Women - Claims about woman in Islam

Question
There is a new group which has come recently to my city and claim that
they are addressing common misconceptions about Islam by Muslims
themselves.
These are a few of their teachings:
- looking at a woman in her eye while addressing her is a cultural
thing andhas nothing to do with Islam.
- women are highly encouraged to work)even outside homes, i.e. offices, etc.(.
- the public is Mahram fora woman.
- women only need husband's permission to go out only if the travel or
period of absence is more than 3 days.
-the voice of a woman is not Awrah.
- males are allowed to attend and listen to Qur'an recitation
competitions involving women.
- the seating arrangements which seek to segregate man and women is a
cultural thing.
- Islam does not preach strict segregation of the sexes )they used
Hajj as an example(.
- women are allowed to give Adhan )without any specifications(.
However there would be grave consequences and that is why they don't
do so.
- Sahabah used to sit in a big room with man facing women )more of
amixed seating but women with women andman with man, however in an
open manner(.
- if they sat together)manand woman(, every woman sat with her Mahram
in a big circle.
Please tell me if these things are right as I have had a different
upbringing )different teachings(. If they are, give me a few evidence
and if they aren't, again give me some evidences.
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and
peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and
Companions.
Men should not look at alien women nor should women look at alien
menas this is forbidden by the clear texts of the Qur'an and Hadith.
Allah Says )interpretation of meaning(:}Tell the believing men to
lower their gaze )from looking at forbidden things(, … And tell the
believing women to lower their gaze )from looking at forbidden
things(, …{]24:30-31[.
The Prophet )Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam( said:"Allah has written
forAdam's son his share of Zina which he commits inevitably. The Zina
of the eyes is the sight)looking at an alien woman("]Reported by
Imamsal-BukhariandMuslim[.
The Prophet )Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam( said toAli:"OAli! Do not
follow an unintentional look )at alien women( with another look. The
first glance is for you)pardonable( whereas theother glance is not for
you )that is a sin(". Transmitted byal-Tirmiziwho considered it as
good. There are many Ahadith proving this ruling.
So, whoever claims that lowering gaze from looking at alien women is
merely a cultural matter and not a religious act should recheck his
religion, Islam.
2( Working is permissiblefor the woman as long asthe following
conditions are met:
a( When the Muslim community needs her services such as a lady doctor,
lady teacher, etc.
b( Working in a non-mixed environment.
c( Observing the rulings of Sharia as for as the matter of Hijab is concerned.
Yet it is more suitable for her to stay in her house taking care of
her children, the future generation, which is, indeed, best for her
and for the community as well.
Allah Says )interpretationof meaning(:}And stay in your houses, and do
not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance, …{]33:
33[.
3( Jurists have different opinions concerning the matter of presence
of a woman among a great number of men, is it permissible or not? The
preponderant opinion is that it is permissible provided there is no
temptation; otherwise, it is forbidden as agreed byall jurists.
However, traveling of a woman in public withoutbeing accompanied by a
Mahram is not permitted with the exception of thedire necessity. Some
jurists permitted her onlyto travel to perform obligatory Umrah and
Hajj with the company of trustworthy group of women.
4( Going out without having husband's permission is not permissible,
let alone traveling, which is strictlyforbidden with a greater reason.
5( Is the voice of a woman Awrah )must be covered( or not? This is a
matter of discussion among scholars. The preponderant opinion is that
it is not Awrah except if there is a chance of temptation.
6( There is no harm if a man attends the Qur'an recitation competition
of women provided the women are in complete Hijab fulfilling the
rulingsof Sharia and provided he is certain to not to be tempted on
hearing theirrecitation.
However, it is better that only women attend in such competition in
order to block the ways that could lead to evil.
7( Islam urges that there be separate places for men and women at
gatherings since mixing of both sexes leads to many evil and shameful
acts. There are many evidence proving this fact.
Allah Says )interpretationof meaning(:}And stay in your houses, …{]33: 33[.
The Prophet )Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam( said:"The best rows for men
are the first rows, and the worst one are the lastones, and the best
rows for women are the last ones and the worst ones for them are the
first ones".
This is because the first row of women is closer to the men's ranks
and the last rank is farther from them.
The Prophet )Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam( used to order men to delay
leaving of mosque till thewomen left. This rule wasonly to prevent
them from mixing with women. If it is undesirable for men and women to
be close at the time of worshipping Allah, remembering Him, how much
more so in a place full of doubts and temptations. The
Prophet)Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam( said toUmm Salamah:"Perform the
Tawaf while riding from behind the people"]Reported by
Imamal-Bukhari[.
Hafiz Ibn Hajarhighlighted the reason and said:'The Prophet)Sallallahu
Alaihi wa Sallam( ordered her to make Tawaf from behindthe people
since it wouldprovide more cover for her from being seen by men'.
In short, we mentioned but a few evidences here;otherwise, the
evidence is too much to be covered in this Fatwa.
8( Taking Hajj as an example for the permissibility of mixing men and
women is totally baseless. Is it correct to say that wine
ispermissible since some Muslims drink it? It is not sound to take the
example of Hajj to allow the mixing of both sexes since a mistake can
neverbe an excuse for another mistake.
9( Women can call for Azan but without raising their voice.
Imanal-Shafi'esaid:'Calling Azan and Iqama is permitted for women
butit is better not to raise their voice'. The reason isthat her voice
may cause seduction to others.
10( As for their claim that the companions of the Prophet )Sallallahu
Alaihi wa Sallam( used to sit in a big room facing women … we ask them
toproduce the evidence forthis claim. This claim is full of ambiguity
and is beyond the reality.
No doubt, some companions of the Prophet )Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam(
used to visit other companions and sometimes some of them visit some
women for some legal purpose but itwas totally free from being alone
with them, unveiled and free from any kind of suspicion, which is
common now.
In short, their claims consist of true and false. It is apparent that
they are keen to encourage men to mix with the opposite sex and
socializing with alien women. Indeed, this practice will open many
doors to seduction. Therefore, it is better for men to avoid being
seen by women and it is bettertoo for women to be far from the eyes of
men as reported from Ayisha)Radiya Allahu Anha(.
We ask Allah to make us steadfast on right path.
Allah knows best.

