy Story or Cars, then it is permissible. What about Barbie? It is not recommended to buy things like this unless you educate your daughter and make sure what kind of message you are sending to her. It is not allowed to buy dolls which have girlfriend-boyfriend or who are singers because these things are not allowed in Islam. Some cartoon characters may promote magic or worship other things (i.e. Pocohantas) and are not allowed. 17. Can I buy kids toys which contain music? The vast majority of scholars differentiate between listening to music and hearing music. One is with intention and one is without intention. You may be in a store and they are playing music, but you are not listening to the music. The vast majority of Muslim jurists allowed hearing it but not listening to it. If the toy is based on listening to the music or if it is a musical instrument, then it is not allowed. They are arm because music is not allowed in Islam. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, A time will come when people will make musical instruments all. If the toy is not a musical instrument but happens to have music in it such as a train, then muting it is better if you can. Some toys you cannot mute. The vast majority of toys contain music and it is very hard to avoid. It is something common and cannot be avoided, so it is allowed, and you try to limit the arm as much as you can. Is it allowed to buy musical instruments or CDs with music? No. What about toys that contain music then? There are rules in Islam, which say: certain things in Sharah are allowed to be used, consumed, and possessed if it is part of something else (but by itself it is arm. For example, drinking blood is not allowed. What if you like your steak rare or medium rare? Does it make the meal arm? No, because the blood is part of the meat. Another example is eating the date or apple that has a worm in it. It is allowed to eat it, but worms by themselves are not allowed to be eaten. The music is part of the toy, and you are allowed to purchase the toy. 18. Can small girls be dressed in short clothing? It is allowed, but it is better to train her to wear modest clothes.
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19. What are the rulings regarding watching cartoons and movies? There is a good lecture called The Third Parent by Shaykh Muammad AlShareef. Cartoons and movies have become babysitters. There is no more communication. When you have an entertainment system in your car, the kids will want to watch a movie the moment they get in the car. Before, people would communicate with each other in the car. The TV kills a sense of connection between the family. Watching TV and movies can be harmful to your relationship with your daughter. There is no more family time, which is not right. There is so much junk even in cartoon movies. There is an article at the end of the course material talking about cartoons and the messages in them. What about movies that contain music? It is better to control the sound. It is not really a form of listening because you are watching the movie. Some movies have songs, and that part of the movie should be avoided and volume turned off. The vast majority of Muslim scholars today say that it is not allowed to watch movies at all because they contain un-Islamic meanings and music, etc. 20. Until what age can I shower with my daughter? Allh (subnahu wa tala) said in the Qurn, If your child cannot understand the concept of awrah, then she is allowed to see. The moment she understands what that means, you have to cover yourself in front of her. As long as they dont understand what it means in a sexual context, it is allowed. Allh said in Sratl-Nr: They dont understand the awrah of the woman. Some ulem said that the child will not recognize the beauty of the girl. For example, if a boy comes and doesnt understand what makes a woman beautiful, then you can take your ijb off in front of him. In this society, kids can understand these issues in a very early age. What about you showering the kids? You can see the awrah until the age of puberty, but you should give them their privacy. Start from an early age to make them feel modest. 21. Can my young daughter touch the Qurn without wu? Shaykh Bin Bz said if she is less than 7 years old, she is not allowed to touch the Qurn. A better way is to not restrict to the age but to the manner of the child. If the child can respect the Qurn, then it is fine. 22. Can my young daughter combine maghrib with ish in order to sleep early and get enough rest for school the next day? No. Shaykh Bin Bz was asked about this and he said it is not allowed because alh has a specific time and you cannot change the dn. You have to teach your children
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to pray the alh on time. If they havent reached the age, then it is not a sin if they miss it. 23. Do young girls need to wear ijb while praying? Aa, a great scholar from the tabin, said it is enough to wear something proper. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Teach your kids how to pray at the age of seven. Part of teaching them how to pray is teaching them how to dress while praying. This means that you should encourage them to wear ijb while they prayer. 24. Is underarm hair a sign of puberty? By the consensus of the Muslim scholars, no. Can I witness my friend or my cousins delivery? It is allowed as long as you are not going to see her awrah or private parts. Is it allowed to watch a documentary movie about delivery? Yes, it is allowed for a purpose like this. The husband can lower his gaze when there is no need to look. It is allowed for the educational purpose. What are the rights of the baby when it comes to breastfeeding? It is optional for the mother but recommended. The common practice at the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was for women to pass their children on to other women to breastfeed them. It is not wjib on a mother to do it, but it is highly recommended. If a husband divorces his wife and she is breastfeeding, he must pay her for the services. Can children wear images on their shirts and pray? It depends on the image. It is disliked for a big image to be in the masjid. If it is small and a trademark and not very clear, it is allowed.
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Chapter Two: Rulings Related to Worship which are Specific to Women

The cardinal rule in this chapter is that females and males carry all the same rulings unless there is specific evidence proving otherwise because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Females are the other halves of males. (Amad)
A) Rulings related to ahrah, Wu, and Ghusl

1. If a womans dress is long and drags and it gets dirty from walking outside, there is no need to change or wash it. Even if it touches something impure, the land will purify it unless you see a wet impurity, which must be washed. When asked by Umm Salamah regarding her clothes that drag, he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, It will be purified by the land. (Abu Dwd) A womans clothes may be long and drag on the floor. There may be najsah on the floor. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that even if the clothes touch impurity, when you walk and touch the dry land afterwards, then it takes care of it and is a purification for the clothes. Ulem made an exception: if you see a clear najsah on your clothes later on, then you need to clean it. Any water on the floor is pure until proven otherwise. 2. Internal vaginal wetness is pure according to the strongest scholarly opinions, as alImm al-Shfii stated. 1) The discharge after being intimate with the spouse. This discharge is impure and needs to be cleaned and you need to make wu. 2) If it comes after having intercourse with your spouse, then the discharge needs to be cleaned, and you need to take a shower. If it is out of reaching orgasm even without intercourse, you need to take a shower. 3) Natural discharge. The strongest opinion amongst the Muslim scholars is that it is pure and will not break the wu. Why? It is something natural. If you are asked to make wu for it, then it will be very difficult. This discharge existed during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), and we have not heard him ever say to be careful about this discharge. It means that they understood that the default ruling is that it does not break the wu. (The vast majority of Muslim scholars said that this discharge, if you see it in the form of stain, then it will break the wu.) The ghusl can be delayed as long as it wont interfere with the alh time.
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How do you make ghusl? There are two formats: 1) Perfect and complete. After intercourse or finishing the menses, start by cleaning the private parts. Then make wu. Then wash the right side. Then wash the left side. Then cover the entire body from the head all the way down. What if the hair is in a braid? You dont need to undo it. Umm Salamah said they did not undo it in janbah or ayd (even though it is commonly thought that you undo it if it was ayd). It is enough to take the water and put it on your hair because it will go to the roots of the hair. 2) Sufficient / minimum required: Wash the entire body with water so it covers the body from the head to toes. 3. Rulings regarding vaginal discharge: (a) If the discharge (madhi) is a result of sexual emotions or activity without intercourse or an orgasm, it is impure and must be washed. The genitals and anything soiled must be washed. It breaks the wu and does not necessitate ghusl by the consensus of Muslim scholars. (b) If the discharge (mani) is a result of intercourse, a wet dream, or an orgasm, then ghusl is necessitated. (c) If the discharge is not related to sexual arousal and is of natural secretion, then it is pure and does not break the wu according to the strongest opinion. The silence of the Sharah on this issue despite its common occurrence is an indicator of its purity. 4. The escape of trapped air from the vagina does not break the wu. 5. A woman must perform ghusl after intercourse, regardless of whether there was any orgasm, discharge or not. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also said, If the two circumcised parts meet, then ghusl becomes mandatory. (Muslim) 6. It is permissible to delay the ghusl for janbah until the time for prayer, but it is recommended to hasten to wash the private parts and make wu. 7. During ghusl for janbah, a woman must wash her hair with water reaching the roots of all hair. ishah said, When one of us wanted to make ghusl from janbah, she would pour three handfuls of water onto her head (al-Bukhri). If a woman has her hair in braids, she does not have to undo them before ghusl. 8. There is no difference between the ghusl of janbah and the ghusl for the completion of menstruation.
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9. It is permissible to wipe over the khimr during wu as it is permissible for men to wipe over a turban. If she is able to include wiping the forefront of her hair and then wipe over the khimr, that would be safer. It is permissible to wipe over the khimr because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) wiped over the turban [Muslim]. To be on the safe side, try to touch part of your hair. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) wiped over the hair in front of his head and the turban. Some said that he wiped over the front of his turban and not the hair. Touch anything from your hair with wet fingers just to be on the safe side and accommodate the opinions of all the Muslim jurists. Wiping over part of the hair is enough. When you wipe over your hair, do you need to wipe all of it? You wipe over your head and not your hair. The verse in the Qurn says the head. It is the wiping over the hair above the head.

1. Does a woman wipe her head during wu in the same way that a man does? When the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) would make wu, as reported in the a, he would take his wet hands over the head to the back of the head and then go back forward to the top. ishah (rayAllhu anha) was asked this questions, and she said she moved her hands back and stopped (did not go back forward). Imm Amad was asked about women wiping over the hair, and he said it is sufficient for her just to wipe over the front of her head. ishah (rayAllhu anha) used to do that and would only wipe the part in the front of her head. Do you need to wipe more than one time? The Sunnah is to do it one time. You can do it more, but it is sufficient to do it one time. 2. Can I wipe over my socks if they are thin and transparent? There are 8 companions who reported the adth of wiping over the socks. The socks of the companions were not leather. anafis believe that you can only wipe over leather socks. However, this is not a strong opinion because the companions used to have socks made of cloth. Some Muslim jurists put some conditions on wiping over the socks for which there is no proof such as they must be thick and free of any holes. The socks of the abah had holes and were not necessarily thick. The condition is that the socks must cover from the ankle to the toes. If the socks are very transparent and see-through, it is allowed to wipe over them. The purpose of
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wiping over the socks is to make it easy for you. That reason applies to any type of sock. The part of the ankle must be covered because the feet have to be washed. Condition: you must put on your socks after you make wu and wash your feet. You have 24 hours from the moment you put the socks on if you are a resident. If you are a traveler, then you have 3 days. Umar b. al-Khab has an opinion where he doesnt put a time limit on wiping over the socks. It seemed that he didnt hear about the adth that put a time limit the majority said that he did not hear the adth. Ibn Taymiyyah said that Umar s opinion is talking about a different situation. For example, what if you are going to a very cold place or if you are in a place where you will keep your shoes on for more than 3 days, then the rukhsah of Umar applies in this case. Umar gave the exemption for very special cases like this. 3. Does touching a male break your wu? No. Touching a male will not break your wu. It was narrated that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) kissed his wife and went to pray without making wu. Also, he moved his wife while praying. One time the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was praying, and ishah (rayAllhu anha) was looking for him in the room and touched his feet while he was praying. It did not break his wu. The Shfii scholars said that touching a male will break the wu if it is direct touch, skin to skin. Abu anfah and a lot of the anbilah said only in the case of sexual lust will this kind of touching will break the wu. The Shfiis who believed that touching the male will break the wu said that if she touches and not if she has been touched. If a male touches a female, it will break the wu of the male and not the female. The Qurn said, If you touch women, that will break the wu. Ibn Abbs said that Allh is being modest when saying the word touch. If you have gloves on, then it does not break the wu by the consensus of Muslim scholars. 4. Is mani pure or impure? It is pure, so if it is a stain on the bed or clothes, it is pure. ishah (rayAllhu anha) said, I used to see the stain of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)s sperm on the thawb when he was going to the masjid. If it was impure, then she would have washed it. This is the opinion of many scholars. Other scholars said that the mani is impure. The Shfiis said the human being was made out of something pure.
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5. If I find a stain on the bed after intercourse, do I have to wash it? If it is from the sperm of the husband, then it is not najsah. If it is madhi or the mani of the woman, then it should be washed because it is najas. 6. If I take a bath or swim, would that suffice as ghusl? Dip yourself all the way in. 7. If I stand under the shower so that water runs all over my body, would that be sufficient for ghusl? Yes, it is sufficient as long as you wash your body. The Mlikis have a condition that you have to rub the body, but there is strong evidence for this. The Mlikis came up with the idea of rubbing the body during ghusl because you have to wash. They took the literal meaning). The wives of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) never said that he rubbed his body when he made ghusl, which is why the majority of the fuqah dont agree. The anbilah have the condition that you need to rinse your mouth and blow your nose. Their proof is that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Rinsing the mouth and blowing the mouth is part of washing your face. 8. Are ghusl and showers sufficient substitutes for wu? If the ghusl is wjib or recommended, it is sufficient. For example, after you finish the menses, it is must to take a shower. Even if the shower is just water going over your body, it is sufficient for wu. A recommended ghusl is for Friday. What if you are taking a morning shower? Are you allowed to make alh after without making wu? The vast majority of scholars of the past and modern times said no, it is not allowed unless you make wu while taking the shower. A few scholars (the anafi madh-hab) said it is sufficient if you have the intention. If you have the intention to pray afterwards, it is sufficient. They say that you dont have to do the wu part in order. They said the point is that the entire body is covered with water, so it is sufficient. If there are multiple reasons for making ghusls, then one ghusl is sufficient. For example, it is a Friday and you have janbah and you just finished your period. One ghusl is sufficient for all of these. 9. Do women have to do ghusl for Jumuah? Do women have to do ghusl for Jumuah? It is highly recommended for any woman going to attend Jumuah prayer to take a ghusl. Ibn ibbn has a chapter in his Sunan: it is recommended for women who attend Jumuah to take a shower. If you are not going for Jumuah prayer, then its not recommended to take a shower. 10. If I have my hair in a bun, do I have to undo the bun? In ghusl, you wash the hair.
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11. Would a gynecological check break the wu? No. The doctor is wearing gloves so it doesnt break her wu. It doesnt break the womans wu because it is not one of the reasons for breaking wu. Any blood that comes out doesnt break the wu. 12. If I have creams or oils in my hair, do I need to wash them out before wu? The rule: If the cream on your body prevents the water from reaching the skin or the hair, then you have to remove it before making wu. If the lotion is mixed / absorbed with your skin, then it is allowed. Nail polish is above the nail and prevents the water from reaching the nail, and so it is not allowed. Henna is allowed because the water can reach the nail. 13. Can I make wu while wearing makeup (foundation, blush, mascara, nail polish, etc.)? Some foundations and mascara are waterproof. If the water can go through to the skin, it is permissible. If the foundation or mascara creates a layer above the skin that prevents the water from going through it, then it is not allowed. 14. Can a bride make tayammum so as not to mess up her makeup? No, she cannot. It is not an excuse to do tayammum. 15. Does touching the private parts break the wu? The strongest opinion is that it will not break the wu unless it is done out of sexual lust. There are aadth which are weak which say that whoever touches the private parts needs to make a new wu. 16. Does one ghusl for multiple reasons suffice? Yes. 17. Can a woman read Qurn during her menses or touch the muaf? The vast majority of Muslim scholars said a woman in janbah cannot touch the mu. Only Ibn azm disagreed and said it is permissible. What is the evidence the scholars use to say that it is not permissible? The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) stated clearly that Qurn should not be touched by a woman in the status of ayd or junub, but this adth is weak. There was a debate on the authenticity of the adth that only the hir touches the Qurn. The only strong adth they have is about an incident in which a mans wife caught him coming back in the middle of the night and she thought that he had gone to one of his other women. He said that he didnt do anything, and he was lying. She told him that if he didnt do anything, then he should read Qurn. He made poetry and recited in the same way you recite the Qurn, and she bought it because she didnt know the entire Qurn. The next day he felt bad and went to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and was afraid that he said something wrong, and the Prophet
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(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, What you have said about Allh is true (that He is above the Throne and the angels are beneath him). The jamhr (vast majority of scholars) said that this incident shows that it was very clear in the mind of the companions that if you have sexual impurity, then you cannot read the Qurn. Because of this incident, they say that you cannot recite Qurn if in junub. There is consensus that if you are in a state of janbah, you cannot read Qurn. Ibn azm said that you can if you are in janbah because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) sent letters to the king of Persia with verses of the Qurn in them, and these kings were not Muslim and never took ghusl. The arguing of Ibn azm is not valid. Why? These are verses in a letter, and we allow things that are part of something. The Qurnic verses being read as part of a letter is allowed and touching it is allowed, but if it was the muaf, then it would be arm. If you have sexual impurity, you are allowed to make dhikr. You can say the adhkr before sleeping. What if the adhkr is verses of the Qurn? There is no clear answer on this. 18. Can a woman make adhkr while on her menses? Yes. True or False: The only images you are not allowed to display are those that you draw or make with your own hands. Answer: False because displaying it has nothing to do with how it was made. Is it allowed to let your kids use a coloring book? Yes, because it is similar for dolls. They can be used for entertainment. Why did some scholars say drawing images like dragons are permissible? Because it doesnt represent something that has a soul. Why is there this condition? The adth said the people who will who made images will be told to give it a soul on the Day of Judgment.
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B) Rules Relating to ay (menstruation), Istiah (bleeding outside of menstruation), and Nifs (post-partum bleeding)
Menstruation
ishah (rayAllhu anha) used to tell women not to be worried about the issue of missing alh and not to rush to declare the end of the period. The female companions were worried. Calm down and take things easy. Try to understand the principle we will learn and apply it to your situation. There is an extra article telling the difference between ayd by doctors and the Muslim jurists. The Sharah defines it a little differently than a doctor would. Muslim jurists define ayd as: Menstruation is the blood that the female naturally releases without any outside cause and during certain specific times. The period is defined by the appearance of the blood. It has no starting day or ending day. The Sharah never defined a specific start day or end day. A woman may have a period that changes in the number of days throughout her life. There are many factors. Menses typically occurs between the ages of twelve and fifty although a woman may have it before or after depending upon her condition and environment. Women start their periods at different ages. Most women have a period lasting between 6-7 days. Also, there is no limit to ayd in terms of time. It can come early or late or longer or shorter. The period can be irregular. There is a great deal of dispute amongst the scholars regarding the period of time a woman is considered to be in ay. The strongest opinion is that there is no limiting number of days for the existence of ay regardless of whether the bleeding is light or heavy. This is the opinion of al-Drimi, the choice of Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah, and, in all likelihood, the correct opinion because it is substantiated by evidences from the Qurn, Sunnah, and good analogy. The flow of blood can be heavy or light. Ibn azm thought that the period is heavy from beginning to end, which is not true. The amount of blood is not a factor. The blood in itself is the factor. The woman who experiences ayd must be categorized in different categories: - A woman who has a regular period. 90% of women fall into this category. Women who have regular periods judge their periods based on their habits. It may be six days or seven days. They also judge the period based on the appearance of the blood. If she sees the blood, then she does not pray.
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Sometimes it may be delayed or come early or there may be spotting. There may be blood one day and then it is completely clear the next day. Ulem debated about this day in between: is it part of the period or not? As long as it is within the same number of days (six or seven), then it is still your period even if you dont see a drop of blood and are completely clear. Imm al-Shfii holds this opinion. The anbilah said that you have to take a shower and pray, but this is not a strong opinion, and the refutation is: what happens if she starts again the next day? A woman in her iddah would have her three iddahs in a few days? What if a woman doesnt have a regular period? She should wait 24 hours. After 24 hours, see if she starts bleeding. If she starts bleeding after 24 hours, then consider it part of her period. When does she declare the end of her period? The blood of ay is dark, thick, smells. As long as these signs exist, it is the blood of a period. A woman who just started her period. How does she know if it is her period? She can tell by the color and nature of the blood if she is of the age when she can get her period. Until she knows what her usual length is, she sees what her sister has. If she doesnt have her sister, then she goes by the mother when she was her age if they lived in the same place. A woman who is starting to lose her period. This also goes by the blood. She may have periods on and off until it completely stops. A woman who has no regular period at all. For someone like this, she takes the number of days she used to have when she had a regular period and counts these. If she never had a regular period, then she looks at her sisters or friends or people of her background. If she has no one, then we assign to her 6 or 7 days based on the majority of the women.
You can know the end of your period by two things: 1. A white clear discharge. Some women see this and others dont. 2. The place where the blood comes from is completely dry. If it becomes clear by the end of your days, then you declare purity. What if blood is seen after? This blood is not seen as impurity even if it looks the same. Some women see brown or yellow discharge. Any color that we see after the declaration of the purity is nothing. If at the end you only see the brown or yellow discharge and dont see white clear discharge and it isnt completely dry, then it is still part of your period. Ulem said that the maximum number of days is 15, but there is no strong proof for this.
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And they ask you about menstruation. Say, It is harm, so keep away from wives during menstruation. And do not approach them until they are pure. And when they have purified themselves, then come to them from where Allh has ordained for you. Indeed, Allh loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves. (al-Baqarah, 2:222) There are many types of changes that affect the state of menses: First: An increase or decrease, e.g. a period that normally lasts for six days continues for one more day or a period that normally stays for seven days ends on the sixth day. Second: Advancement or delay, e.g. a woman having her normal period at the end of each month finds herself menstruating at the beginning of the month or vice versa. Third: Yellowish discharge (which looks like yellowish pus) or kudrah: looking between yellowish and blackish discharge. If this occurs during the ay period or immediately after it and prior to the state of ahrah (cleanliness), then it is to be considered as ay with all the rulings of ay being applicable. If these discharges occur after the state of ahrah, then it is not ay in lieu of the saying of Umm Aiyyah, We never considered yellowish discharge after cleanliness as a thing of importance (as menses). (Abu Dwd). Also ishah said some women used to send the pads of cotton with traces of yellowish discharge to her (for the verdict to know whether they had become clean from menses or not), and ishah would say, Do not hurry till you see al-quatl-bay (white discharge from the womb; the cotton pad will be white), meaning the perfect disappearance of menses. (al-Bukhri) Fourth: Discontinuity in menstruation such that blood flows on one day and it stops the next day. There are two circumstances associated with this type: (1) Discontinuity occurs all the time. In this case, this blood is considered a blood of istiah, and all rulings of istiah are applicable. (2) Discontinuity occurs only sometimes and there is a period of cleanliness. Scholars differed regarding this period of cleanliness: is it really a period of ahrah whereby the laws of ay are not applicable, or is it part of the ay? According to al-Imm al-Shfii, Ibn Taymiyyah , and Imm Abu anfas school
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of thought, this associated period is part of ay because al-quatl-bay was not seen, and if it were to be considered as ahrah, then there will be difficulty and hardship upon women. Certainly this is against the essence of the Islamic principles.
The Rulings Regarding Menses:

