Not too long ago, buddy got here from abroad to go to me in Saudi Arabia. Once we have been out collectively, she observed the separate seating areas for single males and households in eating places and public locations.
She requested me why.
I advised her that though it’s not obligatory, women and men nonetheless favor to take a seat and eat in separate areas. The legal guidelines relating to this has modified. Nonetheless, I used to be uncertain why they nonetheless do.
So, I made a decision to analyze, verify with the Saudi authorities, ask spiritual Saudi and non-Saudi Muslims and associates, and I discovered the next data.
Written by Mohamed Francis & Maryam Hussain
In Saudi Arabia, Why Do Males and Ladies Nonetheless Sit Aside?
Saudi regulation not requires women and men to take a seat aside in public. Nonetheless, nearly all of Muslims favor separation because it serves to guard modesty (Haya), scale back sexual distractions (Fitnah), and informal sexual relations (Zina). Additionally it is a long-held Saudi and Islamic custom.
After all, for shut relations equivalent to fathers, moms, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, there isn’t any Islamic requirement to separate at residence or in public areas.
The restrictions ONLY apply to unrelated, (non-Mahram) household and associates.
As well as, hundreds of thousands of non-Muslim guests coming to Saudi Arabia for tourism should not used to seeing the sexes separated in public.
Even in Muslim nations, women and men respectfully work and work together collectively on the job and when out and about.
So the next article explores why gender segregation exists in Islam and seven essential the reason why it’ll proceed in Saudi Arabia.
Desk of Contents
(Click on to leap to part and again arrow to return)
- Men And Women Can Sit Together (Halal) But Not In Private
- Men And Women Sit Separately To Protect Modesty (Haya) -The Story of Zara
- Separate Seating For Men And Women Reduces Distraction (Fitnah) -The Story of Asmaa
- Men and Women Sitting Apart Prevents Casual Sexual Relations (Zina) -The Story of Fatima
- Separation Of The Sexes Socially Wards Off Marital Problems -The Story of Ismael
- Religious Muslims Avoid Sitting With The Opposite Sex
- Separation of Men And Women Is An Age-Old Saudi Tradition
- Related Questions
- References And Useful Links
1. Males And Ladies Can Sit Collectively (Halal) However Not In Personal.
Opposite to in style perception, in Saudi Arabia and Islam, it’s permissible (Halal) for unrelated women and men to take a seat, socialize and blend for work, enterprise, or for every other goal.
Nonetheless, they’re NOT allowed to be alone in a personal house (Khalwah).
If women and men should meet, their interactions ought to have particular intentions, outcomes, and circumstances.
Unrelated women and men ought to solely be seated collectively whereas different family members or associates (Muharam) are current and might hear their conversations.
Having a witness to a dialog between unrelated women and men is to forestall the potential of emotional and bodily relations occurring between the people involved.
Sitting Collectively (In Personal) Usually Leads To Problems
Islam trusts individuals to resolve with logic. Nonetheless, personal encounters present alternatives for temptations that lead women and men to behave on their sexual urges, leading to (Fitnah) adultery and extramarital affairs.
Moderately than logic, we are likely to act on such emotions and sometimes remorse doing so later when issues go badly unsuitable.
For these causes, Islam strongly encourages unrelated women and men to not put themselves in conditions that probably lead to such outcomes.
Sitting Collectively (With Different Folks) Staves Off Problems
The social restrictions on unrelated women and men don’t stop them from working collectively, doing instructional lessons, tasks, or having social relations, and the like so long as different individuals (Muharam) are current.
Nonetheless, there shouldn’t be any bodily closeness and speak to, no touching, and no open or intimate socializing, and a correct Islamic gown code at all times be noticed.
The next article explains the scarf (Hijab) and for causes of modesty (Haya) they proceed carrying it in Why Do Muslim Women Wear Headscarves (Hijab حجاب)?
Males may additionally prefer to learn the Common Sense Guide To How (Non-Saudi) Men Should Dress In Saudi Arabia. It provides helpful data (and causes) about what male guests ought to and mustn’t put on when visiting the dominion.
2. Males And Ladies Sit Individually To Shield Modesty (Haya)
Unrelated Muslim women and men purposefully sit aside individually to guard modesty (Haya).
Islam says modesty (Haya) is the pure shyness of each women and men.
Bodily distancing serves to minimize the provocation of pure shyness with members of the other sexes and to guard social status.
Males are visible creatures, and ladies are very alluring.
