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Fatwa CenterCo-ed classes for Muslims
Question
Our community has started education classes in Islam. Is it permissible to hold these meetings, for the sake of Islamic knowledge (history and current events)as a co-ed group, men on one side of the room and women on other, no mixing yet no partition? We will be speaking in group form, as in a classroom. If we opt to separate, we find men lacking in the leadership volunteering and the men will not benefit from it. The young men here are in more need of such classes than the women.Jazakum Allah Khairun for this informative site.
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
No doubt, making lessons to teach Muslims their religion is a good initiative which should be supported and encouraged. But the Sharia rules should be taken into consideration as much as possible.
Here are some things that should be avoided:
Men getting mixed with alien women in the same place as this could be a source of temptations. The Prophet said: "After me I have not left any Fitnah (trial and affliction) more harmful to men than women" [Al-Bukhari]. He also said: "The world is sweet and green (alluring) and verily Allah is going to install you as vicegerent in it in order to see how you act. So avoid the allurement of women: verily, the first trial for the people of Isra'il was caused by women. And in the Hadith transmitted on the authority of Ibn Bashshar the words are: "So that He should see how you act." [Muslim].
Based on the above we suggest that you put curtains or a wooden panel between the seats for the men and those for the women. Moreover, we advise women to be veiled and wear appropriate Sharia clothes as to avoid causing any temptation. If it is possible to separate them and teach them on different times this is the ideal.
We ask Allah to grant you success.
Allah knows best.
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