1 - The blood of menses is najas: Menstrual blood is najas (impure), and if it gets on a womans clothes, she has to wash them. If it touches anything, then it has to be washed. 2 - Prayers: Women are not allowed to perform al (prayers) in the state of menstruation. She does not need to make up the prayers that she missed. ishah reported that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Stop formal prayer when your menses begins. When it is finished, wash off the blood from your body and return to formal prayer. (al-Bukhri) 3 - Fasting: Menstruating women are exempted from fasting, regardless of whether they feel themselves weakened by it or not. Allh has not permitted them to fast in His Infinite Wisdom, which the believers are required to accept unquestioningly. Abu Sad alKhudri quoted the Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) as saying, ...a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses. (Muslim) However, the menstruating woman must make up the missed days after Raman. ishah said, When we would have our menses during the lifetime of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), we were ordered to make up the days of fasting that we had missed but were not ordered to make up the prayers that we had missed. (al-Bukhri) 4 - ajj Rites: With regard to the rites of ajj, menstruating women are allowed to perform all of them, with the exception of the formal prayers and the rite of walking around the Kabah seven times (awf). ishah said, We set out with the sole intention of performing ajj and when we reached Saraf (a place six miles outside of Makkah), my menses began. The Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) came to me while I was crying and asked, What is the matter with you? Has your menses started? I replied, Yes. He said, This is something which Allh has destined for the daughters of dam. So do all the rites that the pilgrims do, except awf. (al-Bukhri & Muslim).
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ishah also related that she told the Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) that afiyyah bint uyayy began menstruating (before the farewell awf) and he said, Perhaps she will delay us. Did she make awf? We replied, Yes. He then told her to go ahead. (al-Bukhri) What do you do if you have your period and are going to leave Makkah? Ibn Taymiyyah is the only one to give this fatwa, and after he gave this fatwa, every madh-hab follows and refers to it. (True scholars give rulings for needed issues before they are forced into it). Traditional books said that women have two options: if you put a condition when making the ihram, then the ajj can be broken and is invalid and has to be made up or if no condition was put during ihram, then you have to stay in a state of ihram until coming the next year for ajj. Ibn Taymiyyah said: one of the objectives of Sharah is that you have only been asked to do what is required, so if a woman knows she will not finish her period, then she cleans herself and then makes awf while she has her menses and it will be sufficient. This is for awfl-ifah. 5 - Touching and Reciting the Qurn and Dhikr: Most scholars have prohibited menstruating women and people in a state of sexual defilement (janbah) from reciting the Qurn or touching it. However, some of them are of the opinion that she can recite the Qurn without touching it except with her hand covered. Ibrhm al-Nakhai said, There is no harm on menstruating woman reciting a Qurnic verse. It was also the opinion of al-Imm Mlik [Fat al-Bri] The menstruating woman is allowed to mention Allh. Umm Aiyyah reported that they were instructed to let the menstruating women come out for the ds and say Allhu Akbar (Allh is the Greatest). (al-Bukhri quoted this anecdote to show that since menstruating women were instructed to speak Allhs Names and His Attributes, they should also be allowed to read the Qurn, in which Allhs Names and Attributes are also mentioned.) Ibn Abbs quoted Abu Sufyn as saying, Heraclius asked for the letter from the Prophet and read it. It began: In the name of Allh, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful. O people of the Scripture, let us come to a common principle between us, that we do not worship anyone (or anything) besides Allh. (al-Bukhri). Reading the Qurn: The majority of the anafis, Shfiis, anbalis, Mlikis said she is not allowed to read Qurn while on her menses because there is a adth: the woman who has her menses or is in janbah cannot read anything of Qurn. [Ibn Mjah] This is a weak narration. Every evidence used by those who hold this opinion is a weak narration. This is the opinion of many of the successors.
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Other scholars said it is allowed for a woman to read Qurn while she has her menses. Individuals within the different madhhib said this. Their refutations for the majority opinion are: - Bukhri took this opinion and has a adth he used to prove it: The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Do everything the ujjj do except awf. Part of what the ujjj do is recite Qurn. - There is no authentic adth to say that it is forbidden for a woman on her menses. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also never mentioned it, and it is something important that would need an explanation. There is not a single authentic narration that he said this. - Those who say a woman cannot read Qurn while on her menses say that it is similar to a woman who has in janbah. Since a woman in janbah cannot recite Qurn, the woman in menses cant. Refutation: The woman in janbah is in this state for a short period of time. The woman in menses is in this state for a long time. A woman has a choice to get out of the status of janbah but cannot get out of her menses by choice. Therefore, you cannot compare them. The majority of the modern scholars disagree with the majority of the older scholars. What about touching the muaf? The four madhhib say that it is not allowed for a woman on her menses to touch the muaf. Ibn Taymiyyah agreed. The modern scholars also agreed. Allh said in the Qurn, The Qurn will not be touched by anyone except the one who has been purified. A woman in her menses is not purified. Is a woman on her menses not a hir? Allh sent way to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) when he was lying on ishahs lap while she was in her menses. A woman is not najas when on her menses. The najsah is only the blood but not the body. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Every mumin is hir. When Allh wants to refer to the believers, he never referred to them as those who have been purified. When He referred to the believer, He said they are the ones who purify themselves. The Qurn should not be touched by anyone except those who have purity, which means that you make wu or ghusl. The Qurn says about women who have menses: until they have been purified. If they purify themselves, you are allowed to approach them. This means until their blood stops. They have been purified by Allh and Allh decrees it is the end of the period. If they purify themselves, then it means they take a shower. When the Qurn talks about someone who has been purified, then it is referring to Allhs action. This verse says, They will not be touched by anyone except by those who have been purified. Scholars say that this is referring to the angels and not the human beings. Touching the muaf while she has her menses is permissible. This is reported by Ibn Abbs, al-Shbi, Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Qurtubi, al-Shawkni, Bukhri.
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Shaykh Waleed says it is not recommended to touch the muaf while you have your period because it is recommended to have wu before you touch the muaf. 6 - Entering the Majid: The scholars have differed regarding the permissibility for a menstruating woman to enter the mosque. Those who permitted it used the following evidence: - Rule of general permissibility due to absence of prohibition - The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) never instructed the woman who used to clean the masjid not to do so while menstruating. Her story is in al-Bukhri. - He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) told ishah when she got her menses during ajj, Do everything the one performing ajj does except awf. (Muslim) - The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The believer does not become impure. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) - The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) asked ishah to pass him a cloth from the masjid while she was menstruating. (Muslim) - Maymnah narrated that she used to put the Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) cloth in the masjid while she was menstruating. (Amad) Those who prohibited it used the following evidence (majority opinion):
O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying or in a state of janbah, except those passing through [a place of prayer], until you have washed [your whole body]. And if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and find no water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and your hands [with it]. Indeed, Allh is ever Pardoning and Forgiving. (al-Nis, 4:43) al is taken to mean places of al in this verse. Qiys was made comparing the menstruating woman to the one in the state of janbah.
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The Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) request that the menstruating women not sit in the prayer area during the d congregation. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) would let ishah braid his hair while she was menstruating, while she was in her home and he in the majid. Its been narrated that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, I do not permit the masjid to one in the state of janbah or a woman during menstruation. (Abu Dwd)
It seems that women are allowed to enter the masjid if there is a need. The masjid means the prayer area, not the community hall or the bathroom. Women in the old days would go to the masjid to pray. ishah (rayAllhu anha) used to have a alaqah in her house and not in the masjid. Traditional books speak about women not going to the masjid because there was not a reason for her to go. Today, there are reasons for going to the masjid during the menses such as for an event or lecture or Sunday school. The vast majority of Muslim scholars say a woman is not allowed to enter a masjid while on her menses. They have their own evidence. They said that the woman who has her menses is like the woman who has the janbah. The moment you break the analogy, then this falls apart. This analogy is not correct. They have another evidence: during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), he ordered all women to attend d prayer. At the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), they prayed d outside of the masjid. The majority of fuqah said that when they went to pray d, he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) ordered the women on their menses to not gather in the area where the women will pray. The ulem said that if the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) ordered them to avoid the prayer area, then we should order them to avoid the prayer area in the masjid. Refutations: - This adth is about a desert area and not about the masjid. To make the analogy is problematic. They say that it is qiys and that if she cant enter the prayer area in the desert, then she cant in the masjid. Why did the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) forbid them from entering the prayer area on d when it is not a masjid? Theyre not going to pray, so they dont need to sit there. He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was organizing the crowd. - Bukhri adopts the opinion that women can enter the masjid, and he said the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) told ishah to do everything the ujjj do during ajj except awf, and the ujjj enter the masjid. - The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) told ishah, Give me the cloth from the masjid. This adth was not clear was he in the masjid or was he in his house? Maymnah in the Musnad of Imm Amad said, The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) ordered me to take this cloth and put it in the masjid while I had my period. - During the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), there was a woman who would stay in the masjid and clean it. She lived in the masjid. If women are not allowed to stay in the masjid while they have their menses, then the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) would have told her, but he never said this.
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It is highly recommended for a person to pray two rakahs before sitting in the masjid. It is not recommended for a woman to go to the masjid while she has her menses unless there is a need for it. For example: a school you are part of, a alaqah you cannot miss, a speaker you want to hear. 7 - Having sexual intimacy with the husband: You are allowed to be intimate without have intercourse as long as you cover the private parts. Having intercourse with a menstruating woman is forbidden, based upon the Words of Allh, the Most High:
They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses and go not unto them till they have purified (from menses and have taken a bath). (al-Baqarah, 2:222) Whoever does so must seek forgiveness from Allh and turn to him in repentance, and he must give a dnr or half a dnr in charity as an expiation for what he has done, as reported by al-Imm Amad and the compilers of the Sunan with a good chain of narration, on the authority of Ibn Abbs that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, concerning one who had had sexual intercourse with his wife while she was menstruating, Give a dnr or half a dnr in charity, and whichever of them you do (i.e. a dnr or half a dnr), you will have its reward. (Abu Dwd). It is permissible to be intimate with your husband but without having intercourse. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Do everything except intercourse. (Muslim) ishah said, If one of us was menstruating and the Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) wanted to be intimate with her, he would tell her to wear an izr (waist wrapper) at the peak of her menstruation, then he would be intimate with her. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) Ikrimah narrated from one of the wives of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) that when the Prophet wanted to engage in any intimacy with one of his wives when she was menstruating, he would put a piece of cloth over her private part. (Abu Dwd)
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8 - Ghusl: You must take a shower when you finish your period. It is obligatory for a menstruating woman, when her bleeding stops, to perform a complete ghusl; based on the Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) statement to Fimah bint Abi ubaysh, When the menstruation starts, leave off al; and when it is finished, then perform a ghusl and offer al. (al-Bukhri) 9 Divorce: It is prohibited to pronounce divorce when a woman is on her menses. Instead, she must be in a period of purity (between menses) in which her husband has not had sexual relations with her. Abdullh b. Umar reported that he had divorced his wife while she was menstruating and his father had asked the Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) about it. He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) replied, Instruct your son to take her back and keep her until she is clean. Then he should wait until she menstruates and becomes clean again. If he then wishes to divorce her, he may do so without having intercourse with her. That is the period which Allh prescribed for divorcing women. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The pronouncement of divorce during menses is still counted as a pronouncement. Ynus b. Jubayr asked Ibn Umar, Is the pronouncement of divorce counted if a person divorces his wife while she is in a state of menses? He replied, Why not? Was he helpless or foolish? (al-Bukhri) However, one who does so has committed a sin. When Ibn Umar was asked about a person who divorces his wife while she is menstruating, he replied, If he pronounced one or two divorces, Allhs Messenger (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) would command him to take her back, allow her respite until she enters her second menses, allow her respite until she is purified, then divorce her without having sex with her. If he had pronounced three divorces, he would have disobeyed his Lords command regarding divorce, but she would be irrevocably separated from him. (al-Bukhri)
Isti dah
Istiah is vaginal bleeding for reasons other than menstruation or childbirth. In some women, bleeding never stops. In others, it continues for longer than a normal period, but it does stop for a short period. The woman affected by it is in one of three conditions: 1. She had a known regular menses before the onset of the istiah. She should calculate when her period would normally come and stop offering al during the days of her calculated period, and all the other rules of menstruation would apply to her
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during that calculated period. For the rest of the days, her bleeding should be treated as istiah. 2. She did not have a regular period or does not remember when it used to occur, but she can distinguish between the two kinds of blood based on color, thickness and smell. (Menstrual blood is dark, thick, and with a strong odor. Istiah is bright red, thin, and less disagreeable in smell.) 3. She didnt have a regular period and even cannot distinguish between the two types of blood either because its always the same or because its always changing. She should go by the average period of most women; so for 6 or 7 days every month, she should consider herself as menstruating and that should be calculated from the time she first noticed vaginal bleeding. The rest of the days should be treated as istiah. There is no difference between a woman beset by istiah and a woman who has a complete cessation of menstrual flow, except as follows: a) If the woman beset by istiah wants to perform wu, she should wash the blood from her vaginal area then apply a menstrual pad or wrap the area with a clean rag on top of a wad of cotton to catch the blood; any blood coming out after that is of no account. b) She must perform wu for every single far (obligatory) al, as the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) ordered a woman in this condition: Perform wu for every al. (al-Bukhri) adth: You make wu for each and every alh. The problem with this adth which al-Qsim narrated is that Imm Mlik and others believe that it is an addition to the text by the tabii. If you have one wu, you can pray and keep praying. This is the position of Imm Mlik. The majority of the fuqah disagree with him because they agree with the authenticity of the narration that you have to make wu for each and every alh. Shaykh Waleed believes you should make wu for every alh because it is not difficult, and it is a discharge coming out that requires you to make wu.
Nifs
This has the same ruling of ayd. Nifs is post-partum bleeding (after the birth of a baby or during delivery, or two or three days before delivery accompanied by labor pains). The following are the rules for nifs: 1. There is no minimum limit to the length of the bleeding; the upper limit is generally within 40 days. 2. Most of the rules of nifs are just like the rules of menstruation (ay)
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1. Does the blood following a miscarriage or abortion take the same ruling as postpartum bleeding? Scholars say if the miscarriage or abortion happen before 80 days, then no, just make wu for the alh because the majority of fuqah dont consider this a baby yet it is just a clot of blood. If it is after 80 days, then it is exactly like nifs and you stay 40 days. She stops praying and stops fasting until she sees sign of clarity. 2. Should I stop praying if the amniotic sac ruptures before labor? If the water breaks and she sees blood while she has contractions, her post-partum bleeding has started even before delivering the baby. The nifs has started, and you dont need to pray or make up your prayers. Nifs is the one that comes with the delivery. 3. Is bleeding that occurs prior to childbirth part of the nifs? Same ruling. 4. I became pure during the 40 days post-partum, but then bleeding resumed after some days of purity. What is the ruling? Anything after the clarity is istiah. What if the blood is seen afterwards the period? If you recognize the blood as blood of the period, then you consider it as the start of the period and count the days. If it is not the period, then consider it like istiah and make wu for each alh. 5. Can a woman get her period while pregnant? While breastfeeding? If you are pregnant, it is impossible to have your period. Yes, you can have your period while breastfeeding. 6. What is the ruling related to bleeding associated with the placement of an IUD? This is not considered ayd. Make wu, and thats it. 7. What is the ruling of taking medication to delay the onset of menstruation in order to complete ajj or fasting? You must consult a doctor. If the doctor says that it is safe, then you are allowed to use it. It is not encouraged to do it. 8. What is the ruling on a menstruating woman reading tafsr? It is allowed. It is not Qurn. 9. When a menstruating woman becomes pure before sunrise is it obligatory upon her to perform the maghrib and ish prayers? Similarly, if she becomes pure before sunset, is it obligatory upon her to perform the uhr and ar prayers?
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If she finishes her period before sunset, the ulem said that if the time was left to take a shower and to pray, then she has to pray ar. The anafis said that if there was enough time to pray one rakah, then you have to pray it. The Shfiis said that if there is enough time to pray 4 rakahs, then you have to pray it. The anbalis said if you have enough time for one takbrah, then you have to pray it. The anbalis said that you have to pray it because it became obligatory upon you. The three other madhhib disagree with them and say that you have to be able to take a shower first. The anafi opinion is the strongest. If you have the time to take a shower and pray one rakah, then you have to pray ar. The anbalis and Shfiis say that if you finish the period at ar time, then you have to pray uhr and ar. Why? They said because she takes the same ruling of those who have been given an excuse like the traveler. The anafis disagree with this and say she only prays ar, and this is the strongest opinion and Shaykh Uthaymn takes this opinion. What if you start your period after uhr adhn is called? When you finish your period, do you need to pray uhr? The anafi school and Ibn Taymiyyah said that you dont have to pray uhr when you finish your period because uhr is not wjib on you 10 minutes after the adhn is called. You can pray after an hour. They said in the books of fiqh that unless her period comes and by the time she starts her period, she doesnt have time to make takbratl-irm. If this is the situation, then she has to make up this prayer later on. The vast majority of fuqah said that she has to make up uhr because it becomes wjib upon her once it enters. Every opinion has a strong argument. 10. How can a woman determine that her period has ended so that she can pray? - Clarity - White fluid Where does the number 40 come for the number of days of nifs? The medical community thinks that it is 40 days. Ulem say that it is based on the narration from Ibn Abbs and Abdul-Ramn b. Awf, and none of the companions disagreed with them. Another opinion is that 60 days is the maximum because al-Awzi said that there was a women in his area who had 60 days of nifs. This is not a valid way of determining this. What do you do if you finish your period when you are at work? You wait until you go home and then make ghusl. Go home as soon as you can, and inshAllh it is an excuse for you to delay if you cannot leave your school or work. What if you go to sleep and wake up after fajr and have your period? You dont know when your period started. What do you do? You go with the certainty. You are certain that you didnt have the period when you went to sleep. Treat like you
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didnt have your period. When you are done with your period, then you have to make up the prayer. You had your period in the night and wake up after fajr and are pure. You are certain that you had your period, so you dont pray fajr. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The best deeds to please Allh with are praying alh on time. Dont delay your alh. Pray your alh on time. Sad b. Msayyib was once tortured and he was asked if he was crying because of it, and he said he was crying because for the last 40 years he had prayed in the first line of the alh, and that day he didnt.
C) Rulings related to dhn, Iqmah, alh, and Dhikr