By limiting the potential of bodily affiliation between the sexes, emotions of sexual need reduce. It additionally helps to beat back undesirable male consideration for the other intercourse and vice versa.
Allah (SWT) within the Holy Quran Surat Al Nur 30:31 instructs males to ‘decrease their gaze’ when wanting upon ladies.
The verse explains that decreasing the gaze is ‘purer’ for males.
Purposefully not taking a look at lovely ladies prevents craving and sexual need from arising of their hearts and considerably decreases the potential of personal encounters between women and men ever happening.
‘Oh Prophet!˺ Inform the believing males to decrease their gaze and guard their chastity. That’s purer for them. Certainly Allah is All-Conscious of what they do”
Story of Zara – A Good friend Of Her Husband Needs A Informal Affair
Sister Zara advised me how ignorance of Islam could have resulted in an enormous drawback in her marriage.
Zara‘s husband, Ahmed, has a detailed group of male associates who typically meet socially with their wives and households.
Throughout their social meet-ups, the female and male associates ultimately let go of their reserve and have become very accustomed to each other.
Zara sees one married girl sniggering and having fun with a personal joke with the husband of one other girl. She believes this isn’t acceptable, however retains quiet. Zara is a newly-wed and feels embarrassed to lift the matter together with her husband.
The social gatherings proceed for a number of months till sooner or later, certainly one of her male associates calls Zara at residence whereas she is alone.
Zara tells the person that her husband has not but come residence. He solutions that he’s conscious of that reality.
He calls Zara for a selected motive to speak that he feels very interested in her and proposes that they meet up alone.
Zara shortly ends the phone dialog and feels fairly upset. She later tells her husband what has occurred and that she feels upset, indignant, and disrespected.
Lastly, Zara and her husband haven’t given a lot thought to the matter earlier than starting to grasp the hazards of the free mixing of women and men.
Open social relations with no boundaries result in attraction, temptation, and illicit affairs. Zara and her husband stop having social conferences with members of the other intercourse.
3. Separate Seating For Males And Ladies Reduces Distraction (Fitnah)
Sitting Muslim women and men aside helps scale back sexual distraction (Fitnah) and eliminates pressure and points of interest led to by the bodily proximity of the sexes.
Assembly in personal and out of sight can simply trigger women and men to behave on their sexual urges, leading to (Fitnah), adultery, and extramarital affairs.
Conversely, staying aside helps scale back bodily contact, sexual stimulation, and attraction to the other intercourse, eliminating the actions that inevitably result in unethical or beforehand undesirable relations.
Regardless of any preliminary good intentions of each women and men as they start to socialize, attraction and need for members of the other intercourse can simply take them over.
Although a person and girl marry, being alone with unrelated members of the other intercourse doesn’t make them proof against the satan’s (Shaytan) evil whispers and his devious manipulation.
In a Hadith, Al Tirmidhi stories Prophet Mohammed (SAW) saying, ‘No man is alone with an unrelated (non-mahram) girl, however the satan (Shaytaan) is the third one current.’
Story of Asmaa – A Personal Male Tutor Tries it On
Asmaa was 16, wanted assist studying maths and lived together with her mom in Cairo, Egypt.
So, her mom offered a personal male tutor known as Aron aged 28. He was a non-Muslim and got here to the household residence to tutor her.
Asmaa‘s mom typically sat shut by through the classes. Aron was a wonderful instructor, and Asmaa liked his means.
Within the class, her mom typically took a brief nap.
After a time, Aron began to behave bizarre. He would contact Asmaa’s hand as if accidentally after which say it was in error.
He would additionally have a look at her intently.
Asmaa thought little of it and was wanting to proceed lessons. Aron mistook her enthusiasm and believed she was responding to his personal bodily curiosity in her.
Someday, Aron entered their residence uninvited. Asmaa heard a sound from her room and went to the hallway to verify who was there.
Nonetheless, she didn’t put on a scarf (Hijab) or a cloak (Abaya). When Aron noticed Asmaa, she shortly ran to her room, but it surely was too late.
He had seen her with out a overlaying on her head.
The personal lessons continued, and through these classes, Aron started difficult the Islamic injunction on ladies to cowl their hair and our bodies in unfastened clothes.
He argued that feminine pure magnificence must be open for all to see. Asmaa ignored his arguments and repeatedly tried to direct the dialog again to the teachings at hand.
Nonetheless, Aron continued attempting to steer Asmaa to exit and date him.
