Q: Sending Baaligh Muslim girls to other schools for quizzes, science fairs, debates etc. with the school bus accompanied by female staff members.
A: Venturing out of the home has been strictly prohibited for females. Only in the state of extreme necessity are they allowed to leave their home: “قد أذن لكن أن تخرجن لحاجتكن”. (Bukhaari, Abu Dawood) Hence, the permission should be restricted only to the extent of necessity. In the recent past, there were many such experiences that women had gone through in schools and even in deeni institutions where a slight relaxed attitude was shown in this regard and it culminated in a situation that was unimaginable, where Muslim girls had actually eloped with non-Muslims. All these stem from this point. Further, the hadeeth says that the woman is a thing that is to be concealed. When she leaves the home then Shaitaan looks for ways to lead her astray.
By her going to participate in these types of competitions, quizzes etc. there will definitely be a situation where she will be confronted with males and females and then they will give away their identities. All these have very unpleasant consequences.
وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّـهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا (سورة الاحزاب آية 33) عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت خرجت سودة بعدما ضرب الحجاب لحاجتها وكانت امرأة جسيمة لا تخفى على من يعرفها فرآها عمر بن الخطاب فقال يا سودة أما والله ما تخفين علينا فانظري كيف تخرجين قالت فانكفأت راجعة ورسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في بيتي وإنه ليتعشى وفي يده عرق فدخلت فقالت يا رسول الله إني خرجت لبعض حاجتي فقال لي عمر كذا وكذا قالت فأوحى الله إليه ثم رفع عنه وإن العرق في يده ما وضعه فقال إنه قد أذن لكن أن تخرجن لحاجتكن (صحيح البخاري رقم 4795)
وعنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال المرأة عورة فإذا خرجت استشرفها الشيطان رواه الترمذي (مشكاة رقم 3109)
Answered by:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)