1. The Majid, dhn and Iqmah
Women are allowed to call dhn amongst themselves. It is not recommended for a woman to call dhn or iqmah. Ibn Umar said, dhn and iqmah are not for women. It is permissible for her to do so between women. It is dhikr of Allh, and no one will prevent you from making dhikr. Man and woman cannot pray together in a small room because of khalwah. There is no man and woman alone in an isolated place except that Shayn is the third. If there is a barrier and the door is open and it isnt a closed environment, then it is fine. Women are allowed to gather in the majid. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Do not prohibit the female slaves of Allh from the mosques of Allh. (Muslim) ishah said, The believing women used to witness the fajr congregation with the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) in the majid. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, I consider elongating my prayer, but when I hear a child crying, I make it short because I do not want to make it difficult upon its mother. ACTIVITY: One of the people who will be under the shade of Allh is the one whose heart is attached to the majid. This applies to males and females. How can we improve the relationship between us and the majid? How can we make our masjid friendlier toward women? During the time of Prophet Muammad (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), the women used to hurry home after prayer so as not to mix with the men. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) assigned a specific entrance for women.
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When a woman comes to the majid, she should avoid wearing perfume or makeup. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If one of you (women) witnesses the alh in the majid, she should not wear perfume. (Muslim) In another adth, They should come tafilt (i.e. not beautifying themselves). (Abu Dwd) There was a black woman who used to clean the masjid, then she died. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) asked after her and was told that she had died. He said, Why did you not inform me? Show me her grave. Then he went to the grave and offered the funeral prayer over it. (al-Bukhri and Muslim)
2. alh and Dhikr

Prayer on time is equally obligatory on women and men.
Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times. (al-Nis , 4:103) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was asked, What is the most beloved deed to Allh? He replied, Praying at the beginning of the appointed time. (al-Bukhri) When a woman prays, it is obligatory that she covers her body with loose clothing and only shows her face and hands according to the majority of the scholars. Abu anfah, al-Shfii, al-Thawri, and al-Muzani added the feet. Scholars who view it obligatory for women to veil their faces in the presence of non-maram men view that a woman should cover her face during prayer if non-maram men are present. If part of the area that should be covered becomes uncovered, the alh is invalid and must be repeated ONLY if the uncovered area is large and remains uncovered for a long time. If a woman prays with a male, maram or non-maram, she should pray behind him. Anas reports that he prayed with an orphan boy behind the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and his mother prayed behind them. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The best lines for men are the front rows and the worst for them are the back rows. And the best lines for women are the back rows and the worst for them are the front rows. (Muslim)
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It is permissible for women to pray in congregation with one of them leading as imm, but it is not obligatory upon them. ishah and Umm Salamah led women in prayer. (Abdul-Razzq in al-Muannaf) A woman who is leading a congregation may stand among the first row, which was done by ishah and Umm Salamah, and if she stands in front of it, the prayer is correct. It is not permissible for a woman to lead men in prayer. The adth of Umm Waraqah that states that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) gave her permission to lead her family in prayer is weak. A woman may read aloud in prayer as long as there are no non-marams present. It is not permissible for one man and one woman who are unrelated to pray together in seclusion. Some of the scholars from the Shfii and anbali schools disliked that a man lead a group of women in prayer unless another male or a female relative was present. The manner of performing prayer is the same for both males and females except in the instances where there is specific proof otherwise. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Pray as you have seen me pray. (al-Bukhri) Some of the scholars, such as al-Bayhaqi, brought forth some differences, such as: - Woman should bring her thighs together during sujd. - Woman should not raise her hands high during the takbr. - Woman should not extend her arms away from her sides during sujd. - Woman should lock her arms closely on her chest during qiym. - Woman should not stretch out her body during sujd. There is no proof for any of these differences. Valid differences, based on adth, include that a woman must clap to alert the imm to a mistake as opposed to saying Subn Allh. Clapping is done by tapping the back of the left hand with the right. It is from the Sunnah to have special advice for women during the d khubah. Jbir and Ibn Abbs witnessed the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) approaching the women during d al-Fir and speaking to them. (al-Bukhri) If an adult woman walks in front of a man within the area of his sujd or between him and his sutrah, it will invalidate his prayer. This is the opinion of Ibn Umar, Anas, Abu Hurayrah, al-asan al-Bari, the majority of Ahll-adth and Ibn al-Qayyim. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The woman, the donkey, and the dog break the prayer. (Muslim) The majority of the Muslim jurists say that it will not invalidate the prayer, but it breaks the concentration of the person. This is the position of ishah, al-Thawri, and the four imms. They support their opinion with the adth in
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al-Bukhri which states that ishah used to lie down in front of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) while he prayed the night prayer. Umm Aiyyah said, We were ordered to go out for the prayer on the day of d, even the young virgins and the menstruating women, so that the women were behind the men. We used to make takbr upon their takbr, and du upon their du, seeking the blessing and purification of that day. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) Women are allowed to make their dhikr out loud when it is unlikely to be fitnah. All adhkr that are in masculine format should be changed to feminine. For example, Allhumma inni abduk should be said, Allhumma inni amatuk. What are the differences between men and women during alh? - The awrah is different - Men say subnAllh when correcting the imm and women clap by tapping the right hand on the outer part of the left. - Women do not call dhn or iqmah. It is commonly thought that men and women place their hands in different places, but this is not correct. They put their hands on their chest. Many people think there is a difference between men and women while standing in alh, but there is no proof for this. Some people think women have to be close when making sujd, but this isnt correct. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) when making sujd had his arms out and his underarms could be seen. Some people think that women cant stretch their body in sujd, but there is no proof for this. These things became popular in books of fiqh, but there is no proof from the Sunnah of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) or from the companions. Men are women do the same thing while sitting in the alh. What if the awrah shows during the alh? Look into two things: 1) How much is uncovered? 2) How long has it been uncovered? If you start the alh and know that part of your awrah is not covered, then the alh is not valid. There are four possibilities: - A lot of the awrah is showing for a short period of time - A lot of the awrah is showing for a long period of time - A small part of the awrah is showing for a short period of time - A small part of the awrah is showing for a long period of time The only one that breaks the alh is: so much of the awrah is showing for a long period of time. If a lot of the awrah shows but a short amount of time, then the alh is still valid. If part of the awrah is showing unintentionally, it is allowed even if it is for a long period of time.
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1. Can I repeat after a digital or recorded dhn? Vast majority of scholars say that no, it is not allowed. This dhn is not a Shari dhn. It is like following the imm on the TV, which is not allowed because he is the imm for the people in the place he is. What if the masjid doesnt have a muadhdhin and only have a digital one? Majority of scholars disagree with this. 2. I missed so many prayers in my life. I have repented now. What should I do? If you used to pray and missed one or two prayers, and you can identify these prayers, then you have to make them up. If you dont remember how many, be safe and overestimate the number. If someone wasnt praying before, then do they need to make it up? One position is that yes, you still have to make it up and you make it up. You set out an hour and pray fajr, uhr, ar, maghrib, ish. This is not practical. The other position is that you need to make a lot of voluntary prayers. This is the position of Ibn Taymiyyah, and he said in Sharah, there is no proof that if you miss something intentionally you can make it up later on. You make it up only if you were sleeping or forgot about it. To leave the alh for no valid reason, there is nothing in Islam giving you the option to make it up later. Shaykh Uthaymn said that if someone missed the siym intentionally, you cannot make it up because you intentionally broke it. You have to repent to Allh and fast extra days and maybe Allh will forgive you. Shaykh Waleeds opinion is that you dont need to make up the days because you need to make tawbah and a lot of extra alh. 3. Can I pray while sitting in the car if there are no masjid close by and the prayer time is about to end? No. If it is an obligatory prayer, you are not allowed to pray in the car, and if you prayed in the car, then it is an invalid prayer. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Pray standing. All four madhhib said that standing in the alh is one of the pillars of the alh. You cant pray sitting unless you are riding on a ship or an airplane. You are not allowed to pray inside the car because it is a rukn in the alh to be standing. For voluntary prayers, it is allowed to pray sitting even if you can stand. In an airplane, you can pray sitting by qiys because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) gave permission to pray sitting on a ship. 4. Can I pray while wearing pants? If you are wearing tight pants and a shirt only to the waist: does the shirt cover all of the body and the pants cover all of the body? Is the neck covered? Yes, but the
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clothes are tight. There is almost consensus of the scholars that as long as the awrah is covered, the alh is valid. Some say it is disliked, but the alh is valid. This is referring only to praying like this and not going outside dressed this way. 5. I was too shy to let my family know that I was menstruating, so I prayed. What is the ruling regarding that? It is arm, and you should be shyer from Allh than your father or mother. It is arm to pray while you have your menses. The anafis are the strictest about this. The anafis said that if somebody prayed while they know they dont have wu, then this is kufr. 6. Can a female lead a boy who has not yet reached puberty in prayer? Can a young boy lead an adult female? Yes, you can lead him in the prayer. The boy can only lead the prayer if he hasnt reached puberty if he knows how to pray. He has to know what he does if he makes a mistake. 7. Can I stand beside my husband in prayer? No, stand behind him because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) prayed and Anas was behind him and his mother was behind him. If she prays next to him, the alh is valid, but the Sunnah is to stand behind. 8. What is the rule regarding carrying a baby with a dirty diaper during prayer? 9. When women line up for alh, should their bodies touch each other like in the mens lines? Yes, they should. It is not allowed to keep big spaces between people. 10. Ive seen some women praying uhr after Jumuah. Is there a basis for this practice? There is no basis for this. Some scholars said that since Jumuah is not obligatory for women and uhr is obligatory, then they have to pray uhr, but this understanding is not correct because if you pray Jumuah, then it is a replacement for uhr. If you pray both, then you have prayed 6 times in 24 hours, and by consensus Allh ordered five, so it is an innovation. The fuqah mentioned it and said it is a form of innovation. Imm al-Nawawi said there is a consensus amongst the scholars that if you pray Jumuah, it will be sufficient for you and you dont need to pray uhr. 11. Should a child passing in front of a praying person be prevented? There are 40 aadth in Bukhri that talk about the sutrah. In some of the aadth, it has to be the length of 2/3rds of an arm. You put it in front of you when you pray, and it is far from the place where you make sujd by the length of an arm. If anyone
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wants to pass in front of you, they must pass in front of this point. Anyone who tries to walk between you and the sutrah, you should stop them. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was once praying in a garden and a sheep came, and the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) moved closer to the wall until the sheep passed behind him, and then he moved back. 12. Would a woman passing in front of another woman break her prayer? If a woman passes in front of another woman, there is consensus that she will not break the womans alh. If a woman passes in front of a man while he is praying, then it will break the mans prayer. The majority of the fuqah say that it will reduce the ajr of the alh, but this doesnt apply to a woman walking in front of another woman. Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If a woman, black dog, or donkey passes in front of a person who is praying will break the alh. This is a controversial adth. ishah (rayAllhu anha) was so angry when she heard this and said, May Allh forgive him, he is associating us with donkeys and dogs. ishah used to be lying down in front of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) while he was praying and it did not break the alh. But the adth is talking about a person walking. Other companions also narrated this adth. It is a valid adth. It doesnt invalidate the alh but reduces the ajr. Ibn azm took it literally and said it will break the alh. 13. At the aram in Makkah, people pass in front of those praying continuously due to crowding. Do passing women break prayer in such a scenario? The fuqah said that in Makkah, the ruling of preventing someone from passing in front of you and the sutrah is exempt. The ulem said that this applies to Madnah too because of the same reason. From this, ulem said if any overcrowded masjid will lead to harm the mualln, then the ruling of the sutrah is dropped and you can pass. In a case like this, you can pass in front of the person, and you dont stop them because of the small size of the masjid and people needing to go back to work. It makes it similar to Makkah and Madnah. Shaykh Bin Bz has a famous fatwa in regards to this as well. 14. Is it permissible for me to join prayers if I am at the mall or at work and there is no masjid close by? No, it is not an excuse to join the prayers unless it occasionally happens. For example, if you are a doctor and are in surgery it is allowed. If this is the default and every day you are joining the prayers, it is not allowed. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) joined the prayers without the reason of rain or traveling just to make it easy for the ummah. 15. ishah said, If the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) had witnessed what women are doing today, he would have prevented them from coming to the majid, as the
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women of Bani Isrl were forbidden from going to their places of worship. (Muslim) What does this narration mean? Women were coming wearing perfume and not dressing properly. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Dont prevent women from coming to the masjid, and if they come to the masjid they should come tafilat (not wearing fancy dress). This doesnt mean you come with dirty clothes, but it means not to wear the really fancy clothes. 16. Do we have to have partitions between men and women in the majid? The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)s masjid did not have a partition between men and women. During the time of the abah, successors, and after, it was never known for there to be a partition. Does this mean that a partition is bidah? No. We dont worship Allh by the partition and we dont believe that alh with the partition is better. It is simply permissible. The partition is mainly meant for the benefit of the women so that they can have their privacy. When women came to make itikf at the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), they put up a tent and created their own partition. We shouldnt make a big deal of the issue on partitions. If the partition prevents women from seeing or hearing the imm, it is not allowed to have it. If they are praying in a place, they must be able to see and hear the imm or the people behind the imm. 17. If there is a partition in the majid, what would be the best line for women, the front or the back? If there is a partition, Shaykh Bin Bz said the front line is the best. If there is no partition, then the back is the best. 18. Must I have wu and wear ijb during sujdl-tilwah and sujdl-shukr? No, you dont have to. You can make these sujd without wu and without ijb and without facing the qiblah. 19. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) prevented women from wearing perfume when going to the majid. Does this apply to deodorants, body sprays, lotions with smells, etc.? No, this doesnt apply to deodorant. You are allowed to put lotions and body sprays if the smell wont travel far. Fuqah said that if you wear a type of perfume where the fragrance wont travel, then it is permissible. Ulem said that the perfume of the women will travel a distance that will be forbidden, but if it is meant for cleanliness, it is permissible. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said to the women when they take a shower, Take this musk and wrap your body with it, especially your private area,
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so that you will smell good. Women will go outside after that. It is like shampoo or body lotion. From this, we say that any perfume in body lotion, soap, or shampoo is permissible. 20. Do the adth that mention rewards for remaining in dhikr after prayer apply to women praying at home? Imm Mlik said yes. For example, it has been narrated that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever prays fajr in jamaah and stays in his place and makes dhikr until after the sun is up, then he receives the reward of Umrah. This applies to women who pray at home too. You can pray in a place where there are pictures up (i.e. in a university). The evidence is that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) prayed at the Kabah with so many idols around, and the abah also prayed. You are not allowed to pray to the picture. Issue of women leading the prayer: Can a woman lead men in the prayer? No scholar ever said that it is permissible for a woman to lead the Jumuah prayer. Ghazalah from the Kharijites is the only woman to do this. Other than Jumuah, there is a difference of opinion. A great Shfii scholar al-Muzari and al-abari and Abu Thaw said that it is allowed for a woman to lead men in prayer. Imm Amad said it is allowed only in tarw if she lives in an area where no one has memorized much of the Qurn. She can lead men from behind while she is with the womens lines. No one amongst those scholars said that she goes in front of the men. While she is behind them, she prays with a loud voice and makes takbr and they follow. This position is not correct. Their position is based on the following evidence: there is no proof to prevent women from leading prayer. But there is a proof. 1. There was never a single incident amongst the companions where a woman led the prayer of men. The mothers of the believers never did this. This shows that it is not allowed. 2. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said if a woman passes in front of a man, then it reduces the alh, so what about if she leads the prayer? 3. The best line for women is in the back. They say that there is a adth reported by Abi Dwd that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) gave a woman permission to lead her family members in prayer. They say men, but family may mean men. Also, this is a specific situation, and permission was just given to her. Also, this narration has some unknown narrators, so this adth is considered weak. Review: True or False: It is narrated that Imm Amad allowed women to lead men in prayer (uhr, ar, etc.) as long as she knows more Qurn than the men. Answer: False. He said she could lead in tarw only. In regular prayer, it can be led by someone who recites Sratl-Ikhl, which most people know. Al-abari said that
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generally speaking she is allowed to lead men and women in the prayer, but there is a condition: she has to lead from the back. Debate requires more skills than knowledge. You may have less knowledge but can win a debate. True or False: It is not allowed for women to call dhn. Answer: False. She is allowed to call dhn amongst sisters and in her house. Ibn Umar said, Who can prevent her from dhikr of Allh? If there are a group of sisters in the house and the dhn was called for ar. Should they pray individually or pray together? Answer: They can pray together. Is it recommended for them to pray in congregation, or can they pray individually? They can pray individually, but it is highly recommended for them to pray together. If men are together, they are not allowed to pray individually and have to pray jamaah. Jamaah is not wjib on women. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The ajr of praying in congregation is higher than praying by yourself by 24 times (another narration: 23 times, another narration: 27 times).
D) The Rulings Related to al- Janiz (Funerals) and al- idd (Mourning)
A woman is to be in the state of idd for four months and ten days. She is not to beautify herself or wear perfumes, and she may not get engaged or married during this time. Some scholars add that she is not allowed to leave the house of her husband unless there is a need.
And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind they, [the wives, shall] wait four months and ten [days]. And when they have fulfilled their term, then there is no blame upon you for what they do with themselves in an acceptable manner. And Allh is [fully] acquainted with what you do. (al-Baqarah, 2:234) It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allh and the Last Day to practice idd for more than three nights on a dead person, except for her husband, four months and ten days. (al-Bukhri) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, He who slaps the cheeks, tears the clothes and follows the traditions of the Days of Ignorance is not from us. (al-Bukhri)
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The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, A Muslim whose three children die before the age of puberty will go to Jannah. (al-Bukhri) In another narration, he was asked, Even two? He replied, Even two. He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also said, The niah (one who wails and screams loudly, usually accompanied by hitting the body and saying things that show extreme anger at al-qadar), if she does not repent before she dies, she will be brought on the Day of Resurrection in a dress of tar and an outer garment of scabs. (Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Allh does not punish because of the tears of the eyes or the sadness of the heart, rather he punishes or gives mercy because of this, and he pointed to his tongue. (Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) cried over the death of many of those who passed away during his lifetime. If a woman passes away, if her hair is long enough, it should be braided into three braids and placed behind her back. A woman is shrouded in five sheets, while a man is shrouded in three. Umm Aiyyah said, We were forbidden from following the funeral procession, but we were not prohibited from doing so. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) Al-Bukhri and al-Shfii stated that the dead body cannot be carried by women; it can only be carried by men during the funeral procession. An imm stands facing the middle of a womans body during her janzah prayer, as Samurah ibn Jundub described the Prophets prayer over a dead woman. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) When there are multiple dead bodies, they are arranged with males closest to the imm, then children, then women, as practiced by Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbs, and others. A woman visiting the graveyard is an issue of dispute among the scholars. Ibn Hajar said that the majority of scholars viewed it as permissible. In one narration, al-Imm Amad forbade it. Those who forbade women from going to the graveyard looked to the adth, Allhs curse is upon the female visitors of graves. Those who believe it is permissible consider this adth abrogated: Visiting the graves reminds you of death, so visit them. (Muslim) When ishah visited the grave of her brother Abdul-Ramn, she was asked regarding the prohibition, and she replied that they had been forbidden but were later given permission. (al-kim and al-Bayhaqi)
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Explanation of what the word idd means: idd is a period of time where the woman cannot get married and cannot get engaged. She spends the night in the house, and she doesnt wear any kind of jewelry. She doesnt wear makeup and she doesnt wear fancy clothes. The point is to purify herself. She avoids spending the night outside the house of her husband or the house of the person who passed away (her father, her brother). In the old days before Islam, idd also included things that Islam forbids such as hitting herself and weeping over the dead in a loud voice and talking about the virtues of the person who died and gathering people to weep. What is the period of time? For the woman who lost her husband, the Qurn is clear that it is 4 months and 10 days.