Aron was persistent, and his unintentional touches elevated and have become a nuisance by urgent Asmaa to have a relationship with him.
Someday, Asmaa’s uncle visited the house and noticed Asmaa and Aron sitting alone in personal and raised his considerations. He protested, and ultimately, the personal lessons stopped.
On the time, Asmaa was too younger and naive. She didn’t know find out how to deal with his advances. The truth is, she discovered the entire thing disgusting and felt relieved that the lessons ended.
In hindsight, Asmaa understood that assembly a male tutor in personal meant she was venerable and exposing herself to hazard.
Right now, she has her personal daughters and has vowed by no means to permit personal male tutors within the residence.
4. Males and Ladies Sitting Separate Prevents Informal Sexual Relations (Zina)
Having separate seating areas for the sexes prevents or considerably reduces the chance of prohibited sexual relations (Zina).
Lessening illicit sexual relations assist circumvent the issues plaguing permissive Western societies equivalent to undesirable pregnancies, illegitimate kids, and the breakdown of households and the social cloth.
Within the Surat Al Israh 17:32, Allah (SWT) orders mankind to not
“come near illegal sexual activity (Zina) since it’s a heinous deed and an evil means.’
The next story exhibits how free mixing of the sexes probably results in illicit love relations.
The next story illustrates how one spiritual Muslim girl misplaced every part; her modesty (Haya) and good status.
Story of Fatima – From Spiritual Muslim To A Free Cannon
Sister Fatima relates a narrative of the difficulties she had encountered resulting from letting her guard down round males.
In her job, Fatima would keep away from males and put on her face veil (Niqaab).
Work colleagues continually teased her and accused her of being introverted, delinquent, and excessive in her views.
Nonetheless, for all of this, she remained cheerful and upbeat and prevented mixing freely with unrelated males to safeguard and shield her chastity and modesty.
Nonetheless, she additionally wished to be accepted by her work colleagues.
The remarks about her have been disturbing, and he or she needed to point out that she was not a chilly individual and a killjoy as they at all times maintained.
She felt pressured to be completely different.
So as an alternative of avoiding male work colleagues, she determined to have social relations with them.
At first, she felt awkward, however later she began to really feel snug and to get pleasure from it. In conversations, the boys she knew insisted that she take away her veil to disclose her face.
She reluctantly complied, and some months later, she took the scarf (Hijab) off completely.
Doing so felt good as Fatima was getting the eye of her male colleagues. She had no concept she was taking part in with fireplace by letting her guard down in entrance of her male colleagues.
On seeing her lovely face with out a scarf (Hijab), a male coworker started displaying curiosity in her.
Fatima began a relationship with him regardless that this man was already married to a different girl and had kids. The love relationship grew till it grew to become sexual fornication (Zina).
Colleagues and the individuals round Fatima commented simply how a lot she had modified and started to say she was a unfastened girl.
Inevitably, her illegitimate relationship ended, and he or she received fired from her job.
Her poor judgment in permitting the criticism of others to vary her habits value her modesty (Haya) and led to open sexual distraction (Fitnah) and a prohibited sexual relationship (Zina).
To this present day, Fatima significantly regrets her actions and feels honest regret.
The next article exhibits how jealously (Gheerah) and the way Allah (SWT) teaches us find out how to regard unrelated ladies in answering, Why Do Muslim Men And Women Eat Separately In Saudi Arabia?
5. Separating The Sexes Socially Wards Off Marital Issues
Males naturally need to have sexual relations with multiple girl.
Nonetheless, informal encounters with females apart from the spouse can result in the potential of dishonest in marriage and secret affairs.
Due to this fact, separate seating preparations and the expectation that males can’t simply socialize with different, non-related ladies reduce the probabilities of such encounters ever occurring.
The next story exhibits how free mixing of the sexes probably results in illicit love.
Unhappy Story of Ismael – His Spouse Needs A Informal Affair
Brother Ismael relates a heartbreaking story about his spouse and a so-called finest buddy. This brother typically hosted gatherings for his associates and their households at residence.
Each weekend, he invited them to come back to his residence to chill out, have enjoyable and socialize.
All of his associates are married and have kids, and the one finest buddy, nonetheless, started having emotions for Ismael‘s spouse.
His so-called finest buddy secretly approached Ismael’s spouse, and their encounters shortly developed into an affair about which Ismael knew nothing.
Two years later, Ismael discovered about his finest buddy and spouse’s affair. He divorced her, and he or she married his finest buddy.
