Question:
Asalaamu Alaykum Mawlana Shaykh Hisham and all other members,
I brought a friend to one of the gatherings in London, and he had a few questions which he asked,
1) Are mixed gatherings permissible, (as he said he had seen men and women intermingling in the gathering, i.e. sitting next to one another, and outside the gathering)
2) Didn’t the wudu of the Shaykh break, as in Shafi fiqh the touch of a non mehram women breaks wudu?
3) Is it permissible to listen to women singing in melodious tunes?
JazakAllah Khayr make dua for us all
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam,
1. Men and women who are not immediately related should not mix nor talk to each other unnecessarily. However, if there is a lack of space it is a matter of necessity for men and women to participate in ibadah, such as Hajj ritual of tawaf and other collective forms of ibadah (worship). In such instances only in a genuine need the conversation between men and women can take place, but in a modest manner.
2. Touching a woman with shahwah (desire) breaks the wudhu.
3. If there is a fear of fitna, the female should not raise her voice and the male should avoid listening to it.
Imam Senad Agic
Head Imam (IABNA)
The Islamic Association of Bosniaks in North America
American Islamic Center – Chicago