1. Can a woman stay in any house during idd, or must it be her home that she had shared with her husband? There is a difference of opinion amongst the companions. Ibn Abbs said that Allh ordered women in the Qurn to do idd and specified the time but not the location. He said that there is nothing in Islam that orders the woman to spend the 4 months and 10 days in the house of her husband. ishah also took this position and didnt believe that you have to spend the idd in the house of the husband. She went for Umrah with her sister Umm Kulthum bint Abi Bakr while Umm Kulthum was in her idd. Umm Kulthum left Madnah to go to Umrah while in her idd. She believed you dont have to spend the time in the house of the husband. This is also the position of amrl-muminn Ali b. Abi lib. Jbir b. Abdullh and Aa b. Abi Rabh also held this position. Umar b. al-Khab and his son Abdullh b. Umar and Abdullh b. Masd (the great faqh amongst the scholars) said she must stay in the house of her husband and is not allowed to leave. Umar heard about a woman traveling from Madnah to Makkah while in idd to make Umrah , and he sent an officer to escort her back to Madnah and stay in her home until she finished the idd. A woman said to Ibn Masd, Ya Abdullh, I get scared when I stay alone at home in my husbands house. Can I go outside and visit my friends? He said, Yes, you can go visit them in the day, but you come back in the night and stay at your husbands house. What is their evidence? - adth of Fariyah: She said, Ya Raslullh, my husband passed away and my family doesnt live in Madnah. Can I go to them? He said, Okay. Then he thought about it and called her back and said, No, go and stay at your husbands house. Jibrl had come and corrected him (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). Tirmidhi, Abu Dwd, Ibn Mjah. Abu anfah, Mlik, Shfii, Amad
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took this position because of this. She has to stay in her husbands house unless it is not safe. There is an interesting debate about the authenticity of the adth of Fariyah, and Allhu alam, it is a asan (sound, acceptable) adth, which is why Shaykh Waleed goes with the majority position that she stays in her husband house. 2. Can I go to work or school during idd? Yes, you are allowed to go to school and to work. Avoid jewelry, fancy clothes, and makeup. You are allowed to do your daily earning. You can go to the market to buy groceries. Ulem said that you should avoid things that are meant for entertainment. You dont go to the theater or mall just to go shopping. 3. Should one dress in black during idd? This has not ever been recorded in the Sunnah of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and was never followed by any of the companions or successors. In Islam, no color has been designated. 4. Can a woman be in idd over anyone other than her husband? The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) answered this question clearly and said, It is not allowed for a woman who believes in Allh and the Day of Judgment that she declares idd for anyone other than her husband for more than three days. Yes, it is allowed for a woman to be in idd over anyone other than her husband but not for more than three days. After three days, it is forbidden. 5. Can a woman in idd wear jewelry? No, she is not allowed to wear jewelry. Can a woman wear her wedding ring? Does she need to take it off? Wedding rings are not something women wear for the purpose of beautification, so Shaykh Waleed would be lenient with this. 6. Is it permissible for a woman to visit Prophet Muammads (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) grave and give him salm? This issue is part of a bigger issue: are women allowed to visit the graveyard? Ulem have a debate over this issue based on different evidence that was reported. The majority of the fuqah allow women to visit the graveyard. Their evidence: - The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) gave a general statement saying, I forbade you from visiting the graveyard and now I give you the permission to do so. This applies to men and women. If you are going to exclude women, then you need a proof. - There are so many examples of women going to the graveyard. ishah (rayAllhu anha) took permission from the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) to visit the grave of her brother AbdulRamn, and the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) granted her request. - The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) passed by a woman sitting next to the grave of her son or husband crying, and he told her, Be patient. She said,
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Stay away from me. You dont have what I have. (You are not experiencing what I am experiencing.) Later, people told her that was the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and she apologized. The point is that she was at the grave of her son or husband when the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) passed by. ishah (rayAllhu anha) narrated the adth of the du to say when you enter the graveyard in Bukhri. If she was taught this by the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and asked about this du, then it means it is allowed for women to visit the graveyard.
Some of the anbilah disagree and say that women are not allowed to visit the graveyard. They said: - When the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, I give you permission to visit the graveyard, it was an exception because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) stated clearly, Allh cursed those women who visit the grave often and those who write on the grave, and Allh curses those who put light or make fire next to the grave. - The graveyard is meant to be a place to remind of the khirah and not a place for men and women to gather together. The graveyard is small, and there would be mixing between men and women and women may be crying or in a position where some of her awrah appears. - Graveyards are deserted areas and far from the city, so there is the possibility of women being attacked and bothered. - Many women cannot control their emotions, and they may start hitting themselves or weeping like in the days before Islam. - Women may come to the graveyard and cemetery dressed up because not everyone wears ijb and dresses properly. - It may have a negative impact on the woman. Islam wants you to remember the khirah and death, but it should not be in a negative way and should not make you depressed. Men are stronger emotionally. The only good point they have is the adth of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). This adth cannot be abrogated because it is attached to things that were never abrogated: writing on the graves, building over the graves, and putting light by the grave. These things have never been abrogated and are in one adth. Imm al-Qurtubi tried to reconcile between the two groups and said, The adth of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is related to the women who go often because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said zawwrt (the women who go a lot). If a woman goes a lot, then it is arm. As long as it is not a habit, it is permissible. Shaykh Waleed disagrees with this understanding. Why? We can ask everyone who agrees with this a simple question: What is the ruling in relation to visiting the graveyard? Which one of the five categories does it fall into? A recommended act. When you do a recommended act many times, then it should lead to the love of Allh and not the curse of Allh. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that
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Allh said, My servant will continuously offer voluntary good deeds until I will love my servant. If you do something recommended and will be cursed, then it goes against a fundamental principle in Sharah. This is not a good way to reconcile between the evidence. Shaykh Waleed holds the opinion that it is not allowed for a woman to go to the graveyard. ishah (rayAllhu anha) asked permission to go to the graveyard to visit her brother, which means it is not allowed and she needed an exception. Also, the incident in which the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) passed by the woman who was next to the grave of her son was a single incident, and rules are not derived from an incident like this. We dont leave a clear text for an incident with unknown circumstances. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) chose the right time to educate people. It was just one incident, and a general rule for permissibility cannot be derived from it. Both opinions are very respected. The grave of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is not a cemetery, and also, you cannot visit it because it is isolated from the public by four walls. Women are allowed to go and say salm to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). It is different from going to the funeral and witnessing it. 7. Ive heard the adth, The dead is punished by the weeping of his family over him. Is this adth authentic and what does it mean? Yes, this adth is authentic. The adth is reported in Bukhri and Muslim by Ibn Umar. When ishah heard this, she said Ibn Umar is wrong and the adth is that the kfir will be punished by the weeping of his family over him. This was said in relation to a Jewish lady who had passed away. She said, How can the mumin be punished by the sin of someone else? Then she recited the verse: You should not be responsible for someone elses actions. If she uses this verse as a basis of her argument, she should not say only the kfir will be punished in the grave for the weeping of his family. If you cannot bear the consequences of this action, then this applies to all humans and not Muslims. Therefore, the ulem said, If this is the basis of her argument, she should not say that this applies only to the kfir. We should say that no one is punished in the grave over the weeping of a family member. Ibn Umar was not the only one who heard the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said this. What does the adth of Ibn Umar mean? It was part of Arab culture that when someone dies, he designates some money to hire family members or others or to encourage the wife or daughter to weep and hit themselves with a loud voice. They thought that the louder they were, then the better person they were. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that if this were their request, then they would be punished in their grave. This adth came to deal with a certain culture at that time.
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This adth applies to the following: - Someone who requested this in his will - Someone who knows his family will do this and never disapproved of it or never wrote in his will to not do it. He will be punished for not fulfilling his rights to educate his family members. There is another twist to the adth. The scholars said, The dead person will not be punished but will suffer just like the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said traveling is a suffering (adhb). The dead person will suffer when his family members weep over him because he will hear them weeping and will wish that he could communicate with them to tell them not to, especially the mumin. He will be hurt by their sadness, weeping, and crying over his death. Linguistically, this meaning is possible. Ibn Hajar, al-Nawawi and other scholars mentioned this understanding of this adth. It is allowed to cry over the dead person. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) cried when his son Ibrhm and his daughters and his friends passed away. In one narration, it is said that his tears were like rain when he buried Uthmn b. Madhn. 8. Is it permissible for a menstruating woman to wash a dead body? Yes, it is permissible. There is no proof to prevent such a woman from doing this. Imm al-Nawawi said it is permissible even if a woman has janbah. Imm Mlik disliked a woman in janbah to do this, but there is no evidence. Al-asan al-Bari preferred that she doesnt but there is no proof. She is allowed because she is hir. 9. Can a person wash his/her spouse? The majority of the Muslim jurists said you are allowed to wash your spouse after death. This is the opinion of Imm Mlik, Imm Shfii, and Imm Amad. They said it is allowed for a man to wash his spouse because of the following evidence: The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) told ishah (rayAllhu anha), Ya ishah, if you die, I will wash your body and pray on you. ishah said, If we go back in time, no one will wash the body of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) except his wife. When the wife of Abu Bakr died, he washed her body, and this was during the time of the abah and no one objected to it. Ali washed the body of his wife Fimah. Abu Msa al-Ashari washed his wifes body when she passed away. Abu anfah said it is not allowed. Sufyn al-Thawri also said it is not allowed to wash the body of your spouse. Why? They said that the moment she dies, she is no longer his wife any more. Their logic is that if she dies, then the husband is allowed
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to marry her sister the next day, and a man is not allowed to marry two sisters at the same time. Refutation: There is a problem when you leave textual evidence and have only logic like this. Marrying her sister does not change the fact that she was your wife. Because she is dead, you are allowed to marry her sister. Allh says in the Qurn, You inherit half of what your husband left. Even though he passed away, Allh still calls him zawj. Your spouse will be your husband/wife in Jannah. 10. Can a woman wash the body of maram male relatives other than her husband and vice versa? Can you wash the body of your sister or mother? Yes, it is permissible. This is the position of Imm al-Awzai and Imm Mlik. Many scholars mention the permissibility of these things because there is no proof to forbid them from doing this. He is her maram. Imm Amad and Imm Abu anfah said it is not permissible and that your mother, sister, daughter should be handled by a female and not by you (a male). Their proof: when the Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) daughters died, he did not wash their bodies. He let females handle their bodies, but this is not a proof. Just because he didnt do it does not mean it is not allowed. Ibn Qudmah (a anbali scholar) said that this is not a very strong argument. Shaykh Waleed believes it is permissible to do so if there is a need for it. 11. Can idd apply to men? No, it only applies to women.
E) The Rulings Regarding Zakh, adaqah, awm, and ajj

1. Zakh and adaqah
Zakh expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakh] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allh and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allh. And Allh is Knowing and Wise. (al-Tawbah, 9:60)
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When Allh (subna rabbi al-ala) described those who give for the sake of Allh, He did not mention only the male donors. He (subna rabbi al-ala) mentioned the males and females.
Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allh often and the women who do so - for them Allh has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. (al-Azb, 33:35)
Indeed, the men who practice charity and the women who practice charity and [they who] have loaned Allh a goodly loan - it will be multiplied for them, and they will have a noble reward. (al-add, 57:18) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Oh women, give in charity, for I have seen you as the majority of the people of the Hellfire. They asked, What is the reason? He replied, You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. (alBukhri) Zaynab, the wife of Ibn Masd, once said to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), I heard you encouraging women to give in charity today, and I was going to do so with some jewelry that I own, but Ibn Masd claimed that the best form of charity is to give it to him and his children. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) replied, Ibn Masd has spoken the truth. Your husband and your children are the most deserving of your charity. (al-Bukhri)
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The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Every single day, there is an angel who says, O Allh give those who give for the sake of Allh a replacement. What is the replacement? Allh replaces the money with other money in the dunya and with reward in the hereafter. There are two replacements. You give one thing and you get double. There is an angel every day who says, O Allh give those who give for You a replacement. Allh gives two replacements: the reward in the hereafter and increase in money in the dunya. Those males and females who give for the sake of Allh are like someone who gives a loan to Allh. Why does the Qurn refer to adaqah as a loan? It means that you are going to get it back. There is a brother in Houston who said he was in a critical moment in his life and was about to take a loan with interest for his business, and he was so worried and scared because he knew it was arm. In the midst of this, he donated generously to the masjid when a adaqah opportunity came up. In less than 2 weeks, a contractor came during the I-10 expansion and said they wanted to put sand on his property and give him $500K. While they were dumping the sand on the land, another person came and asked to buy the sand from him. He made another $150K selling some of the sand. Give, and Allh will give you. There is no doubt about this. Anything you give for the sake of Allh, Allh promised you a replacement for it. Allh speaks to women and says, O women, give in charity. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, O women, give in charity. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If one of you cooks food, make sure you add more water to make more soup so you can donate the soup to your neighbor. You should be giving every day. Ayyb al-Suhktiyni said, When I heard this adth, I used to give something every day even if it was an onion. One of the salaf said, If I couldnt find a poor person to give that day or if I had nothing to give, I would feed the ants with part of a cookie. This was his adaqah for the day. Make this something on a daily basis. Make a commitment that you give something for charity every day.

1. Can I give zakh to my parents, husband or children? There is a debate amongst the scholars on this. The vast majority of Muslim scholars among the four madhhib said no. This is the position of Imm Amad. Other scholars allow giving the zakh to your parents. Can you give your zakh to your parents or children? The majority of the Muslim scholars said no. Ibn Taymiyyah and other scholars said it is permissible to give zakh to your parents or children because there is no proof to forbid you for doing this as long as they deserve the zakh. Females are not obligated to support them
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financially. Even if you have to support them financially, you can give them from the zakh after you support them financially. If your parents dont make any money, and you want to support them and you give them money but it will not cover their debt, and at the end of the year you have to give your zakh, then your parents are the best people to benefit from it. In a case like this, you should. The Qurn is very general about the categories (the maskn). Also, Ibn Masds wife came to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and said, Ya Raslullh, Ibn Masd said he and our children deserve our zakh. Should I give them? He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Yes. One condition: you cannot do this as a trick to get your money back. You cannot deceive Allh (subnahu wa tala). This is the strongest opinion and Allh knows best. 2. Do I have to get permission from my husband if I want to give charity from my own money? The strongest opinion amongst the scholars is no, you dont have to take permission to give. Some scholars say you have to, but there is no proof for that. Also, there is evidence against taking permission. When the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) advised women to give adaqah on d, they started taking off their jewelry and did not ask permission. Exception: if you know your husband has a problem with an individual or organization. 3. Do I have to get permission from my husband if I want to give charity from his money? No, you dont with one condition: you cannot give from his money in a way that can harm him financially. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If a woman gives from her husbands money without his permission and without harming him financially, both take the ajr. [Bukhri and Muslim] 4. If my husband gives zakh on my behalf, would that be sufficient? Yes, it is sufficient. 5. Is zaktl-fir obligated on me or on my wali? It is obligatory on you if you live independently and in your own house. If you live with your father, then he is responsible. What if you work and still live with your father? Your father is still responsible. If you want to give it, then that is fine. 6. Do I have to give zakh on dowry which I have not yet received? No. Zakh is only given on the money you possess. This is the strongest opinion. There is another famous opinion amongst the scholars that says they differentiate between someone rich and capable of paying you back and someone who is not. Shaykh Waleed believes that this opinion is not very strong because even if you are
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rich, you can be broke in no time. Wait until you receive the money and then give the zakh. Dont give zakh on money you dont have access to. 7. Do I have to give zakh on the jewelry that I use? Yes, you have to give zakh on the jewelry you wear according to Umar b. alKhab, Ibn Abbs, Ibn Masd, Abdullh b. Umar, Jfir, Sad b. al-Jubayr, Ibn Sirn, Aa, Imm al-Zuhri. It is the position of Imm Amad, Imm Abu anfah, and so many Muslim jurists. Imm Shfii, the Mlikis, and a long list of scholars from the companions and other than the companions like Ibn Umar, Asm bint Abi Bakr, ishah, Isq b. Rahaway, and others say that you dont give zakh on the jewelry that you use. Those who say that you give zakh on the jewelry you use say that the Qurn doesnt differentiate between the jewelry you use and possess. The Qurn says, Those who possess gold and silver and dont give zakh on it will be punished on the Day of Judgment. The Qurn and aadth never differentiate between the gold you use and gold you have as an investment. If a woman is not supposed to give zakh, then the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) would have at least once said this because it is something that needs to be taught, and the role of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was to teach the Muslims. Because of this, you must give zakh on the gold you use. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) on two different incidents saw women wearing gold and asked them if they give Allhs rights over the gold, and they said no, and he said, Would you like Allh to replace it with rings of fire? They said no and took it off and gave it in zakh. When the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Allhs rights over the gold, he meant the zakh. The other group said it is exempt from qiys. They said that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, You dont give zakh on the ride you use or the house you live in or the clothes that you wear. Anything that you use, you do not give zakh on. They said, similarly, if the gold is something that you use, you dont give zakh on it. Can the qiys or logical evidence be used against clear texts? No. The Shfiis and Mlikis said, Where is the clear text? In the incident of the women wearing gold bracelets, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) did not ask if they had met the nib or had it for a hijri year. This means that what he is talking about is not necessarily zakh. It is not a clear text. These two opinions are well respected among the scholars. Shaykh Waleed goes with the opinion of giving zakh on the jewelry that is worn. 8. If I dont have cash to give zakh on my jewelry, what should I do? You can delay the zakh until you get cash. For example, if you have a business and dont have the cash, then you can delay it until you are able to pay it. Most ulem
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said that you can give it in advance and delay it a little. If you dont have any at all, then you can sell your jewelry. Jewelry means gold and silver only. You dont give zakh on stones. What about white gold? It depends. Sometimes white gold refers to platinum. There is no zakh on platinum. 2. Fasting:
Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you [all], would substitute for him wives better than you - submitting [to Allh], believing, devoutly obedient, repentant, worshiping, and sit (traveling/fasting) - [ones] previously married and virgins. (al-Tarm, 66:5) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) divorced afsh and he was told by Jibrl that Allh ordered him to take her back, for she was one who fasted and prayed frequently. (Al-kim in al-Mutadrak) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Fasting is a protection and absolute fortification from the Hellfire. (Amad) Whoever fasts one day for the sake of Allh, Allh will keep his face safely away from the Hellfire at a distance of 70 years. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) It is not permissible for a woman who is menstruating or experiencing post-natal bleeding to fast. It is permissible for a woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding to refrain from fasting during Raman. It is not permissible for a woman to fast a voluntary fast without her husbands permission unless she knows that he would not mind. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, A woman should not fast while her husband is present except with his permission. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) It is permissible for a woman to taste food during fasting without swallowing it. It is permissible for a woman to perform itikf at the masjid during Raman with the permission of the wali provided that safety is ensured, because the Prophets wives did itikf with him as reported by al-Bukhri.
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3. ajj: The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Islam was built on five pillars: ...And the pilgrimage to the House. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) ishah said, O Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), we hear that jihd is the best of deeds. Should we not then participate in jihd? He said, No, but the best jihd is a pure, accepted ajj. (al-Bukhri) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, When a woman is in the state of irm, she may not wear niqb or gloves. (al-Bukhri) If a woman typically veils her face, then she should cover it with other than niqb when non-marams are present. ishah said, When men passed by us, we would lower our covers over our faces, and when they left, we would lift them. (Amad) There is no obligation upon the menstruating woman or the woman with postpartum bleeding to perform the farewell awf, according to the authentic narration from Ibn Abbs, may Allh be pleased with him, who said, The people were ordered (i.e. by the Prophet) to make their last commission (the circumambulation of) the house (of Allh), except that this has been removed as an obligation upon the menstruating woman. (al-Bukhri and Muslim)