This illicit affair broke up households and hearts. Mates rejected Ismael‘s finest buddy and his ex-wife compelling them to maneuver to a different metropolis.
This story is a transparent instance of what happens of what happens by ignoring the requirement in Islam to maintain unrelated women and men aside.
6. Spiritual Muslims Keep away from Sitting With The Reverse Intercourse
In Saudi Arabia, most Muslims are naturally shy (Haya) and dedicated to training Islam. They purposefully keep away from social conditions the place free mixing is feasible.
Although a lot fewer, different Muslims are extra liberal and relaxed and gravitate towards conditions the place it’s simple for women and men to satisfy up socially.
Some individuals have separate preparations for women and men out of desire. This desire is as a result of they really feel uncomfortable and shy (Haya) round members of the other gender.
In Islam, the person should present for his spouse and to guard her in each means.
Having separate seating preparations for women and men will assist the boys to guard their ladies from undesirable consideration and temptation from the other gender and vice versa.
Within the Holy Quran Al Araf 7:17, Allah (SWT) relates how the satan (Ibliss) guarantees to guide males astray.
Devil says,
‘For leaving me to stray, I’ll lie in ambush for them in your straight path.
I’ll strategy them from their entrance, again, proper, left, after which you can find most of them ungrateful.’
The Holy Quran Surat Al Araf 7:16-17
7. Separation of Males And Ladies Is An Age-Outdated Saudi Custom
For generations in Saudi Arabia, the separation of unrelated female and male relations has been strictly noticed at residence and in public.
Segregating unrelated women and men within the residence and in mosque prayer areas is customary Islamic observe. Such separation is for household and spiritual causes.
Additionally, older kids are separated in school and in faculty. In school, ladies examine with different ladies solely and males with males.
Work and Social Modifications That Take a look at Custom
Right now, Saudi Arabia has launched jobs for ladies in administration and in historically male environments.
Nonetheless, most Saudi instructional centres nonetheless have male lecturers for boys and males and feminine lecturers for women and girls college students.
Saudi Arabia now presents positions for ladies in administration and different historically male fields.
Beforehand, male medical doctors solely handled male sufferers and females handled solely different females. Right now, it’s commonplace to see each female and male sufferers seek the advice of medical doctors of the other gender.
The distinction is that individuals are typically extra tolerant immediately of the blending of the sexes on the job and in public locations.
Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless a lot much less gender mixing than in additional liberal Muslim or non-Muslim nations.
Current social modifications—extra ladies within the office, larger tolerance, and a lessening of restrictions resulting from modernization, tourism, and social openness have resulted in larger acceptance of the blending of the sexes in public.
Much less Segregation Equals Extra Ladies’s Freedom
In Saudi Arabia now, there’s a lot much less gender segregation in most public areas equivalent to eating places and cafés.
Additionally, ladies are free to drive, work, and journey alone, whereas up to now, these actions weren’t allowed and unacceptable.
These days, women and men can freely work collectively in a extra liberal social surroundings.
The progress and transitions in Saudi Arabia have impacted the customs and are inflicting traditions to vary.
Basically, working individuals have relaxed and might now combine with individuals of reverse sexes at work and in public.
What Can Guests or Vacationers Count on In Saudi Arabia? The police and spiritual authorities can not query or intrude with {couples} relating to combined gender relations. These days are over.
What Can Muslim Guests Count on In Saudi Arabia? The police or spiritual authorities are not permitted to query or intrude when individuals sit with members of the other intercourse. Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless social stress and the expectation that you just behave in public based on Islamic norms and necessities.
- I love a religious woman. Can I be with her and look at her face? – Islam Q & A
- Men Should Lower Their Gaze – The Holy Quran Surat An-Nur 30:31
- Speak To Non-Related Women Behind A Screen – The Holy Quran Al Ahzab 33:53
- Men Are In Charge Of Women – The Holy Quran An Nisa 4:34
- No man is alone, but the devil (Shaytaan) is the third one present.’ – At Tirmidhi 2165
- Zina is a heinous deed and an evil way – The Holy Quran Al Israh 17:32
- Why Do Muslim Women Wear Headscarves (Hijab حجاب)?
Inside Saudi - Common Sense Guide To How (Non-Saudi) Men Should Dress In Saudi Arabia Inside Saudi
- Why Do Muslim Men And Women Eat Separately In Saudi Arabia? Inside Saudi
