Fatawa
(Pertaining to Women’s issues)
Washing Babies
Q. I have performed the wudhu and later on I cleaned my baby; would doing so invalidate my wudhu?
A. Washing impurities off children when diapering or washing them does not invalidate the wudhu. Neither does touching the baby’s bottom or front (the vagina or penis), for touching babies awrah is not a point of sexual excitement to the mothers. Besides, considering it as a cause of invalidating the wudhu imposes difficulty and incovenience on the mother or the one who handles babies.
Were cleaning babies to invalidate the wudhu, it would have been reported by the Companions of the Prohpet, may Allah exalt their mention, and by those who succeeded them.
Ibn Jibreen
How to perform the Ghusl
Asmaa’ asked the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, how to perform the ghusul following a menstrual period. He said: Take some water mixed with sidr, and pour it on your head, rub it vigorously so that water may reach you scalp, then pour water all over your body. Then purify yourself with a perfumed piece of cloth.
Asmaa inquired: “How does a woman purify herself? Feeling shy to describe to her what to do with the cloth, he said: ‘Subhanallah!’ Purify yourself with it!
Aa’ishah who was with them confided to Asmaa what the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, meant saying: ‘Wipe off the traces of blood with the cloth.”
The Permanent Committee
Ghusl is Necesary
Q. If the husband slept with his wife and fondled her skin to skin, without insertion do they have to have a ghusul?
A. The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said: “If the husband sat between her thighs and legs, and his organ touched hers skin to skin, the gusul becomes necessary.
Bukhari
Ibn Jibreen
Use of Henna
Q. I performed the wudhu then applied the henna to my hair and performed Salah. Is my Salah invalid? And if I need to reperform the wudhu, afterwards, would it be enought o wipe over my hair, or do I have to wash the henna off?
A. Applying the henna to the hair does not invalidate the wudhu. If a woman performs wudhu while the henna is still on, there is no harm in wiping over the head wrapper. But in case of Ghusl, the hair must be washed.
Ibn Baz
Wiping over the head cover
Q. Is it permissible for a woman to wipe over her head cover in the wudhu?
A. Based on the permission given to men to wipe over the turban, it is permissible for a woman to wipe over her head cover.
It is preferable though to wipe over the front of her hair as well as the head cover.
Ibn Baz
Leakage of Dampness
Q. Does the discharge which comes out of a woman’s vagina invalidate the wudhu?
A. Anything comes out of either end, (the front or the back) dampness or otherwise is considered as impure which invalidates the wudhu, and must be washed off.
If this dampness is persistent, it should be treated as istihadah or sallas. A woman suffering this case must wash her private part and perform wudhu for each Salah.
Ibn Baz
The Period ends before Sunset
Q. When a woman’s period ends before sunrise, does she have to perform the Maghrib and Isha prayer? And likewise if she becomes clean before sunset does she have to perform Dthuhr and Asr prayer of that day?
A. When a woman’s menstrual, or postnatal period ends before sunset, she must perform the Dthuhr and Asr prayer of that day. She must also perform the Maghrib and Isha prayer of the previous day if she becomes clean before dawn, and if she becomes clean before sunrise she has to perform Fajr prayer only.
Ibn Baz
Women in Mosques
Q. Are women today allowed to attend congregational salah in mosques?
A. Although the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said: “Do not prevent the female slaves of Allah from going into the Houses of Allah.” Aaishah, with whom Allah is pleased, said: “Had the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, lived long enough to see what women have innovated today, he would have prevented them from attending prayer in mosques, as were the women of the Israelite prevented from going into the Houses of Allah.” Muslim
Wearing Improper clothes for Salah
Q. What is the ruling on wearing transparent clothes while praying, and one wiping over transparent stockings in Wudhu?
A. It is not permissible for women to pray while wearing such clothes. Such prayer would be invalid. The outer Jilbab must be opaque and thick to conceal the kind and the color of the garment worn under the Jilbab. Likewise the feet should be properly covered. It is incumbent on women to cover all of the body while praying, except for the face and the hands.
Ibn Baz
Calling out Adthan by Women
Q. There is a masjid in the girls college in which students perform the Dthuhr prayer. There is a girl who calls out the Adthan and the Iqamah. Is it permissible for women to call out the Adthan and the Iqamah?
A. It is not permissible for women to call out the Adthan or the Iqamah for such is restricted to men only.
Ibn Baz
Incontinence of Urine
Q. A woman in her ninth month of pregnancy suffering from incontinence of urine, as a result she stopped performing Salah in the last month of her pregnancy. Would she be considered as negligent of Salah? What does she have to do?
A. She should not have stopped performing Salah; rather, she should have continued observing Salah, and performed wudhu for every Salah. Her case is similar to the mustahadhah who is required to pad herself well and to peform Salah on time. She may also combine (i.e. pray Dhuhr and Asr together, and Maghrib and Isha together). Allah says,
So fear Allah as best as you can
As for the prayers in which she has missed, she must make them up, and repent to Allah regretting her sin with the determination of never stopping Salah again under the same circumstances. Allah says:
And repent to Allah all together, O believers that you may prosper.
Ibn Baz
Placing the Hands during Salah
Q. Where should the hands be placed (during qiyaam) in Salah?
A. It is the Sunnah to place the right hand on the left wrist and arm on the chest, while in standing position. Waa’il reported:
“I saw the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, standing in Salah with his right hand placed on the back of his left wrist and his arm on his chest.”
Ibn Baz
Anal Copulation
Q. A man wanted to sodomize his wife. Is this a proper thing to do?
A. This is reprehensible and revolting thing to do. Abu Dawood and others authentically reported that the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said:
‘Accursed is the one who sodomizes his wife”.
Ibn Uthaimeen
Wet dreams
Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, reported: A woman asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention: ‘Messenger of Allah! Verily, Allah does not shy away from the truth. Does a woman have to have a bath after a wet dream? “Certainly, if she ejaculates”, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, answered.
Al-Bukhari
Shaking Hands with Woman
Q. What is the ruling on exchanging a hand shake with women?
A. It is not permissible for a man to exchange a hand shake with women who are not his mahaarim.
Upon receiving the pledge of obedience from women, the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said to them:
“I do not shake hands with women.”
Aaishah, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, asserted: “By Allah, the hand of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, never touched a hand of a woman. He only accepted their pledges verbally.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
“Verily, you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent model, for him who fears Allah and the Last Day, and who remembers Allah much.”
There is no harm however in exchanging verbal greeting with women which is void of tempting soft speech.
Allah says:
“O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women if you are righteous. So be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease should feel tempted; and speak to men in a decent manner.”
There is no harm for women to shake the hands of their fathers brothers uncles, or any other mahram of theirs.
Ibn Baz
Ridiculing Woman’s Dress Code
Q. What is the ruling on the case of a person who derides the Hijab, and makes fun of Muslim women who cover their faces and hands in public?
A. A person who makes fun of a Muslimah who observes the Islamic dress code becomes a Kaafir, or an apostate.
Abdullah b. Umar reported: During the mission of Tabook a man said: ‘We have never seen like our scholars; they have the largest stomachs, and lie most, and the most cowardly in battlefield.
A man responded to him angrily and said: You are a liar! You are a hypocrite! I shall certainly report you to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, was informed about the incident. He received Quranic revelation concerning the abusive statement.
Abdullah b. Umar said: I have seen the men who made the statement hanging on to the reign of the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, with hs feet bleeding being dragged on stones pleading with the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention: ‘O Rasoolullah! We were only amusing ourselves by vain talk.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, was only reciting the Qur’anic words that were revealed spontaneously:
“Say was it Allah and His ayaat and His Messenger that you mocked at? Offer no excuse. You have certainly apostatized after believing.”
With these words Allah, the Exalted, has equated deriding the believers as deriding Allah, His Ayat, and His Messenger.
The Permanent Committee
The Wig of Beauty
Q. Is it lawful for a woman to wear a wig or a hairpiece in order to beautify herself for her husband?
A. It is the duty of both spouses to beautify themselves for each other, but within the limits of the Shari’ah avoiding the unlawful means of beautification.
Wearing wigs is a fad that was common among the unbelievers to the point that it has become prototypical of theirs. Therefore wearing wigs by a Muslim woman even for beautifying herself for her husband signifies resembling the unbelievers.
The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, prohibited imitating the unbelievers saying:
“He who imitates certain people, he would be considered as one of them.”
The prohibition which applies to wearing a wig applies to wearing a hairpiece, even harsher.
The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, forbade wearing it and cursed both those who wear them and those who manufacture them.
The Permanent Committee
Plucking Eyebrows and Growing Fingernails
Q. What is the ruling on the case of plucking eyebrows, growing fingernails, and applying nail polish on them?
A. It is not permissible to take all or part of the eyebrows. It is authentically reported that the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, cursed the one who plucks her own eyebrows and the one who plucks others.
Growing fingernails is against the Sunnah. It is authentically reported that the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said:
“Five things are from the fitrah: circumcission, shaving off the pubic hair, trimming mustaches, plucking or shaving off armpit and clipping the fingernails and toenails.”
The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, instructed that they should not be left undone for a period longer than forty days. Neglecting them would make a man resemble animals and some of the unbelievers.
As for nail polish, it is better not to apply it. If it is applied, it should be removed prior to performing wudhu for it prevents water from reaching the surface of the fingernails.
Ibn Baz