1. What are the rulings regarding the days of Raman I missed and didnt make up when I was younger? If you missed them intentionally, then you cannot make them up. Instead, repent and fast extra fasts. Otherwise, try to figure out the maximum number of days missed and make those up. 2. I dont remember the number of days I missed during Raman. What should I do? Go with the maximum number of days you think. If you are not sure about 5 or 6 days, then you are certain about 6 and doubtful about 5. Go with the higher number. It is recommended to write down the number of days you miss so that you dont forget. 3. Do I have to make up my missed fasts from Raman as soon as I can? No, you dont have to. ishah (rayAllhu anha) used to make up the missed days 10 months after Raman. 4. What should I do if Raman begins and I have not yet made up all the days I missed from the previous year? - Repent to Allh (subnahu wa tala) because this is a sin. - After Raman finishes, immediately start making up the days from the last year. - Ibn Abbs said that you feed one miskn (poor person) for each day.
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5. What should pregnant and breastfeeding women do in relation to the days that they miss? There are 3 positions amongst the Muslim scholars: 1) Some ulem said that a woman like this is only required to make up the days. She can divide them over a few years. She tries her best to finish them. There is no penalty. 2) She doesnt need to make up her days from breastfeeding or being pregnant. She needs to feed a person a full meal for each day. 3) Ibn Abbs, the anbilah: If she breaks her fast because she is worried about herself, then she only needs to make up the days. If she breaks the fast because she is worried about the child, she makes up the days and gives a meal for each day. If she is worried about herself, then she takes the ruling of someone who is sick, so she only has to make up the day later. If she is worried about the child, then she makes up the days because she missed a day so she needs to make it up, and she has to pay because Ibn Abbss proof is from the verse that in the beginning fasting Raman was an option. A person could fast or if they didnt, then they could feed a person a fidya for each day missed you are capable of making siym but you choose not to, so you pay a fidya. Ibn Abbs believed that this was never abrogated and kept for cases like those who are breastfeeding or pregnant. Shaykh Bin Bz and Shaykh Uthaymn follow this opinion. Shaykh Waleed doesnt think this is the strongest opinion because you dont make up one thing by doing two things in the Sharah. It goes against the norm in the Sharah. Shaykh Waleed follows the opinion that all she needs to do is feed one person as replacement and doesnt need to fast. This is the opinion of so many scholars. 6. Does a woman carry the penalty of having intercourse during fasting in Raman or only the husband? There is a debate about this. This penalty doesnt apply to a woman unless she forced her husband into this action. Why? When a man told the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) about the incident, he ordered the man to do certain things, but he didnt tell the mans wife to do the same. The penalty was directed towards the man. Ulem say that this is unless she forced him into it then both would have to carry the penalty. 7. Can I eat and drink openly while not fasting for a reason such as menses during Raman? Traditional fiqh books say that you cannot eat openly in the street, but this refers to in the Muslim world. In front of your children, you are allowed to eat or drink. Some women think that they cannot eat or drink while they are on their menses in Raman, but what is the point of not fasting if you are not going to eat or drink?
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In America, it doesnt apply unless you do it in front of the masjid or community. It is disrespectful to eat in a place where there are a lot of Muslims who are fasting. 8. Can I fast the 6 days of Shawwl or Arafah or shr before making up my missed days from Raman? The vast majority of scholars say no. It has been recorded in the aadth that there is ajr for fasting the 6 days of Shawwl. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If you fast Raman and then follow it with the 6 days of Shawwl, it is as if he fasted the year. If you dont fast all of Raman, then this adth doesnt apply. Refutation: Women will not be able to get this reward. When the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said fasting Raman, he meant fasting the days they are capable of fasting. If you miss days in Ramaan because you are traveling or because of your menses, then fast them later on any time in the year, and you still deserve the title that you fasted Ramaan. If you fast any six days after Raman, then you reach the same conclusion of the reward of fasting a year. There is no logic to make it must on the woman to fast the 6 days of Shawwl after she makes up all the days. Even if she fasted all the days except for the days of her period, she still deserves the title of fasting Raman. She broke the days with a valid excuse. The only logic they use is that they can count 360 (each of the days counts as 10). It is not allowed to join the two intentions of fasting the day of Shawwl and making up for Raman. If you fast Arafah, most of the ulem said that you have to have one intention only: only Arafah or only a day to make up of Raman. 9. Must I take permission from my husband to perform ajj? No. Ulem said that your husband has no power to prevent you from going to ajj. The permission of the husband to go for ajj is not a must. He does not have the power to stop you from ajj. This doesnt mean your husband comes home and finds a sticky note saying, I left for ajj. The Muslim jurists say that he doesnt have the power to prevent you from going. The four madhhib agreed upon this. 10. Can I travel to ajj without a maram? This is related to the issue of traveling without a maram for a reason. Imm Mlik, Imm Shfii, and one opinion among the madh-hab of Imm Amad said yes, it is allowed for a woman to travel without maram for a valid reason (ajj, Umrah ) with the condition that she will be safe and secure during her travel. Evidence: during the time of Uthmn b. Affn (rayAllhu anhu), ishah (rayAllhu anha) traveled with a group of women and not all of them had their marams. The only man with them was Abdul-Ramn b. Awf who is not a maram to ishah or the other women. This was with the approval of Uthmn (rayAllhu anhu) and abah witnessed this and did not object. Ulem said that because of this narration, they allowed traveling without maram if there is a need and the company of women and a safe and secure environment.
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You cannot compare ajj and Umrah to traveling to a place like Vegas or Hawaii. 12. Is my husband obligated to take me to ajj? No, he is not, but it is a good thing to do. 13. Are there any special requirements for clothing of irm for women? No, there are no specific colors. The irm must cover your body. You cannot wear niqb while in irm. If you want to cover your face, then you put a piece of cloth on the head that can be folded over to cover. 14. Can I perform ajj before I am married? Yes, you can. ajj is one of the pillars of Islam, and marriage is not a pillar of Islam. 15. How should a woman cut her hair when ending irm? If she has short hair, she can cut from the front and sides. If her hair is in a braid, she cuts the length of the tip of the finger. 16. Can a woman raise her voice with talbiyah? Mlik, Shfii, al-Awzai said that she cannot say it out loud. Some of the fuqah like Ibn Abdul-Barr said there is agreement amongst the fuqah that she should not. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) encouraged us to raise our voice in talbiyah. If you say that women cannot, then what is the reason? They said that it could be fitnah. Refutation: What kind of fitnah is this? This is too much to say that it is fitnah. ishah (rayAllhu anha) raised her voice with talbiyah and men heard her making talbiyah. Many fuqah disagree and say that she can raise her voice with the talbiyah. If she finds herself in a situation where there could be fitnah, then she shouldnt, but generally speaking, she can. 17. Is it recommended for a woman to walk fast during specified sections of awf and say? ishah (rayAllhu anha) said, O women, we made ajj with the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and we never ran in this portion while men did. Dont do something of your own. Thats how we made ajj and how the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) approved it). Ibn Umar said the same thing as well.
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Chapter Three: The Rulings Related to Clothing and Beautification

You cannot say something is arm unless there is a proof. The realm of all is much bigger than the realm of all when it comes to dressing and beautification. Some people make it seem like there are no choices. In business transactions, people also make everything arm except for a few things, which is wrong. At the same time, when you live in a corrupt society, people always look for the arm. Look at the bigger picture, which is the all. Matters are by their objectives and intentions. Some things are allowed except when the intention is bad. For example, you can dye your hair or wear colored contacts, but it is not allowed if it is done to deceive and seduce. The default rule when it comes to any kind of clothing and making and jewelry is that it is all unless there is a proof to say otherwise. One of the ultimate goals of the Shayn is to expose our awrah. Shayn loves to expose the awrah. One of the ultimate goals of Sharah is to help us to control our desires. Everyone has the desire to beautify herself. It is something natural, and every woman is proud of her beauty, but it should not control us. We should control our desires. Dont let our desires control us. We are human beings and mumin, and we control our desires. Remember to control the desires and not spread fishah in the community.
A) General Guidelines Regarding Clothing and Beautification

The goals and principles of Sharah that govern this area are: 1. Prohibition (Tarm) and Permissibility (Tall) are sole rights to Allh.
And do not say about what your tongues assert of untruth, This is lawful and this is unlawful, to invent falsehood about Allh. Indeed, those who invent falsehood about Allh will not succeed. (al-Nal, 16:116) 2. The realm of all is vast and options are plenty. There is no need to delve into the arm or doubtful matters.
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3. Matters are by their objectives and intentions. 4. The default ruling regarding clothing and beautification is that all is permissible except that which is prohibited in the Sharah. 5. One of the goals of Sharah is to cover awrt, and one of the goals of Shayn is to expose them.
But Satan whispered to them to make apparent to them that which was concealed from them of their private parts. He said, Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal. (al-Arf, 7:20) 6. One of the goals of Sharah is to establish modesty and morality in society. 7. The Sharah rules are intended to help a person control his/her desires and channel them in the right direction, not to be controlled by them. 8. Of the goals of Sharah is beauty, for Allh is Beautiful and Loves beauty. 9. The presence of difficulty requires that allowances be made to effect ease. 10. One must not imitate non-believers or evildoers (fsiq) in what is known to be specific to them. Imitation on the exterior level often affects the interior. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) saw two red garments on Abdullh b. Amr b. al-, so he said to him, This is among the dress of the non-believers, so take it off. (Muslim) 11. A woman must not imitate what it specific to males and vice versa. 12. Common culture is a reference, as long as it is within the guidelines of Sharah. 13. The Sharah came with rulings to block the means to arm. Saddl-dhar, closing the door against possibility of committing illegal things. Sometimes a permissible act may be forbidden by the law because it leads or may most probably lead to illegal actions. 14. Extravagance and wasting money are prohibited in the Sharah.
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O children of dam, take your adornment at every majid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess. (al-Arf, 7: 31) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Eat and drink and dress and give in charity without excessiveness or arrogance. (al-Nasi) 15. Wasting time is prohibited in the Sharah. Allh is Beautiful and loves beauty. Sometimes when people become religious, they dont care about their beauty anymore or think that they dont need to look beautiful. Beauty is one of the goals of the Sharah. Be beautiful from the inside and outside.
B) Rulings Regarding Womens Clothing

