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Fatwas Regarding Women

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful


Translator's Introduction


All praises are due to Allah. We praise Him, and seek His Help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our souls and from our sinful deeds. Whoever Allah guides, no one can mislead. And whoever Allah misguides, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. O believers, have taqwa [fear] of Allah according to His right and die not save as Muslims. O mankind, have taqwa of your Lord, the One who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and from them spread many men and women. And fear Allah from whom you demand your mutual rights and [do not cut] familial relations. Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you. O believers, have taqwa of Allah and always speak the truth. He will direct you to do righteous deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed achieved a great achievement. To proceed:

In many parts of the Western or English speaking world, our Muslim sisters do not have as much access to scholars, lectures in the mosques, arenas in which they may ask questions, and so forth. Therefore there is a pressing need to get vital Islamic information out to them in means they can take advantage of. This book is a step, Allah willing, in that direction.

In this work, the collector has done a good job of compiling many of the most important and often asked questions from sisters. The responses are given by some of the top scholars in the Muslim world today, namely, Shaikh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz, Shaikh Muhammad ibn Uthaimin and Shaikh Abdullah ibn Jibrin. Some of the questions were responded to by the "Standing Committee" made up of eminent scholars similar to those just mentioned.

My role in translating this work is just that: translating the work. Therefore, I have tried to keep my comments to a minimum-- except for the comments on hadith that is referred to in the text paragraph. Usually, comments will only appear to make the meaning of the question or answer clearer to those who are from a different background from the questioners and scholars involved. Very rarely, there may be a comment of a different nature.

Due to the nature of fatawa, or giving answers to questions received, many times important information about the hadith quoted is not mentioned by the scholars. In those cases where the Shaikh did not give the needed information concerning a hadith, I have made the effort to trace the hadith and mention such information. In general, if a hadith was from Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, that is all I would mention about the hadith. Otherwise, I would mention only the most important hadith references in which that hadith is to be found. Since the scholars responding to the questions are excellent scholars and very knowledgeable of hadith, it is very rare that they quote any hadith which is not authentic. Still, just to give the reader more confidence in the work, I did quote hadith specialists concerning those. Ahadith that were not taken from either Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim.

It has been my attempt to limit the number of Arabic terms used in this translation. In this way, every English reader can, Allah willing, benefit completely from the work. However, on occasion, I was still forced to use some Arabic terms. Usually, when coming across such terms, they are defined in parenthesis or are clear from the context. Some of these Arabic terms are completely defined in the glossary at the end of the work.

I pray that Allah accepts this work from us and makes it beneficial for the Muslim community. I ask Allah to bless the Shaikhs who responded to these questions and to increase their knowledge and fear of Him. May Allah also bless Br. Muhammad al-Musnad for gathering these questions in one work and getting them published. May Allah also bless Br. Abdul Malik Mujahid of Darussalam for presenting this translation project to me as well as for his encouraging me to complete it. May Allah also especially bless three brothers (Br. Muhammad Tahlawi, Dr. Muhammad al- Osimi and Br. Fahd al-Yahya) who have assisted me a great deal over the years, although in very different ways.

I ask Allah to forgive my mistakes and shortcomings in this work and in general. O Allah, accept this work from me as a work done solely for your sake.

Br. Jamaal Zarabozo

May 30, 1996

Muharram 13, 1417


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