Women - Freedom of women in Islam

Question
Why in Islam women do not have their freedom?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and
peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and
Companions.
A woman was in a miserable state before Islam. She was subject to
humiliation, injustice andoppression. She was buried alive for fear of
poverty. Also, because women were used as a means for gaining moneyand
for prostitution, which is a source of disgrace.
By the advent of Islam Shari'a honors the woman, gives her
naturalposition in life and returns her freedom. In general, she is
like a man except in some rulings and regulations that befither
physiologically.
The woman in Islam ranks high as a daughter,sister, wife and mother.
Islam grants the woman her personal and financial freedom as well as
independence to behave within the Shari'a limits and good customs that
Islam sanctions, i.e. without committing what is Haram such as
displaying her charm, misdeeds and uncovering her body. At the same
time, man has freedom, but within Shari'a limitations and good and
useful customs that Islam sanctions.
So, it is not true to say that women do not rank high in Islam.
Whoever wants Muslim women to be free from her modesty, morals, honor
and religion wants misery for her, to overburden her and to ask her to
do what she naturally cannot.
Allah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Arguments with her husband – she is asking how to become a righteous wife.

I am a new muslimah and am fromthe U.S. I have been raised not to let
a man controll me. Now the problem is thatmy husband is not from here
and we tend to argue alot.I know more of the laws and commoneveryday
things more than he does.His englishis not that great, so, I have to
explain to him sometimes and he is used to how his country and culture
are, so, in public I tend to do the talking alot.This makes him mad
sometimes but I feel it is the only way to get things done right most
of the time. Now we argue alot and I don't know how to be the "wife"
that I am supposed to be Islamically. I am still in the learning
process, but that is were I have my biggest problem.How can I change
that or try to make the problem better.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We praise Allaah for guiding you to Islam, which is the greatest
blessing that Allaah can bestow upon His slaves.
We would like to tell youthat Allaah has given yourights over your
husband, and has enjoined upon you duties towards him. You can read
question no. 10680to find out more about this.
You have to do the duties towards your husband which Allaah has
enjoined upon you. Islam regards the husband's rights as greatbecause
of the husband's great importance in building the Muslim household,
and because Allaah has enjoined him (the husband) to look after his
family's interests and take care of them.
The Muslim woman should be wise in her dealings with her husband,
because man – usually – is pleased with kind words and appreciates
kind treatment. So if that comes from his life-partner, that will
have a greater effect. The wise woman must also keep away from all
kinds of behaviour that will offend her husband,and rid herself of
every kind of action that annoys him, and try not to control him. The
man has the role ofqawwaam(protector and maintainer), and
theresponsibility is his. Making him feel that he is falling short in
certain situations may make himangry and not treat his wife well. One
of them said: "The best wife is the one who knows howto create harmony
in hermarriage and strikes a balance between obeying and respecting
her husband and expressing her own strong personality."
Your speaking to people on his behalf – because he does not speak your
people's language well –is permissible according to sharee'ah, but as
stated above, you have to be wise in doing this. When doing these
thingsyou should not make him feel that he is lacking or that he is
not important. Rather you should refer to him when speaking to the
people, and consult withhim, and do not make decisions in his
presencewithout asking his permission. You should do that in front of
the people to whom you arespeaking so that he will feel that he is
important.Try to make him feel thathe speaks his own language better
than you do, and that you complement one another; and you can help him
