news - No men allowed: Saudi all-women plays attract crowds in Eid

Gender segregation is the norm in most aspects of everyday life in
Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
More than 7,000 women have attended performances of "SowaleefHarem"
(Women's Talk) since the play opened to audiences four days ago inthe
Saudi capital, Riyadh.
No men have attended theplay, a comedy about four women who
accidentally discover that they are married to the same man.
Actually, men are not allowed to attend the shows. Unlike television,
where Saudi actors and actresses work together, theater remains a
gender-segregated field in the conservative Kingdom.
So, the show being performed at the King Fahad Cultural Center is an
all-women affair. Only women act in the play, and only women are
allowed to attend.
This gender segregation is the norm in most aspects of everyday life
in Saudi Arabia, which practices a strict interpretation of Islam, and
local theatre is a tradition. But the droves flocking to "Sowaleef
Harem" mark an upswing in popularity of women's theatre in the
country.
With limited entertainment options andstrict laws in their
country,many Saudis take advantage of the Eid holiday to travel to
neighboring countries like Bahrain and Lebanon, where they take
vacations in a more liberal atmosphere.
But as political tensions run high this year in Manama and Beirut,
many Saudi families changed or canceled their travel plans.The local
government in Riyadh has attempted to attract residents with theirown
programming that includes activities for children, fireworks shows,
and plays for men and women.
According to local media reports, four all-women plays were available
to female audiences in Riyadh during Eid al-Fitr festivities which
follow theholy fasting month of Ramadan. A fifth play tookplace in the
coastal city of Jeddah.
Many of the performances touched on the gender barriers being
delicately addressed in the country. With the high unemployment rate
among women, the Saudi government has tried in recent years to
integrate more women into the job market by loosening the segregation
laws in the workplace.
One of this year's plays, "Al-Rekada Zeina" (It's Good To Slow Down),
tackled the issues faced byfemale teachers, who struggle to find jobs
and then struggle to get to work because women are not allowed to
drive in Saudi Arabia.
Manal al-Eisa, the lead actress of the play, said acting in all-female
theater gives her freedom to "deliver the message with no
reservations."
Al-Eisa pointed out that she has received support from Prince Adelah
bint Abdullah, the King's daughter who is known tobe actively involved
in women's empowerment efforts in the country.
Samir al-Wohaibi, the director of "Sowaleef Harem," told al-Riyadh
daily that all-female theater provides a great outlet to showcase
women's talents and address common concerns.
"We can tackle our women's issues with morecomfort and privacy," she said.

He studied in an institute by means of a trick; shouldhe work in the profession that he has learned?

I entered a professional institute which only requires a high school
certificate (secondary education). I have a diploma from the same
government foundation towhich this institute belongs, but they won\'t
accept you if you have anycertificate higher than the general high
school certificate. So I did not tell them that I have a diploma and I
gave them the high school certificate only. They accepted me and I
studied with them and learned a profession, but after that I regretted
itand repented and I graduated from this institute but I did not take
the certificate from them. Is it permissible for me to practice this
profession that I have learned with them, or is it haraam for me to
practice this profession because I learned it by means of a trick?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not permissible to use tricks in order to study in these
institutes and go against the conditions thatthey have set out,
because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "O you who
believe! Fulfil (your) obligations" [al-Maa'idah 5:1]. And the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "The Muslims are
bound bytheir conditions." Narrated by Abu Dawood (3594) and classed
as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
But there is nothing wrongwith you practising the profession that you
learned, even if you learned it through a trick or by impermissible
means. It is not one of the obligations of repentance that the
penitent should forget about the profession that he learned or give up
working in that field; rather he should ask Allah for forgiveness for
the wrong things he did and work in whatever permissible field he
wants.

And Allah knows best.

When should airplane passengers enter ihraam?

