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