ijb was made obligatory upon believing women once they reach the age of puberty.
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 Allh Forgiving and Merciful. (al-Azb, 33:59)
And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. (al-Azb, 33:33)
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The scholars have mentioned the following conditions regarding ijb: 1) The garment itself must be intrinsically lawful. 2) It covers the body, with a difference of opinion among the scholars regarding the face and hands, and Abu anfah and one narration of Mlik adds the feet. Abu Ysuf also added the lower arm. 3) It may not be transparent or tight so that it details any part of the body. 4) It cannot be particularly eye-catching. 5) It should not resemble clothing that is specific to non-Muslims, evildoers (fsiq), or men. 6) It may not be perfumed. 7) It should not be a dress of shuhrah (something that makes a person ostensible). The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, He who wears a garment of shuhrah, Allh will dress him in a garment of humiliation and Fire. (Abu Dwd) Al-tabarruj is to display the beauty that Allh commanded be covered in public, and this act is a sin in Islam. When Umaymah bint Ruqayqah pledged allegiance to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) in Islam, he said, I will take your pledge that you will not commit shirk, that you will not steal, that you will not commit adultery, that you will not kill your child, that you will not make a false claim, that you will not wail (in mourning), and that you will not display your beauty as was the display of the former times of ignorance. (Amad) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Of the people of Hell, there are two types whom I have never seen: The one possessing whips like the tail of an ox and they flog people with them. The second one, the women who would be naked in spite of their being dressed, who are seduced to wrong paths and seduce others with their hair high like humps. These women would not get into Paradise and they would not perceive its odor, although its fragrance can be perceived from such and such distance. (Muslim) He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also said, The example of the one who flaunts her beauty to other than her family, she will be in complete darkness with no light on the Day of Resurrection. (al-Tirmidhi)
C) Beautification
The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Allh is Beautiful and He Loves beauty. (Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Ten things are part of the firah: Cutting the moustache, letting the beard grow, using siwk (tooth-stick), snuffing up water into the nose, cutting the nails, washing the finger-joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving the pubes and washing the private parts after relieving oneself. Zakariyya said, Muab said, I have forgotten the tenth but I think it was rinsing the mouth. (Muslim)
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The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever grows his hair should take good care of it. (Abu Dwd) Alqamah related that Abdullh said, Allh curses women who tattoo and are tattooed, women who pluck their eyebrows, and women who file their teeth to make gaps for beauty, altering Allhs creation! Why should I not curse those whom the Prophet, may Allh bless him and grant him peace, cursed when that is in the Book of Allh: So take what the Messenger assigns you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. (59:7) (al-Bukhri and Muslim) Hishm ibn Urwah related from his wife Fimah that Asm bint Abi Bakr said, The Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) cursed the woman who joins on hair and the one who has it joined on. (al-Bukhri) The wives of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) used to cut their hair short so that it came just past their ears. (Muslim) ishah said that a woman handed the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) a book from behind a curtain. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) did not take it right away and looked confused. The woman said, Oh, Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), why did you not take it? He asked, I did not know if this is the hand of a woman or a man. She said, A woman. He said, If it is, why did you not color your nails with henna? (al-Nasi) Cleanliness is of faith is not a statement of the Prophet. The meaning, however, is correct. Conditions for the ijb: 1) The garment must be lawful 2) It must cover the body. The majority of the fuqah said she can uncover her face and hand. Abu Yusuf said that the hand includes the part of the arm next to the hand because it is impossible to not cover this part. He made an exception for this because of the necessity and the Sharah cannot come with something where it is impossible to cover. In the past, the clothes didnt have buttons. 3) The anafis said the feet is not part of the awrah because it is like the hand. 4) The anbilah position and among the anafis: the women must cover her face when she is in public. Other scholars say it is only recommended. If you are in a situation where someone is staring at the beauty of your face, then you should cover your face. When you look at incidents of the abah, many show that the women during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) cover and uncover their face. No one amongst the Muslim scholars said it is arm or bidah to cover the face.
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5) Women should uncover the face for the purposes of identifying themselves. Imm Amad did not allow the munaqqabah to buy and sell in the market so that she can be identified. She has to remove her niqb when buying and selling. The buyer has the right to ask her to remove the niqb so that he knows who he is buying from. She can remove the niqb in front of a police officer (even male) so that she can be identified.
Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What is the awrah of a woman in front of another woman? Can I remove my ijb in front of a non-Muslim? The awrah is the part of the body that must be covered. Is there a difference between a Muslim and non-Muslim woman? The ulem debated over this. The vast majority of the early scholars said there is a difference, and a woman is not allowed to show her awrah to a non-Muslim woman and must keep the ijb on. The vast majority of the later scholars took the opposite position. The jamhr later on disagreed with it. In books of tafsr, they said it was impossible to be practiced today. Those ulem were living in a Muslim country 700 years ago and said it was impossible to follow this. What does the Qurn and Sunnah say? For those who say you cannot take your ijb off in front of the non-Muslim, they say the Qurn says, Women should not show their beauty in front of anyone except their fathers and husbands. What does their women mean? Does it mean the women who are muminah and Muslimah like them or does it mean same gender? Some say it means the muminah like them and others say it means from the same gender. The stronger opinion is that it refers to the gender, which is female. Why? If you say it means muminah like them, then it means you cant take off your ijb in front of a fsiqah. Also, referring to the gender goes more with the language of the Qurn. How did the companions interpret this verse? Ibn Abbs and companions and successors talk about this. Every single narration that talks about women not being allowed to show her awrah in front of the non-Muslim mention two things: 1) When women go to the ammm (a public place with hot water where women would take off their clothes and get washed). The non-Muslims ran these businesses, which is why the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, It is not allowed for a woman to believe in Allh and go to the ammm. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, A woman is not allowed to take off her clothes in the ammm. The adth are talking about the public place where people would take off their clothes. Because of this, the salaf were very strict about not showing their awrah, which is the strict awrah of the private parts. 2) The narration that says we arent allowed to use a non-Muslim midwife. You are not allowed because she will see the mughalalah awrah. Mughalalah is the
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awrah that you should absolutely cover, the major awrah. The minor awrah is your hair and your arms, etc. Later, some of the Muslim jurists referred to socialization because the non-Muslims may describe the woman to non-maram men. Doesnt this also apply to Muslim females as well? Yes, therefore it has nothing to do with Muslims and non-Muslims. Take your ijb off in front of Muslim and non-Muslim women after educating them if you think she will respect it. What can be shown in front of another woman? - What you usually show at home. This is the word Imm Amad and Awzai used, but this is relative. Znatahun means the part of the body that displays your beauty, or you display on it something that beautifies you like your face, hair hands, feet, or legs. Or it means an area that you use to display something to beautify you like the upper part of your neck. In the old days women would put something on the upper part of the arm. Ulem say you are not allowed to show your thigh, back, or stomach in front of other women. - The majority of the fuqah said the awrah of the woman in front of another woman is the awrah to the knees. This is the position of the four madhhib. Their proof is that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The man cannot look at another mans awrah, and a woman cannot look at another womans awrah. They said that because this is all in one adth, they made analogy that the awrah of the man in front of another man is the same as the awrah of a woman in front of another woman. Refutation: This analogy is not really clear. The yah is clear that the only thing you are allowed to show is where you show the zna, which is the area of your body where you display your beauty. Therefore, the other opinion is stronger. 2. What is the awrah in front of male relatives? Your hair, neck, arms. It is different when there is a teenage brother or if a father drinks alcohol, etc. Some girls are molested by male relatives. Dont take these things lightly. If you have a brother through breast milk, you dont show to him what you show to your mom or sister. What you show in front of your mother is not the same as what you show to your father. Have modesty in general. 3. Do I have to wear a jilbb or abyah? Is it okay to wear a skirt or pants with a long shirt or jacket? Is dressing in shalwr kamz sufficient? Shalwr kamz is permissible because it is loose and covering. It has always been commonly accepted by the ulem as long as the conditions of ijb are met. Do you need a jilbb or abyah? It means clothes you cover your clothes with. There is nothing in Sharah that requires this. Nobody in Shaykh Waleeds opinion could bring a clear evidence to say that a woman must have double or three layers of clothes on. ijb in Sharah is what meets the conditions of being loose, covering the body, something not revealing and not tight. If this can be achieved by one
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piece of garment or two pieces of garment, then it is fine. If she is wearing a long dress that covers her body, then she doesnt need another long dress on top to make a double layer there is no proof for this. In the old days, they had one piece of cloth and covered the entire body. Jilbb is one piece that goes from the top all the way down and covers the entire body. Women were known to wear the kamz (long shirt) during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), and she would wear an izhar covering the lower part of the body, which is very close to what a skirt today is. There is no clear evidence to support wearing two layers as long as the body is completely covered in a way that is not tight and not revealing. If you wear pants and a long dress covering your private area and bottom and all the way to the thigh is fine. Women look down at other women who are not wearing an outer layer, which is so sad. A skirt and a long blouse meet the condition of the ijb. Some people ask, I will see the shape of her legs if she wears pants and a long shirt. Response: Even if she has an abyah, you know that she has legs. If you use this logic, then if she wears abyah, you will know the size of her hand and the shape. This is not an excuse to say that it is not allowed to wear pants and a long shirt. Modesty is something great and encouraged. You may be in a position where you have to go to work and be in a certain dress. Dont make things arm on you which are not arm in the Sharah. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) gave Usma b. Zayd some clothes, and he gave it to his wife. They was designer clothes made in Egypt. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Make sure that if she wears it, then she wears something to cover her private area because this may describe that area. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was worried about covering this part of the body being properly covered and not showing the shape. This shows that there is a certain emphasis on this part of the awrah, and you should make sure not to show it. 4. Does ijb have to be black or a dark color? At the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), women wore different colors. The default rule is that all colors are all. If someone says a color is arm, then they need to give a proof. At the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) women often wore black because it was culturally accepted but it doesnt mean that it is arm to wear something else.
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There are many evidences showing that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) approved of clothes and gave clothes that were not black. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) gave Umm Khlid, the woman from Abyssinia, a green dress. Bukhri has a chapter on women wearing clothes that are green in color. AbdulRamn b. Awf mentioned a story in which his wife was wearing green. Many books like the Msannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah and the Msannaf of Abdul-Razzq have an overwhelming number of narrations showing that the Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) wives in ajj and Umrah and on different occasions wearing different colors. Alqamah said he saw the Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) wife wearing red. There are other narrations where they wore yellow. 5. One of the conditions of ijb is that the clothing is not an attraction in and of itself. What is considered inherent beauty or attraction? Is it okay if it is glittery? Is it okay if it all matches in color and style? There are many fatwa online from Saudi Arabia that say it is arm, but it is related to the culture itself. This has to do with the culture because if you wear this in the street in Saudi, then people will look at you with a question mark. This is not the case in America. There is no problem in the culture here. There is a adth that a woman came to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and was complaining about her husband and she was wearing frilly clothes. Ibn Hajar commented and said it was a type of stylish clothing. She took a piece of lace on her clothes and was moving it. This shows that even at that time their dress had style. If this style is acceptable, then it is fine. If it is out of the ordinary, such as wearing a sombrero and has things on the sombrero, then it is not acceptable. Some people wear things that are very attractive, which defeats the purpose of the ijb. We are in a very colorful society, so sometimes wearing black can bring more unwanted attention than other colors would. Sometimes if you wear certain clothes in the masjid, it will bring more attention to you, and if you wear it in the mall, then it wont bring attention to you. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that when you come to the masjid, dont come with fancy clothes. Come in a modest way of dressing to the masjid. 6. Can I dress according to the latest fashion? Dont be a slave to fashion! The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, You should not be the one who blindly imitates others. Dont do or not do something just because of fashion. 7. Can I wear clothing made of animal leather or furs? Fur is allowed, but animals should be treated better than this. There is a debate amongst the scholars about leather. Most of the ulem said that pig leather even if tanned will not be pure (Mlikis, Shfiis, anafis). Dont use leather made of pigs.
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Many purses, shoes, and wallets are made of pig leather. To be completely safe, dont carry it while in the alh. Al-Zuhri and other scholars disagreed and said if it is tanned, then it is pure. Their evidence is that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that any skin if tanned is pure. Shaykh Waleed personally agrees with this opinion. Allh (subnahu wa tala) said that the pig is najas and impure. 8. Can I wear makeup in public? What about kohl or henna? Allh (subnahu wa tala) said, Women should not display their beauty in public. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The woman who goes outside displaying her beauty in front of the public men and women is in darkness on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, They are hypocritesthose women who on the end of the days display their beauty (wearing tight or see-through clothes). They are cursed by Allh and His Messenger and are in the Hellfire. [Bukhri] Would you walk through the gates of Jannah dressed like that? The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said women who dress this way will not smell the fragrance of Jannah. If it is full make-up, then it is not allowed to be displayed in public. There is no doubt about this. Make-up that is not meant for beautification as much as for covering blemishes and thatis not noticeable is allowed. At the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), women would sometimes wear kohl. Also, women during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) would usually have something similar to henna on (i.e. dying the hand with a color, which is a form of beautification available at that time). The anbilah have an interesting position about showing beauty in public. They said that it is allowed for a single woman who is about to get married to do that, but it is not allowed for a married woman to do it. They base their argument on a very weak adth and a very authentic adth. Weak adth: O women who have not been married, beautify yourself when you go out. It may bring Allhs rizq to you. [Sunan] There is an authentic adth in Bukhri: A man came to a woman in her iddah and she beautified herself and was about to leave, and he told her that her iddah had not finished yet so she could not go like that but the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) allowed her to go. She beautified herself before she left to signal that she was ready to get married. Some may say that maybe she was going to a womens gathering and was not going to be in the public.
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Beautifying yourself in public is not allowed. It is tabarruj and not allowed. A single girl usually takes care of herself more than married women. This is natural and normal, and it is okay as long as no laws are broken. Any extra makeup or strong makeup is not allowed in public. If it is makeup that covers something wrong on your face, then it is permissible. Any light makeup is allowed because women in the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) did this. Anything that does not stand out and is not very attractive or seductive is permissible. If it is very appealing and defeats the purpose of the ijb and people pay more attention to you because of the makeup, then it is not allowed. It is expected for single girls to care more about their appearance and look than others. It is a cultural and natural thing. 9. What is the ruling regarding going out in high heels? If the high heels make you walk in a way where the hips sway, then it is not allowed. If the heels are small, then there is nothing wrong with it. Your shoes dont need to be completely flat. If the heels change the way you walk, then it is not allowed in Islam. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The women who are dazzling while they are walking will not enter Jannah. You can wear high heels at home with your husband or to a sisters party / wedding. 10. Is dressing in traditional Chinese, Japanese, Native American, etc. clothing considered imitation? There is no restriction. It is not specific to them. There are so many of them that are Muslim. Also, their clothes have become a common trend. 11. What is the ruling regarding wearing jewelry that was originally associated with pagan beliefs? If this represents an idol, or pagan, or wrong belief, even if its not commonly used but this is the association, then it is not allowed. It is only permissible if the association is completely gone. 12. What is the ruling regarding wearing clothing that has images or crosses? If it has a cross, it is not allowed. You have to remove the cross. Whenever the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) saw a cross, he would change it and not keep it. If the cross is part of something else, then there is a debate. For example, a cross may be part of a flag. Those who allow it use the rule: If it is part of something else, then it is acceptable, but if it is by itself it is arm.
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Can you wear clothes with images? It depends on the image. It is not allowed to wear a picture of a celebrity on the shirt. If you are wearing the Lacoste trademark, then it is allowed because it is small and tiny. In a Muslim, as long as the picture or image is part of the clothes, it is allowed. 13. Am I allowed to buy clothes that I dont need? Many people buy clothes they dont need. Yes, it is permissible with one condition: you dont have israaf (wasting money). What does wasting money mean in Islam? Many people exaggerate in this area and think that anything you dont use is israaf. What is the concept of isrf? - To spend money on something arm, even if it is $1. Imm Amad said, [Isrf is] to spend it on something impermissible. - You spend money in something that has no benefit in at all. For example, throwing twenty cents in a fountain. This is arm in two ways: wasting money and making a wish in these circumstances. (Note: benefit can be psychological and entertainment) - You put the money in something that is not necessary / important while there is another area in your life that requires this money. For example, you buy an extra pair of shoes while you are in debt or while you are paying interest on a debt. You are spending money on a vacation when you couldnt pay the tuition for your childrens school. Your wife cannot have enough money to survive, and the husband spends money on luxuries. It is a form of isrf to spend money unnecessarily while there are necessities that are not met. - Ziydl-fishah: When you overspend. This is subjective from one family to another. For one person something may be considered isrf and it may not be isrf for another person depending on their income. A multimillionaire may spend $100,000 on a wedding, and it is nothing to them, but a person who earns $60K a year and spends $100K is wasting money, and this would be isrf. Imm Mlik had 200 turbans. He had about 300 pairs of shoes when he passed away. Imm Mlik would wear new clothes when narrating a adth to honor the aadth. If you like to buy a lot of clothes, purses, shoes, then Shaykh Waleeds advice is: donate your old things. Dont just accumulate things in your house. You are then fulfilling whatever desire you have in your heart, and other people are benefitting from your extra clothes. You have to know yourself, and Islam encouraged us to be modest in general. The society is driven by sexual lusts, and it is a big problem. The morality level is so low. The Shayn plays with peoples head and makes them feel like they did something good. Culturally if a woman walks out in her underwear it is something bad, but if she wears a bathing suit, it is acceptable. Things are upside down! Since Shaykh Waleed has come to America, he always asks Allh to always allow him to see what is right as right and to allow him to see what is wrong as wrong. The Shayn
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can make you see the most all things as backwards and the arm and evil things as right. Hudhayfah said, One of the signs of the Day of Judgment is that the Muslim in the morning will see the aqq as truth and by the night he will see the aqq as falsehood. In the morning, he will see the falsehood as falsehood, but by the night, he will see the falsehood as aqq. It will be completely switched. There are so many elements such as peer pressure and media that can make a person see things in a way that is completely different from reality. 14. What is the ruling regarding wearing unisex clothing? It is permissible to wear unisex clothes. 15. Is it permissible to wear shorts or swimming suits at a girls only pool party? You must maintain the awrah amongst women so what youre wearing must cover it. 16. Are Burkinis allowed in public? Can I swim with my clothes on? The Burkini by itself is not allowed to wear it in public because it is very tight. It can be used along with something on top of it (i.e. abyah or long dress). The problem with wearing clothes in the water is that when you get out of the water, the clothes are very tight. In a case like this, let your relative (husband, brother) get a towel ready for you and hand it to you when you get out of the water so that you can cover your body with it when you leave. Try to choose a place and time when it is not too crowded. 17. Is it permissible to dress in a way specific of evildoers (fsiqs) in front of my husband only? You can do whatever you want in front of your husband. Shaykh al-Albni was asked if a woman could wear a belly dancer outfit in front of her husband, and he said yes. 18. What is the ruling regarding wearing simple jewelry that can be seen, such as a ring, nose ring, or necklace over my abyah? Ibn Abbs said, The only thing that can appear from her is a ring. You should not wear a ring that stands out a lot (i.e. multicolored) because that is tabarruj. Shaykh Waleed doesnt support showing a lot of jewelry like necklaces because it is tabarruj. 19. Is it allowed to purchase gold or silver using a credit card? This is arm.
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20. Is it allowed to wear a nose ring or get a navel piercing or piercings in other areas in the body? Can I wear more than one earring? You can wear more than one earring. Nose rings are permissible. You can wear it in public because it is commonly accepted. Piercing can be dangerous and people can harm themselves. What about a navel piercing? It is not arm to do it, but it is something Shaykh Waleed dislikes. 21. What is the ruling on colored eye lenses? It is permissible. It is removable and like putting on lipstick. 22. Is it permissible to bleach my eyebrows? Yes, it is permissible to bleach your eyebrows. 23. Can I remove the hair above my nose that connects my eyebrows? Yes, you are allowed to do this because it is not considered part of the eyebrows that is forbidden to be removed. The fatwa committee in Saudi Arabia gave this fatwa. 24. What is the ruling regarding fake eyelashes or fake nails? This is a modern issue. The modern scholars have two opinions: - The majority of the ulem consider it arm because it is part of hair extensions, and the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) forbade attaching hair to your hair. - Shaykh Salman al-Ouda said and Shaykh Uthaymns son-in-law wrote an article on this and said it is not part of al-wal because it is a small amount of hair, and the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was referring to human hair. Also, they said that it is just extra beautification to the hair and no big change happens. Shaykh Waleed doesnt have a personal opinion on this. If she does it for her husband, he wouldnt be too strict about it. To wear it outside is part of tabarruj and can cause attraction. Fake nails are of two types: The nails that are very long and curved are arm because Islam forbade us from growing our nails for longer than 40 days. This is imitation of animals, and we are forbidden from imitating animals. There is another type that is put on the nails but they look fine. You can wear these during your period and can wear it during the night and remove it for fajr. You have to remove them to make wu for alh.
25. What is the ruling regarding cosmetic dentistry? You can use braces because Allh created you with perfect teeth and they can become misaligned. What is not allowed is filing the teeth to make them the same length. If the length of the teeth is normal, then it is not allowed to do this. If it is
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abnormal, then it is allowed. In the old days, they would make spaces between her teeth, but this is not allowed. 26. What is the ruling regarding using food for external skin care? For example, what if there is a mask made out of honey or olive oil? Yes, it is permissible because Allh (subnahu wa tala) said, Everything in this earth has been created for us to use it. 27. What is the ruling regarding cosmetic surgery? Ulem agreed that cosmetic surgery for correction is permissible by consensus. A companion lost the tip of his nose, and he asked Raslullh if he could replace it with a tip made of silver, and he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said yes. Then the companion said it smelled, so the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said to correct it with one made of gold. If someone is born with an extra finger, it is permissible to remove it. If a woman had a C-section and stitches were not proper, she can have surgery to fix it. If someone has a burn, they can have surgery. What if it is solely for the purpose of beautification? The vast majority of the scholars said that it is not allowed. Why? This changes the way Allh created you. It is deceiving because it is a permanent change. It is not allowed because there is a risk involved in it. The risk can be outweighed by the need to look better. If the Sharah forbade plucking the eyebrows and hair attachment, which are minor changes, then how can the Sharah allow a major surgery that plays with how a person looks? Cosmetic surgery is a very big issue in society. Lebanon ranks top in cosmetic surgery in the Middle East and number ten worldwide. We have to keep in mind that sometimes there is a woman who may be in a great need for this kind of surgery for beautification because they are deeply depressed, and the psychological need is no less than the physical need. For example, a woman may have a very small breast and it makes her very depressed and it may affect her relationship with her husband. In a case like this, ijtihd can allow her to have surgery. Generally speaking, we close the door, but there may be exceptions in very specific cases. Shaykh Salman al-Ouda wrote a very good article on this issue.
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28. Is it allowed to get a tattoo? What if is it removable? Tattoos are forbidden and are a major sin in Islam. Ulem said the tattoo is the ink under the skin. Any ink above the skin is not a tattoo and is permissible. A fake tattoo has the same ruling as henna, which is on the skin and not under the skin. 29. If I have a tattoo from before Islam, what I should do? Removing the tattoo is painful and expensive. If you dont have the ability to remove it, then you dont need to do it. If you cant and it has an image, then make sure to cover it when going to prayer. 30. Is it permissible to use the products from the Dead Sea? Yes, you can use products from the Dead Sea. Many people think that the Dead Sea is where Allh destroyed the people of L, but this is not true. This is not where the people of L lived, and Allh didnt tell us that He let the ground swallow them (when the ground swallows them, then it would be replaced by water). Allh sent rocks from the heavens down on them. Ibn Kathr said it is not where Allh destroyed the people of L. 31. Can I cut my hair short? Yes, you can cut your hair short. How short can it be cut? In a way that you will not look like a man. Imm Muslim reported that the Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) wife ishah cut her hair to her ear lobes after the death of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). 32. Can I cut my hair according to trend or get a haircut that a celebrity has? Yes, as long as it is not a form of imitation / veneration. 33. What is the ruling regarding wearing wigs? What if its for my husband? Because of illness? For the scholars who say that human hair when cut is najas, it is allowed to wear a wig that is made from manufactured hair (not human hair). For those who do not allow extensions regardless of whether it is real human hair or manufactured because it is deceiving, it is not allowed to waer a wig because the wig is deceiving. Can you use it in the case of illness? Shaykh Uthaymn said yes, you can use it for example in the case of cancer. A woman was sick and about to get married and the father asked the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) if she could wear something, and he said no. Shaykh Uthaymn said that this was because it was deceiving for the husband. 34. Are there any restrictions regarding dyeing the hair? There is no restriction for women. Black was only related to men. It is not allowed for the purpose of deceiving. For example if a woman is old and grey and someone wants to marry her and she colors her hair.
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There was an incident with Abu Bakrs father who had very white hair, and the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) told him to dye his hair and avoid black or avoid black for him. Most ulem say to avoid black. A great scholar in adth said that it was added to the adth the for him and not from the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). Other scholars disagreed with him. This addition is in a Muslim. If it is from the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), then is it forbidden to dye your hair in black color or is it disliked? Lets look at how the companions understood this. A large number of the greatest abah including Umar, Uthmn, Sad b. Abi Waq, al-Mughirah b. Shubah, al-asan, usayn and others dyed their hair black. The tabin understood that it was disliked but not forbidden, and it was disliked based on the situation. If someone is very elderly, it would not be befitting for his age to dye it black. Most of the fuqah of the four madh-habs say that it is disliked only because it is not proper for an old man or woman to change the look to appear too young, so they should choose another color. Some ulem say black is not allowed for men and women. Al-Nawawi said there is no difference between men and women and neither can dye their hair black. Shaykh Bin Bz and al-Albni take this position. The vast majority says that it is just recommended to not use black but it is not arm. Some say there is no restriction on black at all. Shaykh Waleed holds the opinion that it is disliked for the very old man and woman to dye the hair black. You can dye your hair blonde, brown. Highlights are permissible. Can you dye it in different colors like green or purple? If it is something commonly accepted in your society and culture, then it is permissible. The dyes are not permanent in most cases. 35. What is the ruling on hair extensions? Wearing hair extensions for your husband is permissible because you are not deceiving him. What is arm is to deceive. Hair extensions are forbidden by consensus of the scholars if it is from human hair. Why? Ulem differ. The Shfiis said it isnt allowed because human hair when cut is najas. The majority of fuqah disagreed and said human hair is not najas because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) would cut his hair and give it to people, and this is the stronger opinion. The reason they say it is arm is because it is deceiving. The anbilah and Mlikiyyah say that if you make a hair extension with something other than human hair, then it is permissible. For example, you can put hair made of threads of wool because everyone will know that it is not part of your hair.
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What if it is not from human hair? For the Shfiis, it is allowed to wear it because the illah is only that if it is najas you cannot wear it. For the others, it is not allowed because it is still deceiving. 36. Can I pluck my eyebrows if this pleases my husband? Plucking the eyebrows is not allowed in Islam. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The one who plucks the hair What hair? Some scholars said any hair in the body. Some scholars said any hair on the face (al-Ghazli said this) this is not a correct opinion. Some restrict the plucking to only the eyebrows. Shaykh Waleed follows this opinion. Is it restricted to plucking the eyebrows or removing the eyebrows? Some scholars said it is specifically for plucking, which is why the anbilah said another method can be used (i.e. by shaving). Bleaching makes it disappear by other than plucking. For those that say you cannot touch the hair say that bleaching the eyebrows is arm. They believe that when the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said plucking, he meant touching the hair in any form or shape. The Mliki scholars are the most liberal in this area and believe that this adth is only related to the woman in her idd. This opinion has no proof, so it is not a strong opinion. Shaykh Waleed believes that you are not allowed to pluck. If you bleach or shave or cut short / trim the hair is permissible. anafi, Mliki, anbali and some of the Shfiiyyah say it is allowed to pluck the hair for the husband. The reason that it is forbidden is that it is deceiving, and there is no deceiving for the husband. Shaykh Waleed doesnt feel comfortable with this position, but if a woman has a hard time, then he wont be too strict with it. 37. What is the ruling regarding removing hair on arms and legs? Is it allowed to remove the hair on the arms and legs? - It is arm to remove the hair on your head (i.e. by shaving). - There is also hair that is wjib to remove: underarm, pubic hair, hair around the anus. Ibn Hajar mentions this specifically. The maximum that you can keep it is 40 days. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said to Anas that you must shave after 40 days. - Hair that the Sharah doesnt say to keep or remove: arms and legs. Whatever Allh did not mention a ruling for is permissible. 38. What is ruling on laser hair removal? It is allowed to remove your hair with laser hair removal even if it is permanent. The Sharah wants you to remove the hair. You can remove the hair in any means you want.
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39. Is there a specific way that underarm or pubic hair must be removed? This is a must. You cannot let it grow more than 40 days. 40. Can I work as a beautician? Hair stylist? It is permissible as long as you adhere to Islamic rulings. 41. Can I have someone else help me remove hair from my body? Is there a specific way to remove the hair of the underarms? Al-Shfii hired someone to remove it because it was hard for him. You can shave this hair. What about the pubic area hair? It is Sunnah to shave it. Can you hire someone to do this for you? No. It is absolutely arm. The only circumstance when it is allowed for someone to do this for you is if you cannot do it for you (i.e. if someone is so big and cannot reach or if she is pregnant). She can ask her husband to do it for her or the nurse to do it for her. 42. Can we have community fashion shows? If the awrah will not be shown, then it is allowed. Dont imitate the way the models act.
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Chapter Four: Rulings Related to Social Interaction

Women are equal to men in all rulings except in the case of specific evidence assigning the ruling to males or females in particular. Good manners and morality are of the ultimate goals of Sharah.
A) Important Qualities of the Muslim Woman

Your teeth are not awrah, and you can show them! If you see a sister doesnt have a smile on her face, give her one of yours. Some people have lost their smiles, but the good thing is that the smile hasnt gone anywhere and is right under your nose. Be truthful. Dont be empty. Be someone with ambitions and have good principles and live up to them. 1. Truthfulness
O you who have believed, fear Allh and be with those who are true. (al-Tawbah, 9:119) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Be truthful for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. If a man tells the truth and nothing but the truth, he will be registered with Allh as the truthful one. Beware of lying, for lying leads to sinfulness and sinfulness leads to Hell. If a man tells a lie and nothing but a lie, he will be registered with Allh as a liar. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks his promise and when he is entrusted he betrays the trust. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) 2. Patience and Tolerance
So be patient with gracious patience. (al-Marij, 70:5)
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And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend. (Fuilat, 41:34)
And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allh]. (al-Baqarah, 2:45) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also said to al-Ashajj b. Abd Qays, You have two qualities that Allh and His Messenger love, forbearance and patience. (Muslim) 3. Respect The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, He is not of us who does not show respect to our elders and does not have mercy on our young. (al-Bukhri in al-Adab alMufrad) Part of respecting Allh is to respect the elder and the carrier of the Qurn who is not extreme, and to honor the just ruler. (Abu Dwd) 4. Aff (Chastity, Decency, Modesty) Al-Hay (modesty) is of faith. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The believer is not a slanderer, nor a curser, nor one who used vulgar or indecent language. (al-Tirmidhi) Renounce the world and Allh will love you, and renounce what people possess and people will love you. (Ibn Mjah) 5. Generosity
And spend in the way of Allh and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allh loves the doers of good. (al-Baqarah, 2:195)
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Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allh] from that which you love. And whatever you spend - indeed, Allh is Knowing of it. (le-Imrn, 3:92) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was more generous than the fast wind. (alBukhri) Intercede on behalf of your brothers and you will be rewarded. (al-Bukhri) 6. Humility The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Allh has revealed to me that you should be humble with one another so that no one oppresses another and boasts over another. (Muslim) He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also said, No one humbles himself for the sake of Allh but Allh will elevate him. (Muslim) 7. Smiling and Cheerfulness Jarr said, The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) never saw me but that he smiled. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, You will not win people over with your wealth but with your cheerful face. (al-Bazzr)
B) Rulings Regarding the Dealings of Women with NonRelative Males

1. We are all brothers and sisters When we deal with each other as a community, we should remember something important: we are all brothers and sisters! Allh called us brothers and sisters, and it is what defines our relationship with each other. Care about each other like your brother and sister. Start looking at each other not as an object but as your sister / brother. We need to revive this in our minds and hearts. If we do this, we will have respect for one another. Allh (subhanahu wata'ala) described the relationship between us as males and females: Muminn (male and female) love one another for the sake of Allh and care and support one another. Dont look at each other with question marks and question each others intentions.
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The believers are but brothers. (al-ujurt, 49:10)
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. (al-Tawbah, 9:71) 2. It is not permissible for a non-related man and woman to be together in seclusion. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, No man is alone with a (nonmaram) woman but the Shayn is the third one. (Amad)
Al- Haan al-Ba ri said, Dont be alone with a woman, even if you are teaching her Qurn.
3. It is allowed to look at men as long as it is not with desire; then it will be forbidden.
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts (al-Nr, 24:31)
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Women are not allowed to look at men with sexual lust, but they are allowed to look at men in daily life for needs. You are allowed to interact with each other and look at them. Can men look at women? The majority of the fuqaha say you can look at women with no sexual lust. It is forbidden to look at her with sexual lust. If he fears fitnah, then he should lower the gaze. Ibn al-Qayyim was very strict and did not allow looking at women in any circumstances other than the first look (unless there is a necessity). This is not he most popular position amongst the fuqaha. There is a lot of debate about this. Dont open the door widely. To communicate for a need is permissible. 4. The voice of the woman is not awrah, but she is not allowed to speak in a seductive way.
And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts. (al-Azb, 33:53)
O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allh, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech. (al-Azb, 33:32) The voice of women is not awrah. Sometimes the voice of a woman can be fitnah if she speaks in a seductive way, and this is not allowed.
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5. A woman is not allowed to touch a male who is not from her marams, especially if it is with lust. Shaking hands with an old man or in the case of necessity or need would range from permissible to disliked. Touching a male: the default rule is that you should not touch a male who is not one of your maram. If there is a need for this, then it is acceptable. Note: there is a difference between need and necessity. Need will make it permissible and applies to both genders. There are rules in Sharah that anything that was forbidden because of what it can lead to, you can make exemptions for it in the case of necessities or need. A need is something important and something that will help you function properly in life. A necessity is something you cannot function without. If anything is forbidden for itself, it is not allowed unless there is a necessity. Example: riba. If there is a need for gharar, then it is allowed. There is no necessity, but there is a need for it and so it is allowed. Shaking hands or touching the hands of a male or female is forbidden because of what it can lead to: fitnah, zina, forbidden relationship. What is the example of a need? A doctor may need to touch the patient. If you go into an interview for a job, you may need to shake hands with the other person. When Muslim women deal with males, she should be modest and have hay. A woman is not allowed to be with a man alone in a secluded place. Seclusion means a place which other people have no access to. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If a man and woman are alone, then the Shayn is the third. Al-asan al-Bari said even if you teach her Qurn. Khalwah is forbidden for what it can lead to, which is why it is allowed in the case of necessity or need. Sometimes at work you cannot avoid it. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The eyes may commit zina, the hands may commit zina, the feet may commit zina, and the private parts may commit zina. (Amad) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, I do not shake hands with women. (Amad) It has been narrated that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If one of you were to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle, it would be better for him than touching a woman whom he is not permitted to touch. (al-abarni) 6. Women are allowed to interact with men when there is a need and is considered appropriate according to the customs of the society that they are living in. This culture must not oppose the Sharah.
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ishah said, When the Messenger of Allh came to Madnah, Abu Bakr and Bill came down with a fever. I visited them and asked, Father, how are you? Bill, how are you? When Abu Bakrs fever worsened, he said, Every man is struck down among his people in the morning, when death is closer than the strap of his sandal. When the fever left Bill, he raised his voice: And whether one day I will go the waters of Majinnah! Will the mountains of Shama and Tafil appear to me? ishah continued, I then went to the Messenger of Allh and told him what they had said. He said, O Allh! Make us love Madnah as we love Makkah or even more! Make it healthy. Bless us in its a and its mudd. Take its fever away and put it in al-Jufah. (al-Bukhri) Anas reported: The Prophet, peace be upon him, saw a woman crying by the grave of her son, and said to her, Fear Allh, and be patient. She replied, What do you care about my tragedy? When he went away, someone told her, Indeed, that was the Messenger of Allh, peace be upon him. The woman felt extremely sorry and she immediately went to the Prophets house, where she did not find any guards. She called out: O Messenger of Allh! I did not recognize you. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, Verily patience is needed at the time of the first affliction. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) Anas bin Mlik reported: After the death of the Messenger of Allh, Abu Bakr said to Umar, Let us visit Umm Ayman as the Messenger of Allh used to visit her. As we came to her, she wept. They (Abu Bakr and Umar) said to her, What makes you weep? Do you not know that what Allh has in store for His Messenger is better than (this worldly life)? She said, I weep not because I am ignorant of the fact that what is in store for the Messenger of Allh (in the Hereafter) is better than this world, but I weep because the Revelation has ceased to come. This moved both of them to tears and they began to weep along with her. (Muslim)
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And when he came to the well of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women driving back [their flocks]. He said, What is your circumstance? They said, We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man. So he watered [their flocks] for them; then he went back to the shade and said, My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need. Then one of the two women came to him walking with shyness. She said, Indeed, my father invites you that he may reward you for having watered for us. So when he came to him and related to him the story, he said, Fear not. You have escaped from the wrongdoing people. (al-Qaa, 28:23-25) 7. Mixing with men will be forbidden if any of the following exist: When the woman and the man are in seclusion. When the woman is not wearing ijb. When they are so close to each other that they may touch each other.
If the mixing is for a short period of time and cannot be avoided, or there is a greater benefit and the fitnah unlikely, it will be permissible. Mixing today is something that has become very common and cannot be avoided in our society. That is why the strictness of the rules should be reduced.
And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts. (al-Azb, 33:53) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) enforced separation of men and women even at Allhs most revered and preferred place, the mosque. This was accomplished via the
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separation of the womens rows from the mens; men were asked to stay in the mosque after completion of the obligatory prayer so that women will have enough time to leave the mosque, and a special door was assigned to women. Evidence of the aforementioned are: Umm Salamah said that after Allhs Messenger (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said alsalmu alaykum wa ramatullah twice announcing the end of prayer, women would stand up and leave. He would stay for a while before leaving. Ibn Shihb said that he thought that the staying of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was in order for the women to be able to leave before the men who wanted to depart. (al-Bukhri) Allhs Messenger (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, We should leave this door (of the mosque) for women. Nfi said, Ibn Umar never again entered through that door until he died. (Abu Dwd) Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The best of the mens rows is the first and the worst is the last, and the best of the womens rows is the last and the worst in the first. (Muslim) Abu Usayd al-Anri narrated that he heard Allhs Messenger (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) say to the women on his way out of the mosque when he saw men and women mixing together on their way home: Give way (i.e., walk to the sides) as it is not appropriate for you to walk in the middle the road. Thereafter, women would walk so close to the wall that their dresses would get caught on it. (Abu Dwd) There are so many circumstances for mixing with the opposite gender: - There is an area which is clear cut, which is when men are women are sitting close to each other and touching each other. Some fuqaha said that if you can feel the breath of each other, then they are too close to each other. If there is a close proximity in a sitting arrangement, it is not allowed. If there is a space between them, it is allowed. - Any mixing between men and women in seclusion is khalwah and mixing in Sharah, which is not allowed. Some ulem said that it is even if the mixing happens to be in the place where women are not wearing proper ijb, and it is arm. - Mixing is forbidden because of what it can lead to. It is allowed in cases of need and necessity. An example of a need: The first line of women and last line of men was allowed and there was no partition put by the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). awf during ajj is allowed for men and women at the same time. A woman came to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) when he was among men, and she was standing while he was sitting, and she started hitting the duff and she said, I made an oath that I would do this if you come back from battle. She had made a nadhr she wanted to fulfill, and it was a temporary time. Any mixing that is temporary and not regulated is exempt. For example, you go to a meeting and the only place left is next to a man, then it is okay because it is temporary and not regulated to be this way all the time.
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Partition between men and women: This seems to be only for the wives of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), and the ayah in the Qurn is restricted to his wives. It was not practiced by the companions. Can men and women be friends? Girls live in a dream where they think that men and women can be friends. The Qurn never referred to the relationship between men and women who are not related to each as friends. The Qurn refers to them as brothers and sisters. It takes the sexual aspect out. Friends brings a social closeness which is not meant to be there between men and women. A coworker is not a friend but someone you know. It is a different relationship. Men and women cannot be friends and share personal secrets. You should know your family and it is part of your duty as a Muslim. A sign of mn is ilatl-raim. A sign of kufr is cutting ties with relatives.

1. Can I have a male friend at school? It really isnt possible to be just friends. Friend is a tricky word, which is why the Shariah says brother and sister. They can be your classmate, coworker, etc., but friend is different. 2. At work, I sometimes have to meet alone with a male in the office for a short period of time. What is the ruling regarding this? If it is for a need, it is permissible. If something happens that you are not comfortable with, then file a complaint with the HR department. 3. Can I have male friends via social media? You are not allowed to have a male who is a friend on Facebook who has access to your personal profile. If this door is opened, it creates a lot of fitnah. So many people fall into arm over social media. It is the right of parents to talk to their daughters about the internet. Dont give them full access to social media without checking on them. 4. Can I use an informal way of writing to a group of people including males (e.g. Use smileys, lols, etc.)? This depends on the culture. In todays culture, no one understands that a lol or happy face means that you are hitting on them. 5. Can I tell a man I love you for the sake of Allh? There is a chapter in Bukhri on when a man tells a woman that he loves her for the sake of Allh. The ulem said that it depends. If there is a sister who anonymously writes it to a teacher, it is okay. If a sister goes up to a brother and says, I love you [pause]for the sake of Allh, then this is not allowed. The adth in Bukhri is:
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the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) saw a group of women of the anr and said, I love them for the sake of Allh. He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was referring to a group and not a single person. 6. Can I ride alone with a male taxi driver? What about elevators? An elevator ride is a short period of time and there is no seclusion. The mixing in the elevator is allowed because of the need. Being with a taxi driver is permissible as long as it is within the city because the car is open and it is in a public place. If you are going from Houston to Dallas in a taxi, then it is not allowed. 7. Can I give salm to males or reply to their salm? Yes. In Bukhri, there are two chapters on this: men greeting women and women greeting men. Giving salms is part of brotherhood. It is not wjib to reply out loud, and if you feel uncomfortable or if it will be misunderstood, then judge the situation. If there is a possibility of fitnah, then avoid it. 8. My voice is naturally soft and attractive. Should I avoid talking to males at all? All women think that way their voices are naturally soft and attractive. If this actually is the case, then try to avoid too much talking. Dont speak to people too much who may misunderstand. You judge for yourself. 9. Can a woman advise a male who is not related to her? Yes, she can. There are many examples in our history. This is for advice and not for building a relationship. You can speak out against something that is munkar. Many great women gave advice to kings, ministers, shuyukh. 10. Do we have to have partitions in MSA meetings? Are their any conditions for the sitting format? Do not sit next to each other. It is better to have men in front and women in back like alh, but if there is a discussion, then have men and women on different sides. Try to have meetings on the phone or internet it saves time and there is less fitnah. 11. Can I sit with my husband while he is spending time with his friends? If there is a need for it, then yes. Otherwise, no. If you and your husband are going out to a restaurant and his friend is there, he can come. If Allh gives you space in your house, then have men and women separately. If there is no space, then the sisters are next to each other and the brothers are next to each other. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was invited by a man to come to his house, and he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said he was bringing his wife or he wouldnt go, so he took his wife. They had small houses then. 12. Can a woman look at a man, such as a teacher or lecturer, for a long time?
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Yes, as long as she has a pure intention and there is no sexual lust attached. 13. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) told two of his wives, when Abdullh b. Umm Maktm entered, to sit behind a partition, and when they replied, Isnt he blind?, he said, Are you two blind? How do we reconcile this adth with when he gave ishah permission to see the Abyssinians dancing in the masjid? This adth is not authentic. It was reported from al-Zuhri and another person from Umm Salamah who is unknown. It also contradicts a adth in Bukhri and Muslim when the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) allowed ishah to watch the Abyssinians dancing.
C) Rulings Regarding the Dealings of a Woman with her Family

1. The Parents
And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], Uff, and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. (al-Isr, 17:23) The Prophet of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The pleasure of the Lord is in the pleasure of the father, and the displeasure of the Lord is in the displeasure of the father. (al-Tirmidhi) Abu Hurayrah said, The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was asked, Messenger of Allh, to whom should I be dutiful? Your mother, he replied. He was asked, Then whom? Your mother, he replied. He was asked, Then whom? Your mother, he replied. He was asked, Then whom? He replied, Your father. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) Abu Bakrah reported that the Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Shall I tell you which is the worst of the major wrong actions? Yes, Messenger of Allh, they replied. He said, Associating something else with Allh and disobeying parents. He had been reclining, but then he sat up and said, And false witness. Abu Bakr said, He continued to repeat it until I said, Is he never going to stop? (alBukhri)
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Abdullh ibn Amr said, A man came to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and said, I have come to make you a pledge that will do hijrah although I have left my parents in tears. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Go back to them and make them laugh as you made them cry. Ibn Umar said, Making parents weep is part of disobedience and one of the major wrong actions. 2. The Husband
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought (alRm, 30:21)
Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allh has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth (alNis, 4:34) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, No human being is permitted to prostrate to another, but if this were permitted I would have ordered wives to prostrate to their husbands, because of the greatness of the rights they have over them. (Amad) A woman came to ask the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) about some matter, and when he had dealt with it, he asked her, Do you have a husband? She said, Yes. He asked her, How are you with him? She said, I never fall short in my duties, except for
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that which is beyond me. He said, Pay attention to how you treat him, for he is your Paradise and your Hell. (Amad) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If a woman prays her five daily prayers, fasts her month (of Raman), obeys her husband and guards her chastity, then it will be said to her: Enter Paradise by whichever of its gates you wish. (Amad) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Shall I not tell you about your wives in Paradise? We said, Of course, O Messenger of Allh. He said, They are fertile and loving. If she becomes angry or is mistreated, or her husband becomes angry, she says, My hand is in your hand; I shall never sleep until you are pleased with me. (al-kim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If a man calls his wife to his bed and she does not come, and he goes to sleep angry with her, the angels will curse her until the morning. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) If the husband is a miser, and spends too little on her and her children, then she is allowed to spend as much as she needs from his wealth on herself and her children, in moderation. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) stated this to Hind bint Ubah, the wife of Abu Sufyn, when she came to him and said, O Messenger of Allh, Abu Sufyn is a stingy man. What he gives me is not enough for me and my child, unless I take from him without his knowledge. He told her, Take what is enough for you and your child, in moderation. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Among the worst type of people in the sight of Allh on the Day of Judgment is a man who enjoys his wifes intimate company, and she enjoys his intimate company, then one of them goes and discloses the secret of the other. (Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, No woman should talk about another woman, or describe her to her husband (so that it is) as if he sees her. (al-Bukhri) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, It is not permissible for any woman who believes in Allh and the Last Day to travel except with a maram. (al-Bukhri and Muslim)
And those who say, Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous. (al-Furqn, 25:74) Activity: How can I win the hearts of my in-laws? Listen to the lecture online: In-laws and Outlaws.
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3. The Children The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of the people of his house and he is responsible. A woman is the shepherd of the house of her husband and she is responsible. Each of you is a shepherd and each is responsible for his flock. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) 4. Extended Family The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever believes in Allh and the Last Day, let him maintain the bonds of kinship. (al-Bukhri)

1. Do I need to take permission from my father or husband every time I leave the house? This is based on culture. If you live in a culture where there is a general permission to go to school, get groceries, etc. then you only need to get permission if going somewhere out of the ordinary. General permission is something generally accepted because Hend came to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) to ask a question without getting permission from her husband, and Ibn Hajar said women are allowed to leave the house for what is commonly accepted without getting permission from the husband. 2. Does my husband have the right to prevent me from visiting my family or to prevent them from visiting our home? No, he cant stop you from doing this. He cannot prevent your children from visiting them because they are related to them as well unless there is a reason such as if the wifes father smokes or watches bad movies or uses vulgar language. If this is the case, then communicate to find a middle ground. If the husband owns the house solely, then he has the right to prevent them from coming to the house. If you have joint ownership, then he has no right to stop them. You have to have a line of communication. 3. What are the rights of my in-laws upon me? To treat them with respect. To honor them because it is part of honoring your husband. They are not relatives to you and it is not like ilatl-raim unless they are also your relatives. Treat them well out of the rights of your husband upon you. Be generous with them and host them.
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4. If I am not in the mood for intimacy and my husband wants to be intimate, is it sinful to refuse? No, it is not sinful to refuse. It is a valid reason to not want to be intimate. A psychological reason is equal to a physical reason. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, You are only required to do what you are capable of. Some women always say no and that they are not in the mood. This is a problem. Many men complain about this issue that their wives are not fulfilling their needs. There is an overwhelming complaint by husbands about this. 5. Who has more right over me: my parents or my husband? It depends on the issue. Generally speaking, the husband has more rights over you for issues related to the house. In issues of du, your parents have more rights. 6. Do my parents have the right to invade my privacy? Yes, they have the right to do this. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, You and whatever you possess belong to your father. Advice: this doesnt mean that the parents dont respect their daughters privacy. Respect it and teach her that you do respect her privacy. There is a difference between privacy and secrecy. There are no secrets in the house. Dont ever hesitate to check on your kids in high school and college all the time. Some parents know nothing about what their kids do. Dont give absolute trust to the children yet (you trust them but not absolute trust). 7. What should I do if I am invited to a family celebration that contains impermissible practices? If there is a great benefit from going, you go and limit your participation to a minimum in time and action. You dont have to stay the whole time, and you dont dance or drink with them. Limit your participation to the minimum needed from you. The wedding of your brother is different from a distant relative. Generally speaking, dont be in a place where sin is openly practiced. 8. A woman who has been married several times passes away. Which husband will she be with in Jannah? Worry about Jannah first. There are three opinions among the Muslim scholars: - She will be with the one with the best manners because there is a adth where someone asked the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and he said, The wife will be with the one with the best manners / treated her the best. This is a very weak adth. - adth: She will be with the last one of them. [Tabarni, al-Albni said it is authentic, others said there is weakness in it]
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Shaykh Uthaymn: she will be given a choice. Imm al-Qurtubi also mentioned this opinion.
D) The Ruling Regarding the Muslim Woman with her Friends

Choosing a Good Friend:
And (remember) the Day when the wrong-doer will bite his hands and say: Woe to me! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Woe to me! If only I had not taken so- and-so as a friend! He has led me astray from this Reminder (the Qurn) after it had come to me. And Satan is ever a deserter to man in the hour of need. (al-Furqn, 25:27-29) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, A person is likely to follow the way of his friend, so look at whom you befriend. (Abu Dwd) The Prophet Muammad (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of the seller of musk, and the one who blows the blacksmiths bellows. So as for the seller of musk, then either he will grant you some, or you buy some from him, or at least you enjoy a pleasant smell from him. As for the one who blows the blacksmiths bellows, then either he will burn your clothes or you will get an offensive smell from him. (al-Bukhri) Purify your heart, tongue and gatherings:
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O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [ones] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers. O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allh; indeed, Allh is Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (al-ujurt, 49:11-12)
No good is there in much of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is right or conciliation between people. And whoever does that seeking means to the approval of Allh - then We are going to give him a great reward. (al-Nis, 4:114) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever sits in a gathering where Allh is not mentioned, such a gathering will be regretted in the Day of Resurrection. (Muslim)

1. Can I have a non-Muslim friend? We are recommended to have a righteous friend. You can have a non-Muslim friend and it doesnt contradict al-wal and al-bar. Make sure they understand what is allowed and not allowed. Be careful of peer pressure. Friends have more influence on you than anything else in your life. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said the lifestyle you have is according to the lifestyle of your friends. There is a study that shows that if one person in a group of friends
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starts losing weight, then they all become more health conscious. On themasjid.org, Shaykh Waleed talks about friends and the influence of friends on people. 2. My friend is not religious. Would it be okay to continue my friendship with her? Make sure that you are friends with someone who fears Allh. If they have bad habits that may rub off on you, then avoid them. 3. Are stereotypical jokes considered all? For example, blonde jokes, jokes about people from a certain place. Stereotypical jokes exist in every culture. If it is a stereotypical joke that is about someone in the crowd who will be hurt by the joke, then everyone says it is forbidden because you are not allowed to hurt peoples feelings. Ulem debate over this: some say it is okay and others say it is arm. They are coming from the point of: is this considered a lie or not? The ulem define lie in two different ways. The first definition is to say something different than the reality, so then you are not allowed to lie. The second definition is to tell something different from what you believe. If no one believes it really happens, then it is not a lie. The second definition is the strongest definition. If you agree with the first definition, then it is problematic in so many different areas. ishah (rayAllhu anha) said to Umar once, Kadhabt, and she meant, you are mistaken because he said something different from reality. Acting and movies are not considered lies. Al-Shawkni mentioned both opinions in the tafsr. 4. What is the ruling regarding womens only parties that contain dancing and music? Music is arm. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, A time will come when people will make musical instruments all. The only exceptions are the two ds and weddings. Most of the ulem restrict the music to the duff. In these two circumstances, there may be room for ijtihd because the duff is the instrument that existed in the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). Does using the duff give the permissibility to either the concept or to the duff itself? There is a debate. Ulem also added that in case of a great victory or great incident. For example, when the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) migrated from Makkah to Madnah, the people were welcoming him with songs and duff. alaa al-badru alayna is a song that was sung when he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) came back from Tabk. Thniyatl-wada is north of Madnah, and when the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) entered Madnah from Makkah, he entered from the south. 5. Sometimes when I sit with my friends, they backbite. What should I do in such a case? What should I do if I backbite someone?
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Advise them to stop. The sisters who are talked about have a right upon you to defend her honor. If you are sitting and witnessing someone else being attacked and do nothing, it is arm. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, If your Muslim brother or sister is mentioned in his/her absence and needs your support and you dont, then Allh will forsake you when you need His support the most. If you stand up for him/her and defend them in their absence, then Allh will stand up for you in a time when you need Him the most. Dont let anyone talk bad about someone in your presence. If you participated, then make istighfr, ask Allh to forgive you and praise her in her absence. Do you need to tell the other person? No because in most of the cases, you will open the door for more problems. 6. Should I wear ijb in front of female or male homosexuals? Yes, if he is a male homosexual. What about lesbians? If she looks at you in a way which is not cool, then wear ijb in front of her. 7. What should I do if I feel like another female is looking at me in an unusual way? Cover yourself in a usual way. 8. If Im sleeping over at my friends house, can we sleep in the same bed? 9. Sometimes girls use improper words when referring to each other such as lover, bed buddy, freaki-tiki girl. What is the ruling regarding that? Do you want to come on the Day of Judgment with freaki-tiki girl written? You are accountable for everything that you say. It is not arm but using excessive language like this is not allowed. Bed buddy is terminology that is not allowed in a society like we have.
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Chapter Five: Rulings Related to the Role of Women in Society

