I was having a conversation with an elderly woman the other day. This woman, who’s almost at the verge of her last days, amazes me with her profound perspective of life. However, she only studied until the fifth grade. Thus, her perspective makes me reconsider the term ‘highly educated’. I often feel like living in a strange era where we have a plethora of titles and degrees and have made academic education our only purpose of life, but we still lack ‘common sense’. There are parents who hold PhDs but purchase questions for their children on the night before the exam. Our degrees can’t knock the sense in us that we don’t realize what a suicidal act this is.
Simultaneously, when a person runs after titles and degrees his entire life and suddenly realizes his identity as a Muslim, he surprisingly discovers that he lacks even the most basic knowledge of Islam. He is unaware of what renders the wudu invalid and what breaks his fasts. Naturally, his mind becomes clouded by an unidentified rage and everything around him feels dull. They feel this way because they realize that their worldly education is of no use in the Hereafter. Thus, whenever someone desires to embrace the true spirit of Islam, they rush into Islamic studies and abandon their worldly pursuit of education or degrees. The primary reason for this is the prevalent environment in conventional academic institutions, which fosters an unfavorable environment for Islamic practice.
But Is It The Right Decision To Give Up Institutional Studies As Soon As We Start Practicing Islam Properly? Does Islam Agree With This Idea Of Dividing Education Into General Studies And Religious Studies,
given that the Almighty’s first instruction to the prophet was to ‘Read’?
Today, our primary topic of discussion is regarding this. As a girl studying economics, I receive a lot of queries from other women regarding this. I picked up my pen to share my viewpoint with them.
But at the very onset, let me state unequivocally that I’m not a scholar, and what I’ll be saying here is entirely based on my opinion and life experiences. So, I implore you all not to think that I’m giving Fatwas.
I get questions from girls studying in all the disciplines. Although the questions are somewhat different, the context remains the same. One such example is –
“Dear sister, I am pursuing a law degree with honors. I’m not interested in corporate jobs, nor will I practice law in the future. I want to get into teaching and for that it’s necessary for me to have a Master’s degree. However, as a female with no financial obligations, is it necessary for me to pursue a degree in co-education?
When I express my opinion on such subjects, I make it clear at the outset that no one else will determine your course of action in life. Furthermore, it is not sensible to make a significant life decision based on the advice of others. The ability to make our own life decisions is a necessary skill that we should all possess. I advise everyone to stand for Tahajjud and seek guidance from Allah before sharing my perspective with them.
To begin, I inquire as to whether they are married or have children. Although these are personal questions, it matters a lot if they’re surrounded by adults or not while making decisions.
If They Have A Child, One Scenario Applies; If Not, Another Applies. Because I Am A Firm Believer That A Woman Is First And Foremost Responsible For Her Family.
Nowadays, with the prevalence of nuclear families, if she is absent for an extended period of time due to work or studies, there will be difficulties in caring for the child. Additionally, sexual abuse has become so prevalent that parents rarely trust anyone else to look after their child.
So, my writeup today is for those who don’t have a child. This is a very important disclaimer.
Before I go into any further discussions, I’d like to clear the concept of ‘Freemixing’. We frequently say that co-education is haram. But is freemixing and co-education actually the same? We must first have a firm grasp on the concept of freemixing.
Of course, the presence of both male and female in the same place does not imply freemixing. Then we would have to stop visiting all places, even including the mosque. By freemixing, we mean ‘intermingling among cross genders’.
Here, it is important to understand that in today’s age of the Internet, the scope of ‘inappropriate behavior’ is a little wider. If you send wink emojis to your male coworkers, that is definitely considered an inappropriate behavior.
Take Note That You Can Engage In Inconsistent Behavior Simply By Sitting At Home; You Are Not Even Required To Go Out. As A Result, We Must Grasp The Context Of The New Era.
Allah knows best if it’s actually possible to save yourselves from the sins of inappropriate behavior in the co-education system. However, I believe that there are a few ways to stay safe if we follow the guidelines listed below.
1. If your physical and psychological needs are met in a halal way; notice that I have mentioned emotional needs besides the physical ones. If you share your conjugal dissatisfaction and frustration with your male classmates or colleagues, you will find yourself on a slippery slope, possibly even engaging in extramarital affairs.
2. If you dress in a proper and decent way, according to the rule of Shariah law. To know more about the proper rules of dress code, you can find a suitable source. I prefer not to go into details to stay on topic.
3. Your non-verbal communication shouldn’t send any wrong signals. If you are the type of girl who covers herself adequately but interacts with males in ways that are not permissible in Islam, they will believe that the barrier that has been established between you two can be easily broken. They’ll recognize your accessibility.
4. Before communicating with someone of the opposite gender, check to see if an alternate female is available for communication. If there is, then contact her. Calculate the interaction’s importance and perform a comparative analysis of its gain and loss.
5. While interacting with someone of the opposite sex, consider what a practicing Muslim would think if they saw you. Would they consider it a simple conversation or something more? Ascertain the presence of Mahram for either party, if possible.
6. Refrain from requesting unnecessary or frequent assistance from someone of the opposite sex. They may take advantage of you if they believe you are becoming dependent on them.
7. Know that you are not immune to the dangers of extramarital affairs. It’s a heinous sin. Do not think that, he is junior to me, or he is a father or, i am good friends with his wife etc. Bear in mind that Shaytan is a very patient adversary.
8. However, the most important point is to seek refuge in Allah from any type of sins – big or small, public or private. There’s no alternative to regular conversation with Allah through your prayers. Indeed, He never disappoints a servant who seeks forgiveness. We must remember that Shaytan’s trick will never succeed against believers. We should not consider ourselves to be frail. Keep trust in Allah’s aid.
Hopefully, if females are aware of the aforementioned matters and seek Allah’s guidance, they will be able to avoid intermingling even if they are studying in a CoEducation environment, In Sha Allah.
However, we cannot deny that not everyone will be able to adhere to these rules. Not every girl will have a Mahram. Some may be divorced or single. What would happen in that case? Should they abandon studies out of concern for free mixing? They, in my opinion, should not. If they do, I don’t think it will make the situation any better.
There is a lot of news these days about famous personalities deviating due to female-related issues. The true extent of such incidents is unknown, and Allah is the only one Who truly knows. However, I believe that such incidents occur due to a lack of female alternatives to male contacts. If a woman needs to seek knowledge of Fiqh or counseling from a male scholar and that scholar is required to interact with hundreds of vulnerable girls, he is more likely to be deceived by Shaytan.
Since freemixing is prohibited in Islam, I believe that a generation must overcome their fear of fitna and remain steadfast in their studies. Assume a girl becomes a resource person while enrolled in a co-education system; she then prevents hundreds of other girls from freemixing because there is now a female alternative who can answer their questions. This has a domino effect on the system, as ten additional girls can become resource persons with the assistance of the female alternative. I dream of a time when female resource persons will be available in all fields of Shariah, Law, Economics, Psychology, and Education so that females can approach a female with any questions. However, it should be noted that if someone is unable to take the initiative to remove freemixing and fears becoming deviated in the process, this initiative is most emphatically not for them.
The path I’m referring to is challenging because it entails a plethora of worldly benefits such as social status and money. That is why it is possible to get corrupted in intention. We live in an era in which devoting 100% of one’s time to family is regarded as ‘sitting at home’ or ‘doing nothing’. This is why we may claim our intention is the desire to do something significant for the Ummah, but the true motivation may be to avoid being viewed as ‘worthless’ by society. Maintaining the purity of intention in this work is, therefore, the biggest challenge.
(To be Continued In Shaa Allah)
