Sex Segregation in Islam: Difference between revisions

The traditional view of most Islamic scholars, past and present, prohibits free-mixing between men and women, based largely on hadith evidence. Modern scholars and activists using other hadith and Quranic evidence often posit that free-mixing is actually allowed in Islam, at least with fewer limitations than are traditionally supposed. In seeking to create a complete way of life in Islam, the scholars have not failed to address the matter the relations between men and women and their effect up one another; quite to the contrary, the tradition has much to say on the matter and the scholars have generally built their views on this foundation. Scholars throughout the ages and belonging to various madhabs and traditions of Islam have [[Fiqh|formulated]] their opinions on this matter and the general consensus is that the practice of free-mixing as a crime punishable under [[Islamic law|Shari'ah laws]].

{{Quote| {{Bukhari|4|52|250}}|Narrated Ibn Abbas: That he heard the Prophet saying, "It is not permissible for a man to be alone with a woman, and no lady should travel except with a mahram (i.e. her husband or a person whom she cannot marry in any case for ever; e.g. her father, brother, etc.)." Then a man got up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have enlisted in the army for such-and-such Ghazwa and my wife is proceeding for Hajj." Allah's Apostle said, "Go, and perform the Hajj with your wife."  }}

{{Quote| {{Bukhari|3|29|87}}|Narrated Qaza'a, the slave of Ziyad: Abu Said who participated in twelve Ghazawat with the Prophet said, "I heard four things from Allah's Apostle (or I narrate them from the Prophet ) which won my admiration and appreciation. They are: 1. "No lady should travel without her husband or without a Dhu-mahram for a two-days' journey. 2. No fasting is permissible on two days of 'Id-al-Fitr, and 'Id-al-Adha. 3. No prayer (may be offered) after two prayers: after the 'Asr prayer till the sun set and after the morning prayer till the sun rises. 4. Not to travel (for visiting) except for three mosques: Masjid-al-Haram (in Mecca), my Mosque (in Medina), and Masjid-al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem)." }}

{{Quote| {{Muslim|7|3104}}|Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is not lawful for a Muslim woman to travel a night's journey except when there is a mahram with her.  }}

{{Quote| {{Muslim|7|3105}}|Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Hereafter to undertake a day's journey except in the company of a mahram. }}

{{Quote| {{Muslim|7|3110}}|Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) delivering a sermon and making this observation:" No person should be alone with a woman except when there is a mahram with her, and the woman should not undertake journey except with a mahram." A person stood up and said: Allah's Messenger, my wife has set out for pilgrimage, whereas I am enlisted to fight in such and such battle, whereupon he said:" You go and perform Hajj with your wife." }}

{{Quote| {{Bukhari|2|24|541}}|Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri On 'Id ul Fitr or 'Id ul Adha Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) went out to the Musalla. After finishing the prayer, he delivered the sermon and ordered the people to give alms. He said, "O people! Give alms." Then he went towards the women and said. "O women! Give alms, for I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-Fire were you (women)." The women asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the reason for it?" He replied, "O women! You curse frequently, and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. O women, some of you can lead a cautious wise man astray." Then he left. And when he reached his house, Zainab, the wife of Ibn Masud, came and asked permission to enter It was said, "O Allah's Apostle! It is Zainab." He asked, 'Which Zainab?" The reply was that she was the wife of Ibn Mas'ub. He said, "Yes, allow her to enter." And she was admitted. Then she said, "O Prophet of Allah! Today you ordered people to give alms and I had an ornament and intended to give it as alms, but Ibn Masud said that he and his children deserved it more than anybody else." The Prophet replied, "Ibn Masud had spoken the truth. Your husband and your children had more right to it than anybody else."}}   

{{Quote|{{Abu Dawud||571|Hasan}}|Ibn ‘Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying :

{{Quote| {{Bukhari|1|12|829}}|Narrated Um Salama: Whenever Allah's Apostle completed the prayer with Taslim, the women used to get up immediately and Allah's Apostle would remain at his place for someone before getting up. (The sub-narrator (Az-Zuhri) said, "We think, and Allah knows better, that he did so, so that the women might leave before men could get in touch with them)."  }}

{{Quote|{{Abu Dawud|41|5252}}|Narrated AbuUsayd al-Ansari:

{{Quote|{{Bukhari|1|4|192}}|Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

{{Quote|{{Muslim|23|4978}}|Sahl b. Sa'd reported that Abu Usaid al-Sa'idi invited Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to his wedding feast, and his wife had been serving them on that day while yet a bride. Sahl said ' Do you know what she served as a drink to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)? She steeped the dates in water during the night in a big bowl, and when he (the Holy Prophet) had eaten food she served him this drink.}}

{{Quote|{{Bukhari|7|71|583}}|Narrated Rubai bint Mu`adh bin Afra:

{{Quote|{{Muslim|26|5403}}|'Abdullah b. 'Amr. b. al-'As reported that some persons from Banu Hisham entered the house of Asma' daughter of 'Umais when Abu Bakr also entered (and she was at that time his wife). He (Abu Bakr) saw it and disapproved of it and he made a mention of that to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said:

Modern Islamic arguments against segregation point out a hadith in which Muhammad mixed with women in his own house (similarly {{Muslim|31|5899}}):  

{{Quote|{{Bukhari|8|73|108}}|Narrated Sa`d:

Scholarly discussions around free mixing commonly invoke the concept of fitnah (in this context meaning trial, corruption). See also the article [[Hijab]], which was another requirement that jurists sought to justify in terms of avoiding fitnah. Islamic scholars generally point to {{Bukhari|7|62|33}} ("Narrated Usama bin Zaid: 'The Prophet said, "After me I have not left any trial [fitnah] more harmful to men than women.").  Elizabeth Bucar in her book on the Islamic veil quotes the prominent jurist of the Shafi'i school, al-Nawawi (d. 1278) as an exemplar of this view, which is a motivation argued by some emerging Islamic governments in modern times: