It is not permissible to build a swimming pool forwomen in the centre
mentioned, because warding off evil takes precedence over bringing
benefits.
End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah, 26/342-343
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
We live in a residential neighbourhood where there is a women's
centre; at this centre there is a swimming pool for women and a sauna.
Whatis the ruling on women going to this centre?
He replied:
My advice to my brothers is not to let their women go to swimming
pools andsports clubs because the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) encouraged women to stay at home. Moreover,if a
woman becomes accustomed to that she will become very attachedto it
because she is subjectto her emotions, and in that case she will
become distracted from her religious or worldly duties and she will
always be talking about these activities in gatherings. And if the
woman does such things that will be a cause of her losing sense of
shame and modesty, and if a woman loses her sense of shame and modesty
do not ask about the evil consequences except for the one whom Allah
blesses by guiding her and enabling her to regain the modesty that was
taken away from her.
I will close my message byrepeating my advice to mybelieving brothers
not to let their daughters, sisters,wives or other female relatives
under their guardianship go to these centres or clubs.
End quote from the shaykh's fatwas for ad-Da'wah magazine no. 1765/54
This is not the only means of losing weight; there aremany permissible
means of doing so and there are other types of exercise that the
Muslim woman can do if she adheres to Islamic guidelines.
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