1) Young Muslims - The Message

There can be no doubt that preventative legislation is an importantpart of Islamic Law. There are numerous rulings in Islam that arepreventative in nature. However, this does not mean that we canlegislate against every remote possibility of wrongdoing that we canthink of. Doing so would be a violation of Islam's tolerance andmagnanimity and its ease of application. It would place too great aburden upon the believers.People might differ as to the degree of mixing that is prohibited. Wecan, nonetheless, get a good approximation of proper limits byreviewing the laws of Islam that govern the relationship betweenmen and women. The sacred texts provides ample evidence abouthow and when men and women can meet, how women shoulddress and conduct themselves when they go outside, and manyother pertinent matters. It is impossible for free mixing betweenmen and women to occur if Islamic Law is properly observed.The body of evidence showing that women and men should not mixfreely with one another is quite large. We will briefly mention someof it:1. Allah says: "And when you ask the ladies for anything, ask themfrom before a screen. That makes for greater purity for your heartsand for theirs." [Sura Al Ahzab, 33:53] For women to go aboutuncovered in the company of men is inarguably a gross violation ofthe command given in this verse.2. It is prohibited for men to join women in one place in theabsence of at least one of the women's close male relatives. TheProphet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) forbade men andwomen from being alone together. He said: "Never is a man alonewith a woman except that Satan is the third party with them."[Ahmad]The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) also said: "Do notenter into the company of women."Young Muslims, What they should know about Islam Page - 179