Islam sees women as an important element in building the society politically, economically, educationally, and socially.
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allh is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allh is Knowing and Acquainted. (Al-ujurt, 49:13) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Women are the other halves of men. (Amad)
A) The Ruling Regarding Leaving the Home

ishah said, Sawdah went out after ijb was made obligatory, and she was a large woman. Anyone who knew her before ijb would easily recognize her. Umar saw her. He said, Go back Sawdah, for by Allh, we can recognize you. She quickly went back. The Messenger of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was in my home and was eating his dinner, and in his hand was a bone with meat on it. Sawdah entered and said to the Messenger of Allh, I went out to do something and Umar said such to me. I saw the Prophet receiving the revelation until it was finished, and the food was still in his hand. Then, he said, Allh has given you permission to go out for your needs. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) also said, Do not forbid the female slaves of Allh from the mosques of Allh. (Muslim) If you look at the women in the Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) time, they were among those who were tortured in Makkah, and some of them were martyred. They were among those who migrated to al-abashah and al-Madnah. They participated in war. They were in the company of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) on his journeys. They are seen learning in the masjid, buying and selling in the market, helping their families on their farms, tending sheep, celebrating d and victories in public, and participating in other areas of public life.
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And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakh and obey Allh and His Messenger. Allh intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophets] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification. (al-Azb, 33:33) These verses are addressing the wives of Prophet Muammad (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), but the address includes all women by the consensus of the scholars. Abu al-Dard said, The worst woman is al-Salfaah (the woman who has a bad tongue, no shame, and is always out of her home.) (al-arbi in Gharb al-adth) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Any woman who wears perfume and passes by men so that they can smell the fragrance, she has committed a form of adultery. (Amad) Leaving the home excessively for no benefit is disliked. It is more disliked if it leads to mixing with the opposite gender. It becomes forbidden if it is accompanied by arm in action or purpose.
B) Education of Women
Education is a right given by the Sharah to both males and females alike. All texts related to the virtues of seeking knowledge, scholarship, and teaching are equally applicable to males and females. Abu Sad al-Khudri reports that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was approached by the women. They said, Men benefit from you more than we do. Can you give us a special time to teach us? He promised them a day. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) ishah was described by her nephew Urwah who said, I accompanied ishah, and I have never seen anyone who was more knowledgeable regarding a verse revealed (where and why it was revealed), the rulings of inheritance, the ways of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), poetry, history of the Arabs, genealogy, jurisdiction, or medicine than she was. I said to her, My aunt, where did you learn medicine? She said, I used to get sick and treatment was prescribed to me, or others would fall sick and
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treatment would be prescribed to them, so I used to memorize that, and that is how I learned. (al-Dhahabi in al-Siyar) ACTIVITY: What are the biggest challenges a Muslim female faces in public schools? What are some practical ways to deal with these challenges? (Group discussion) Is it true that women are not allowed to leave the house? A woman was giving a khubah and said, What a great woman. She only left her house twice: once when she left her parents house to her husbands house and then from her husbands house to her grave. These people talk like this and make this the role model. There are some fatwas that say a woman cannot leave her house unless there is darrah (necessity). Is this true? If we look at the Qurn and Sunnah of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), you will see this is not the case. Women went to work, the war, classes, the masjid, asked questions. The women were out in the society. When Allh (subnahu wa tala) said, And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance [Sratl-Azb, 33], Mujhid explained that it refers to the woman who will always be excessively in and out of her house and mixes with men and shows her beauty. Women were tortured in Makkah and died as shahd. One of the first shuhad was a female. Women migrated to abashah and participated in war. They accompanied the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) on journeys and bought and sold in the market and went to the masjid. Women have been asked to be educated and learn their dn and learn knowledge. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said learning the dn is for every Muslim. This includes everyone. There are many great women scholars in religious and other fields. Education in our times in the US is not in any way less important than the education for men. In America, we dont have the social support system that they have overseas. If you are divorced overseas, then your family members will take care of you, but in America, you are on your own. Masjid dont support them. There is no structure to socially support the sisters who live here. She must have an education that will provide a proper source of income for her in the future. The reality is that her family members will not take care of her. Education is a necessity. One of the things debated over in AMJA when discussing student loans and if it is allowed to take a riba loan, they debated over it and Shaykh Waleed is part of the 50% who say it is a necessity. Shaykh Salman al-Ouda considered it a form of necessity. If you say no student loans, then most Muslim kids cannot go to law school or medical school or high level of education in society. You need money to do this and no one has a million dollars to be a doctor. Very few are capable of doing that.
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For sisters, Shaykh Waleed believes that work and education is important. There are different situations.

1. There is no doubt that there is a lot of mixing between genders and fitnah during high school and college. What is the ruling regarding this? Your dn is more important than your college. If you are compromising your dn, then look for another college or school. Mixing is permissible in cases of need. 2. Some subjects may contain ideologies and ideas contradictory to Islamic theology. What is the ruling regarding entering those fields? For example: philosophy, biology. It is allowed to study it. You can bring your perspective as a Muslim and may change some theories known in the field. It requires for you to be well educated in Islam. You should first be educated in this area. 3. Is it allowed to study medicine even though I will be doing autopsies on men and studying male body parts? Yes, it is allowed. Bukhri has a chapter on the permissibility on women treating men. It is in cases of need and not just necessities. All fatwa of the Muslim council allow this. If you are a doctor, try to treat females. In America, there is no option and you may lose your license. 4. If there are Islamic schools in my area that I can afford, is it permissible to put my children in other schools? It is permissible but Shaykh Waleed doesnt recommend it. If everyone pulls their children out, how will the schools improve? We have to be patient and support and develop it. 5. What should I do in P.E., art, and music classes? If you have to take them, then you have to take them. Avoid swimming in P.E. Wear a long shirt and pants. All of this can be dealt with. 6. If my exams are in Raman, is it allowed to break my fast? No, it is not allowed to break your fast. If during the test you get dizzy because you were studying all night, then yes you can break the fast because you are sick. 7. Is it allowed to combine between prayers because of school timings? Only occasionally. It cannot be regular. For example, it is okay if there is an exam and you couldnt get out of it. It is not allowed to do it for an entire semester. The rukhsah is for an occasional incident. 8. I got accepted in a university in another state. Can I move there alone to study? Is it permissible to travel without a maram to attend Islamic classes and conferences?
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Can you study in a different state without your maram in that city? There is no proof in Sharah stating that a woman must live in the same place where her maram lives. She should travel with her father or brother to that place and live in a secure place. If it is a secure place and she is safe from fitnah and there is a need to go there and her parents will take her and they are happy with that and agree with it, then it is permissible. If the parents are not happy with it, then it is better to be in the company of your parents. What about going for conferences and Islamic classes? Traveling without maram for a need like education is permissible if you know how to travel and it is safe to travel. Shaykh ibn Jibrl took this fatwa. The majority from the four madhhib disagree with this because they say the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, It is not allowed for a woman who believes in Allh and the Day of Judgment to travel without a maram. 9. In my school we have to study in groups of both males and females. What should I do? Keep proper etiquettes of talking and dont sit next to males. 10. I arrived late to class, and the only open seat was next to a boy. What should I have done? It is a temporary incident, so it is permissible to sit there. 11. Do we have to separate between genders in Islamic schools? Beginning from what age? Separating between genders help boys and girls to focus while studying. Schools dont have funds to do this and it isnt practical, so it is allowed to have them together. 12. Can a woman teach men? Yes, she can.
C) Participation in Dawah
The Qurn tells us that women have their own earnings. This means that they have their own sources of income. At the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), women participated in the workforce and there is no evidence that she did this only in the case of necessity. The wife of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) Zaynab worked and made things and sold them. She had her own business. Other sisters would make perfume and sell it. Another woman would make a container made of leather to put water in, and Umar said they bought a lot of these containers from her on the day of Uud. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) entered the date farm of Umm Bashr. Jbir narrated that a woman had her own garden and she asked the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) if she can go supervise the people collecting dates while in her iddah, and he said yes.
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Umm Shurayq ran a guest house. The minbar of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was owned by a woman who had a carpenter working for her. Abdullh b. Masds wife worked and made money and supported him financially. She is the one who earned. There are so many examples where women participated in the workforce during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and after.
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakh and obey Allh and His Messenger. Those - Allh will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allh is Exalted in Might and Wise. (al-Tawbah, 9:71)
And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allh and does righteousness and says, Indeed, I am of the Muslims. (Fuilat, 41:33) Khadjah and ishah are among the best examples of females who supported the religion and helped it spread. Women participated in enjoining what is right and forbidding what is evil. They used to narrate the adth, teach fiqh, and write books form the early generations until today. It is obligatory upon the Muslim woman in our society to carry the responsibility of dawah, especially to other women.

1. Is it allowed for a woman to give lectures to mixed audiences? Yes, with the proper etiquette. The number one issue the American public has misconceptions on is Muslim women. To counter this, sisters should speak up and participate. Some Muslim organizations want to put women on the stage just because she is female, but that is wrong.
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Dont have a woman emcee just to use her. We shouldnt do that and our sisters deserve more respect than this. 2. Can a woman participate in TV interviews? Yes. 3. Is it allowed for women to participate in a Dawah Table in school or on the street? Yes but with the condition: the dawah table is very small so if a female and man are next to each other, it is not allowed. They should take turns or keep more space. 4. Can a female be the head of an Islamic organization? Yes, she can. 5. Can a female be a masjid board member? Yes, she can. It is something needed for all masjid to involve the sisters and not just in sisters issues but also in the masjid issues. We should have more sisters involved in Islamic organizations. 6. My husband prevents me from participating in dawah activities. What advice do you have for us? If your husband closes one door, there are still twenty doors open. Find out why he doesnt want you to participate and deal with the issue. He may be jealous or you may neglect his rights, so communicate with him. Try to involve him in the dawah activities. Dawah is not limited to giving lectures or helping with AlMaghrib and you can do things from home.
D) Womens Participation in the Workforce
And do not wish for that by which Allh has made some of you exceed others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. And ask Allh of His bounty. Indeed Allh is ever, of all things, Knowing. (al-Nis, 4:32) It is permissible for women to work for earning income, although the father or husband is financially responsible for her. Al-Rab bint Muawwadh and al-awl used to make perfumes in Madnah and sell them. (Ibn Sad in al-abaqt and Ibn ajar in al-Ibah respectively)
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The Prophets wife Zaynab used to sew and embroider things for sale and give from her earnings in charity. (Muslim) The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) entered the date farm of Umm Bishr alAnriyyah. (Muslim) Umm Sulay used to make leather water skins. (al-Bukhri) Umm Shurayk used to own and run a guesthouse. (Ibn Abdul-Barr in Alistb) The Prophets (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) minbar was made by a womans carpentry business. (Muslim) Ibn Masds wife used to work and support him. (Amad) It is related that Asm bint Abu Bakr said, When al-Zubayr married me, he had no land as property and no slave. He had nothing but a camel for drawing water and his horse. I used to fodder his horse and fetch water and sew his bucket and prepare dough, but I was not good at making bread and so some of our anri neighbor-women used to make the bread for me. They were women of truthfulness. I used to carry the date stones on my head from the land of al-Zubayr which was granted to him by the Messenger of Allh, may Allh bless him and grant him peace. It was about two-thirds of a farsakh away. One day while I was coming with my the date stones on my head while I met the Messenger of Allh, may Allh bless him and grant him peace, who was with a group of the anr. He called me over and then said, Ikh! Ikh! so that he could carry me behind him. I was too shy to travel with the men and I remembered al-Zubayr and his jealousy. He was the most jealous of people. The Messenger of Allh, may Allh bless him and grant him peace, saw that I was shy and so he went on. I went to alZubayr and told him, I met the Messenger of Allh, may Allh bless him and grant him peace, while I had the date stones on my head. He had some of his Companions with him. He made his camel kneel so that I could ride, but I was too shy of him and I know your jealousy. He said, By Allh, your carrying the date stones is harder for me than your riding with him! She said, [This continued] until Abu Bakr later sent me a servant to tend to the horse and it was as if he had set me free. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) It is related that ahl said, There was a woman among us who planted garden-beet (silq) on the irrigation channels in a field she owned. On the day of Jumuah she would pull up the beet by the roots and put them in a pot. Then she would put in a handful of barley and cook it. The beet roots were like meat. After finishing the Jumuah prayer we would greet her and then she would bring us that food and we would eat it with our fingers. We used to look forward to the day of Jumuah because of that food of hers. (alBukhri) Jbir narrates, My aunt was divorced and she wanted to go out to collect the dates from her farm. A man told her to go back to her home. She went to the Prophet
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(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and he said, No, go collect your dates. Perhaps you may give in charity or do something good with them. (Muslim) The Guidelines Regarding the Working Muslim Woman: 1. 2. 3. 4. The work must be permissible in its nature. It will not cause fitnah in her religion. It does not conflict with the rights of others like the husband and children. The permission of the wali.
Activity: What kinds of career choices do you think may be problematic for a Muslim woman and why? (Group discussion)
Thamil Qahramnah was the first female judge in Islam. She passed away in 928 C.E. in Baghdad.

1. If I work, am I obligated to help with household expenses? It depends. If there is a condition in the contract prior to the marriage where the husband says that if the wife works she needs to participate, then she must contribute. If there is no condition, it is better and nice if she does, but she is not obligated to participate in household expenses. 2. I work as a doctor and I sometimes must examine men. What is the ruling? Yes, it is allowed. Nurses during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) took care of injured men. 3. Theres a possibility that I might fall into some arm at work. What is the ruling regarding that? Does this mean a major sin or minor sin? It may mean khalwah or shaking someones hand or mixing. In a case like this, the general rule is: if the vast majority of your work is in the all, then we judge it by the majority of the work. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Your business will always be mixed with what is permissible and impermissible. Purify it with adaqah. Always give adaqah from your salary to purify whatever may happen. 4. Is it permissible to accept a gift from a male coworker? If the gift is something common and there is nothing personal, then it is permissible. 5. Is it allowed to work night shifts? Yes, if it is safe and your wali is okay with it.
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6. Can a woman be a judge? The first woman judge was in 928. Ulem have a different opinion about women being a judge. - Some of the Shfii and Mliki scholars and al-abari say she is allowed to be a judge because there is no proof to forbid her from this. Making a judgment is a form of fatwa. The only difference is that the answer of the mufti you are not entitled to and you are entitled to the ruling of the judge. Giving the fatwa is allowed for a woman, so giving a ruling is allowed for a woman. A judge is a mufti with power. This is their main evidence. - Abu anfah allowed her to be a judge in certain areas where she can give testimony. He doesnt allow women to give testimonials in all areas but only in limited areas. - The vast majority of Muslim jurists say she is not allowed to be a judge because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) never appointed a female judge and none of his companions appointed a female judge. Also, they said judges deal with criminals and may go to crime scenes, but in modern days, this is not necessarily true. Refutation: culturally during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was not acceptable. The majority of the fuqah say two women witnesses equal two men, but we dont agree with this. This is only when it comes to business transactions. Other than that, one woman is equal to one man in testimony. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote an article defending this position and showed that it is only restricted in business transactions. She is equal in other things. Also, there is a difference between a witness and a judge, and a judge is closer to a mufti in position than a witness, so the qiys is not correct. Shaykh Waleed believes the permissibility of being a judge is a strong opinion. 7. Can I work in the army or law enforcement? Conditions: The nature of the job must be permissible and there will be no arm during the job or the potential for arm is very small. We need women in these areas because they have to deal with women. Umar b. alKhab hired a woman to be in charge of the market in Madnah. She was in charge of catching anyone cheating or making a bad transaction. She had a stick with her to reprimand anyone who did something wrong. Women participated in the army during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). The system and the job must be looked at because it is more complicated than in the old days.
E) Womens Participation in Politics

Women participated in the second bayah of al-Aqabah, in which they pledged their support and the protection of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and the religion. They participated in the bayah of al-Riwn. When Abu Bakr was elected as khalfah,
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they participated by giving him the bayah as Anas reported, All the people of Madnah gave bayah to Abu Bakr. When Umar was stabbed, afah talked to her father about appointing a khalfah after him. (al-Bukhri and Muslim) Women of Madnah were consulted by Abdul-Ramn b. Awf when choosing between Uthmn and Ali as the khalfah after Umars death. (Ibn Kathr) The role of women in advising rulers is known. Umm Salamah advised the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) during Sull-udaybiyah. When Umar became khalfah, Khawlah bint Thalabah gave him moving advice. Umm al-Dard advised Abdul-Mlik b. Marwn. Umm Hni gave her word of protection to someone from Bani Hubayrah against Ali b. Abi lib who was going to kill him. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, I will protect whomever you give your protection to. (al-Bukhri) ishah and Umm Salamah had active roles in the political arena around the time of Uthmns death. Women participated in jihd during the time of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and after. Umm Imrah participated in the Battles of Uud, unayn, and al-Yammah. Al-Bukhri has many chapters related to womens participation in jihd as do other scholars of adth. Women always had a place to play in politics. When Uthmn b. Affn was about to be elected as khalfah, Abdul-Ramn b. Awf asked the people in Madnah (muhjirn and anr) both men and women (even those who had never been married) if they would choose Uthmn or Ali, so this means they participated in the election process. Females narrate most of the aadth that talk about the Day of Judgment. This is an interesting observation. For example, Umm Salamah, Zaynab bint Jash and others narrated about political changes happening in the Muslim ummah. If women didnt care about politics, then why would they care about memorizing and narrating aadth like this? They know that they have a role to play. ishah played a great role in trying to fix the problem when there was fitnah amongst the companions. They participated in politics.

1. Can a woman be head of state? There is consensus that a woman cannot be the caliph because the head of state leads the prayer, ajj, and army, and these things cannot be done by females. Also the head of state has ultimate power, and a father and husband has rights over the woman. Ibn Abbs said, Allh favored men over women by having them be the head of state. They are responsible for supporting the family financially and are the head
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of the state. These are the only two things that Allh favored men over women with, and this is more responsibility. It is not something that makes men better than women, but it is more responsibility on the shoulders of men.. There is ijm that women cannot be the head of the state. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said that when the Persian Empire was led by women that it would never achieve success. Two modern scholars (the Grand Mufti of Egypt and another) allow women to be the head of state in modern societies. Why? In modern society, there is no concept of the caliph who leads the entire Muslim world. Also, the modern state is different than the old style of ruling. In modern states, you dont have ultimate power and you dont lead the army. The responsibility is distributed, so it is not like before. The situation is completely different today. Also, they said that when the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said no nation will achieve success if led by women, here the woman is not leading the country alone. She is leading with a cabinet, ministry, and advisors. Refutation: All of these issues can all be countered because the khulaf also had a cabinet and advisors and head of the army. This issue needs to be looked at more and more research should be done. 2. What about other political positions? No one disagrees with this and she can take on another position. 3. What are the rulings regarding female participation in elections? They did this during the process of electing Uthmn. 4. Is it permissible for a woman to be in a leadership position over males? Yes, she is allowed. Umar gave a woman the leadership position in the market. If Umar gave her this wilyah, then she can be given a bigger wilyah as well.
Conclusion
Somebody asked me a question: Shaykh, we attend a lot of classes and have learned a lot of knowledge. How can we keep up with all of this? If you forget a little bit after you leave, it is normal. You have the basis and foundation and can always go back to it. Two things will help you retain the knowledge, and Shaykh Waleed measures the success of his course through these: 1) Taking the exam. There is so much you learn in this weekend and it is impossible to absorb this 100% over one weekend. After this class, study in a group. Review it so that you can take the exam and keep the information fresh in your head. 2) Dont make this the end. Seek knowledge and learn. Continue participating in future classes and in your locality and masjid. Benefit from the time and knowledge. Talk about it with your family members.

Complicated - A To Z of Women's Modern Fiqh Notes - Hosna

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Qabeelat Hosna | Student Notes May 2012

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Chapter One: Rulings Related to Female Newborns and Children

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

B) Naming the Child

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

D) Shaving the Hair

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

E) The Urine of the Female Infant

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Frequently Asked Questions

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Qabeelat Hosna May 2012

Complicated?: A to Z of Womens Modern Fiqh Shaykh Waleed Basyouni