to learn your language, and he can help you to learn his language.
This is what we advise you to do, and this is what may reduce his
anger and stop him frombehaving in this manner.It seems that it is
only a matter of time, and you have to be careful in handling this
situation until he becomes more fluent in your language and is able to
do things himself, on his own.
Secondly:
In order to become a good wife, you have to learn what Allaah has
enjoined upon you, so that you can do it. You have to know how
righteous women behave, their attitude and the way they interact with
their husbands. You will need to strive hard until you get used to it,
but it is not impossible. The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Knowledge comes by learning, and patience comes by
trying to be patient. Whoever seeks goodness will be given it, and
whoever fears evil will be protected from it." Narrated by
al-Daaraqutni inal-Afraad; this is a hasan hadeet, as was stated by
al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Jaami', 2328.
Some of these characteristics and attitudes are those of which a wise
mother advised her daughter before marriage, which is comprehensive
advice.We ask Allaah to help you to achieve this. That mother said to
her daughter:
"O my daughter, you are leaving your house in which you grew up, and
going to live with a man whom you do not know,a companion whom you are
unfamiliar with. Be like a slave woman to him and he will be like a
slave to you. Remember ten characteristics whichwill be a stored
treasure for you:
The first and second are to be devoted to him and be content, listen
to him and obey.
The third and the fourth are to consider his nose and eyes; do not let
him see anything ugly of you, or let him smell anything but a good
fragrance.
The fifth and the sixth are consider the time of his sleeping and
eating, for hunger burns and disturbance of sleep causes anger.
The seventh and the eighth are to look after his wealth and to take
care of his family and hisdependents.
The ninth and the tenth are to look after his wealth and take care of
his dependents."
Thirdly:
The husband has to fear Allaah his Lord, and not transgress the rights
of his wife. He should give her her rights as Allaah has enjoined upon
him. He should realize that people vary, and that what he knows, many
people are ignorant of, and what he is ignorant of, many people know.
For him to have a wife who will translate for him and show him what
will benefit him and how things are done is better for him than having
someone with him whom he cannot trust. Knowledge can only be acquired
by learning, and the way tolearn is by striving and working hard.
Advise him to try to control himself at times of anger, and not to get
angry unless you have transgressed one of the sacred limits of Allaah.
This is the kind of anger that is regarded as praiseworthy.
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Is it permissible for thefather of the man to see his son’s fiancée?

Is it permissible for the father of the man to see his son's fiancée?
Praise be to Allah.
It is not permissible for the father to see his son's fiancée, because
she is a non-mahram to him. It is only permissible for his son tosee
her with special permission from sharee'ah, in order to create harmony
and affection after marriage.But no exception has been narrated with
regard to the man's father; in that case the original prohibition on
seeing her remains in effect, and she is like anyother woman who is a
non-mahram to him. So he is enjoined to avert his gaze from her, not
tobe alone with her and not to shake hands with her.
But when his son does the marriage contract with his fiancée, she
becomes his wife, even if he has not consummated the marriage with
her, and even if in your country she is still called a fiancée after
doing the marriage contract. This customary naming of thematter does
not affect anything, so long as the son's marriage contract has been
done. In that case it becomes permissible for the father to look at
his son's wife, because she has become a mahram to him, as Allah, may
He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):"Forbidden toyou
(for marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters... the wives ofyour
sons who (spring) from your own loins" [an-Nisa' 4:23].
And Allah knows best.