When I was traveling along with my young son on a train in my home country, a non-Muslim man put to me a few questions about Islam. He was motivated by the title of the book I was reading and, perhaps, by my appearance because I was wearing my veil, allowing only my eyes to appear, but using also eyeglasses. He referred to my appearance and suggested the Muslim women are dominated, although he had learned in his childhood that Islam was a liberal religion. He also asked about the prohibition of alcohol and mixed gatherings, etc. I felt that I gave him convincing answers to his questions. He stated that he was an agnostic. I felt, and told him so, that he needed a few discussions like the one we had in order to start searching for the right faith. After we arrived and went our separate ways, the thought aroused in my mind whether I was actually allowed to have such a discussion with a non-Muslim person when I was travelling alone, without a Mahrem.
It is neither forbidden nor discouraged to have a conversation with a member of the opposite sex, if that conversation falls within the framework of what is lawful. There is a simple test to tell you whether such a conversation is lawful or not. You only need to ask yourself whether either of you or the man would have changed any part of that conversation if your husband or your father, who are presumably religious, would have suddenly appeared. If the answer to this question is in the negative, then there is nothing wrong with the discussion.
Since you have been travelling by a train with a large number of people, then you were not in a private situation with the man. Conducting a conversation with him that may be overheard by people close to you is acceptable.
It may be suggested that what was wrong in the situation was your travelling alone. We need probably to remember that the travel, which is restricted, is that which takes more than a day to complete. If you travelling between two cities where you have Mahrams in each city, then to make that journey is permissible, since it takes only 2-3 hours.
You have certainly put convincing arguments to this gentleman, because Islamic arguments have a power of their own. They have a direct appeal to the human mind. This is due to the fact that believing in the Oneness of God is a natural inclination of human beings. They may suppress that inclination by accepting beliefs that cannot be substantiated or proved. But a person who is searching for the truth is bound to feel their strength and he may very easily respond to them. However, I prefer that when we talk to a non-Muslim, we should not be over optimistic about his acceptance of the truth of Islam. It is quite possible that a person may accept that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, conveyed the message of the truth, and he may also believe that he was a messenger sent by God to mankind to teach them how to believe in God and implement His message, but that same person may still not believe in Him.
Many of the Arabs in Makkah entertained no doubt that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was saying the truth, when he told them that he received revelations and that Angel Gabriel gave him a message to convey to human beings. They still believed in his sincerity when he told them that God wanted them to accept Islam and implement it. Nevertheless, they preferred to continue to worship idols that they made with their own hands.
The clearest case of all was that of Abu Jahl, the archenemy of Islam. When he was pressed for a frank opinion about Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his message, his answer was as follows:
“We competed with Bani Abd Munaf (the Prophet’s tribe) for honor. They provided food and drink for poor people and pilgrims, and we did the same, and they organized charitable and commendable efforts and so did we. When we were parallel to the race, they claimed to have one of their numbers as a prophet who received revelations. When can we attain such an honor? By Allah, we will never believe in him or follow his message.”
That was an honest answer giving the reasons for a negative attitude. Your interlocutor may not have had similarly perverse motives, but he, and any person for that matter, may have his own reasons for following a course which he knows to be the right one.
Following the right guidance requires that a person have the resolve to learn the truth and abide by its requirements. That is a conscious attitude, which a person resolves to adopt. If he does not, there is no way you can get him to submit to the truth of the message of Islam.
Due to various factors I feel that my business will not flourish unless I employ more women than men. My business includes some glamorous aspects, but on these the business utilizes only non-Muslim women employees. May I ask whether there are any Islamic restrictions on employing women with men, considering that no woman will have a Mahrem on the premises?
Scholars say that a woman needs a Mahrem when she travels and the journey takes more than 24 hours. When she cannot be accompanied by a Mahrem on a travel, she may travel with “safe companionship”, which means a trustworthy group of travelers who include some women. The Mahrem does not have much of a role when it comes to day-to-day activities. Women can go about their business in the normal way as men, as long as they do not have to be in a compromising position with men who are not their close relatives.
This means that a working woman goes about her job in the same way as a man. If she has men as colleagues, then she should not be in a closed room with one man who is a stranger to her. If her working area is a ‘public’ place, which means that people can come in and go out without restriction, then she may receive any member of the public at her workstation. If the place has several men and women in attendance, then that is a perfectly acceptable environment.
All the above assumes that Islamic standards of propriety are observed. Thus, Muslim women who are employed should go to work wearing clothes that are acceptable from the Islamic point of view. They must not behave in a manner that suggests that they are going to a party, wearing heavy make-up and adorning eye-catching attires.
What worries me in the reader’s question is what he mentions about glamorous aspects to his business, which he does not allow Muslim women to undertake. He does not tell us what he means by glamour, but it is clear that the glamour to which he refers is unacceptable from the Islamic point of view. Otherwise why would he not allow Muslim women to undertake it?
If so, he should be very careful. He should inquire whether engaging in such a business is permissible in Islam or that it is not. If it cannot be sanctioned under Islam, then he is well advised to abandon that line of business and seek some other line, which carries no such doubtful aspects. ~
Is female circumcision a Sunnah?
Female circumcision is not a Sunnah. There is no basis to consider it as such. Shaikh Muhammad Al-Sabbagh, a reputable Hadith scholar, has verified all the Hadiths that mention this practice and shown that they are all very poor in authenticity. As such, they are unsuitable to be taken as a basis for any action.
From another point of view, it has been medically established that this social tradition, which is common in some African countries, is harmful to the girl in childhood and adulthood. As such, it should be avoided by all means. Parents who arrange this to be done to their daughters must not do so, because it exposes their daughters to lasting harm. This is something a parent is forbidden to do to a child.