I intend to go for Hajj this year, if Allaah wills, and I want to
travel from Riyadhto Jeddah by air. When exactly should I enter
ihraam?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Your meeqaat in this case is Qarn al-Manaazil, which nowadays is
called al-Sayl al-Kabeer.
The one who passes by themeeqaat has to enter ihraam from that point.
If he does not pass it then hehas to enter ihraam when he comes in
line with it on land, on the sea or in the air. So you have to enter
ihraam when the plane comes in line with it. As the plane will pass
the meeqaat quickly, there is nothing wrong with entering ihraam a
little before that, in order to be on the safe side.
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen said:
If there is no meeqaat on aperson's route, he should enter ihraam when
he comes in line with the nearest place to it, whether he is coming by
land, by sea or by air. Airplane passengers should enter ihraam when
they come in line with the meeqaat or, to be on the safe side, before
they reach it, so that they will not pass it before entering ihraam.
Whoever enters ihraam after passing the meeqaat has to offer a
sacrifice. and Allaah knowsbest.
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 2/198
From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah:
Jeddah is not a meeqaat for Hajj or 'Umrah, except for its citizens
and residents, and for those who come to it for a reason other than
Hajj or 'Umrah, then decide to go for Hajj or 'Umrah. But those who
have a meeqaat before Jeddah, such as Dhu'l-Hulayfah for the people of
Madeenah and places beyond, or whocome in line with it on land or in
the air, or al-Jahfah for those who live there, or who come in line
with it on land, on the sea or in the air, or such as Yalamlam as
well, have to enter ihraam from their own meeqaat or when they come in
line with it inthe air or on the sea or on land.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah. 11/130
The evidence for entering ihraam from a point that isin line with the
meeqaat isthe report narrated by al-Bukhaari (1458) from Ibn 'Umar
(may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: When these two cities –
meaning Kufa and Basrah – were conquered, they came to 'Umar and said,
"O Ameer al-Mu'mineen, the Messenger of Allaah (peaceand blessings of
Allaah be upon him) defined the meeqaat for the people of Najd as
being Qarn, but it is out of our way, and if we want to go to Qarn it
istoo difficult for us." He said, "Look for a place on your route that
is in line with it," and he defined Dhaat 'Irq for them (as their
meeqaat).
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari (3/389):
"Look for a place that is in line with it" means find a place that is
parallel with the meeqaat and make that your meeqaat.
It should be noted that it is not Sunnah to enter ihraam before
reaching the meeqaat, because this is not what the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did, and the best of guidance isthe
guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). But
if a person is in a plane and cannot stop at the place that is in line
with the meeqaat, then he may do what he thinks is more on the safe
side so that he will not pass the meeqaat without being in ihraam.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him)said:
It was not narrated from any of those who performed Hajj with the
Messenger of Allaah (peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) that
they entered ihraam before Dhu'l-Hulayfah. If there was no meeqaat
they thenthey would enter ihraam before it, so this would be more
difficult and would bring a greater reward.
Fath al-Baari, 3/387.
And Allaah knows best.
:-> key word: Hajj/

He died and did not perform Hajj because he was negligent – can someone perform Hajj on his behalf?

There is a person who diedin his 40s. He was able to do Hajj, and he
prayed all five prayers regularly. He used to say each year, "I will
go for Hajj this year," but then he died. He has heirs – can they
perform Hajj on his behalf? Is there any sin on him?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The scholars differed concerning such cases. Some of them said that
others may perform Hajj on his behalf and that will benefit him, and
it will be as if he did Hajj for himself.Others said that no one can
perform Hajj on his behalf, and even if people performed Hajj on his
behalf a thousand times, itwould not be accepted and would not
discharge his duty. This view is correct, because this man failed to
do an act of worship that was obligatory for him and should have been
done straight away, with no excuse. So how can we make it up for him
after his death after he neglected it? Now the estate has to do with
the rights of the heirs – how can we deprive them of the costs of this
Hajj, whenit is not going to be accepted? This is what Ibn al-Qayyim
(may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned in Tahdheeb al-Sunan and this
is also my view. If a person fails to do Hajj out of negligence when
he is ableto do it, no Hajj will ever count for him, even if the
people do Hajj on his behalf a thousand times.
As for zakaah, there are some scholars who say that if a person dies
and zakaah is paid on his behalf, that is sufficient, but the basic
principle thatI have mentioned implies that it does not discharge his
duty of paying zakaah. But I think that the zakaahmay be paid from the
estate, because it has to dowith the rights of the poorand those who
are entitledto zakaah, unlike Hajj, the cost of which cannot be taken
from the estate, because it does not have to do with anybody's rights,
whereas zakaah hasto do with people's rights. So zakaah should be
given to those who are entitled to it, but that does not discharge the
person's duty, and he will be given the punishment of those who do not
pay zakaah. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
The same applies to fasting. If it is known that this person did not
fast and was negligent in making it up, then it cannot be made up on
his behalf, because he was negligent and failed to do this act of
worship, which is one of the pillars of Islam, with no excuse. If it
is made up on his behalf it will not benefit him. The hadeeth of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "Whoever dies
owing fasts, his heir should fast on his behalf," applies to one who
has not been negligent, and with regardto the one who failed to make
up missed fasts out of negligence with no legitimate shar'i excuse,
what is the point of making it up on his behalf? End quote.
Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen,