Segregation of male female and Coeducation

Bismillah hir Rahman Nir Raheem

My Lord, expand for me my chest [with assurance] And ease for me my task And untie the knot from my tongue That they may understand my speech. Ameen

This blog is at a request of one of my friends, he asked me to write on this subject. This subject is pretty confusing for some people and at the same time straight forward. I will talk on this subject with respect to Islam and I will try to keep it short InShaaAllah. 

So, let's start with the coeducation, for us Muslims, it's different than the rest of the world. In a Muslim world, for a girls and boys to be sitting in a same classroom, mixed together, is I would say, straight forward not allowed but as most of our universities are co-ed, I have seen many teachers they arrange the class in such a way that the students are segregated. Girls on one side and boys on the other, that thing is okay because one is trying his level best to maintain the order and follow the Islamic teaching at the same time. One would argue, that these days coeducation is important, it creates confidence in a person to interact with the opposite gender which help them in their professional life. Well, it might but at the same time it invites a great deal of evil with itself. 

Let's be straight here for a second, one should at least call what is Haram as Haram. This whole system of no segregation, women and men working together in the offices, students male and female "studying" in universities and colleges together, is not the teaching of Islam and it is strictly forbidden.

I think men are to be blamed here, men always want glamor. They have used women as tool to increase their sales and for that women are fed, that they are equal to men and because of that women's standard of success has become "men" itself. They consider themselves successful, when they are doing the same things as men. It is simple as, if you were equal to men, then why would Allah have created women, then everyone would have been a single gender with same set of responsibilities. If He has created a woman and a man, two different genders then it means both are given different set of skills and their job description are different.

Many of the people say that even Hazrat Khadijah R.A used to do trade and that she used to interact with different men and do business dealings. There are two things to discuss here; Firstly, what she used to do, was send a person and then he would sell her stuff along with her slave. At that time, the order of hijab or segregation, you could say was not there as the Sharia of Muhammad was not there, and that was before her marriage with Prophet Muhammad SAW and before his Prophet hood.

Secondly, the interaction between Muslim men and women in a controlled environment if it's necessary is not prohibited. 

There are certain rules like

1) The hijab or veil

....When you want to ask something from the wives of the Prophet, ask them from behind the curtain. This would be more proper for you and for them....

[Al Ahzab 33:53]

2) The sternness in the voice of women while taking to non mehram men

O the wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women – if you really fear Allah, do not speak softly lest the one in whose heart is a disease have any inclination, and speak fairly.

[Al Ahzab 33:32]

3) Lowering of gaze (in the verse before this, men are commanded first) 

And command the Muslim women to keep their gaze low and to protect their chastity, and not to reveal their adornment except what is apparent, and to keep the cover wrapped over their bosoms; and not to reveal their adornment except to their own...[list of mehrams]

[An Nur 24:31]

*) Most importantly 

And remain in your houses and do not unveil yourselves like the unveiling prevalent in the times of ignorance...

[Al Ahzab 33:33]

One should remember that these commandments are being given to those women, who were the most pious women of that time, the wives of Prophet, and on the other side are the Sahaba's the Prophet's Companion. When they are being told to have some boundary then who are you!?

Well, this also doesn't mean that while following these rules above, one should go for a date 😅 because our brothers and sisters are Ma Shaa Allah very smart. They always find a way 🙄 

Those people, who say that these coeducation trains the students to deal with opposite gender, well it also removes the respect which our Islam has given to women. I have seen many boys in my university and students of college. They have no respect for girls, they disrespect them openly and that makes them a modern well-educated person😒.

One should remember, that when one accepts Islam it's a contract with Allah, one is not allowed to live his life by his own free will

Indeed Allah has purchased from the Muslims their lives and their wealth in exchange of Paradise for them;....

[At Tawba 9:111] 

So, if you want to spend your lives and wealth according to your own will, then you should forget about Paradise.

....so do you believe in some of Allah’s commands and disbelieve in some? So what is the reward of those who do so, except disgrace in this world? And on the Day of Resurrection they will be assigned to the most grievous punishment; and Allah is not unaware of your deeds.

[Al Baqarah 2:85]

Some say, that "Parda dill ka hota hay" (Our hearts are pure we don't need to put a veil physically). So you mean to say, that the wives of Prophet or Sahaba didn't have pure hearts!? Naozobillah. Let's see the "Dill ka parda" (Haya) of Umm ul momineen Ayesha R.A

‘A’isha said:

I used to enter my house in which God’s messenger was and put off my garment, saying that only my husband and my father were there; but when ‘Umar was buried along with them, I swear by God that I did not enter it without having my clothes wrapped round me owing to modesty regarding ‘Umar. (The tradition refers to the time after the death of the Prophet and Abu Bakr who were buried in ‘A’isha’s house. When 'Umar died he was buried beside them. As ‘A’isha was not related to him she felt she must observe the usual conventions regarding men who were not near relatives, even although ‘Umar was dead, for it evidently seemed to her as if he were really in the house, [this doesn't indicate that she was of the view that Umar can see from inside of his grave, it's just a notion of Haya])

[Mishkat 1771]

There is also a small, animated lecture of Noman Ali Khan it might also clear some things up

In the end I would say, this doesn't mean that one should keep their woman in shackles at home, NOOO. They should get education, and if such dire circumstances take place, and the need arrives, and they are the sole bread owner of their household then they are allowed to work as well. They should follow all the rules dictated by Shariah and choose the profession which suites them. A girl doesn't need to be an accountant or a pilot or a waitress or an army personal. She should become a teacher, a doctor, (exceptional case a police woman if needed).

I would suggest reading another one of my articles as well. click here 

O Allah! Enable us to see the Truth as Truth and give us the ability to follow it. And show us the falsehood as false and give us the ability to refrain from it. Ameen