Sharia Ruling on Non-Mahram Men and Women Greeting with Salaam: Is a Woman’s Voice Awrah?
Question: What is the ruling in Sharia regarding strange (non-mahram) men and women saying Salaam (greetings) to each other? Is the voice of a woman also considered a matter of Pardah (Awrah/concealment) in Sharia?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah:
Allah the Exalted has commanded us to spread Salaam (peace) generally and has made answering the Salaam obligatory. Furthermore, He has included Salaam among those matters that foster love and affection among Muslims.
The Command of Allah the Exalted is:
( وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُمْ بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّوا بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَسِيبًا )
Translation: And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner]. Indeed, Allah is ever, over all things, an Accountant.
[Surah An-Nisa: 86]
It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “(You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not be believers until you love one another. Shall I not direct you to something which, if you do, you will love one another? Spread Salaam among yourselves.)”
(Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 54)
The command to spread Salaam is for all believers, whether they are men or women. In this Hadith, both men and women are addressed. To this day, no one has claimed that the addressees are only men and not women. Nor is there any evidence in the Quran or Hadith that men cannot say Salaam to women or that women cannot reply to the Salaam of men. On the contrary, it is proven by the practice of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Companions (May Allah be pleased with them all) that in the time of the Prophet, men greeted women with Salaam and women answered their Salaam. Therefore, it can be said with full confidence that men greeting women and women replying is included in Islamic etiquette.
Below are a few examples from the practice of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Companions (May Allah be pleased with them all):
It is a Hadith in Bukhari and Muslim that the cousin of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), Umm Hani (May Allah be pleased with her), came to the house of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). At that time, the Prophet was bathing and Fatimah (May Allah be pleased with her) was screening him. Umm Hani (May Allah be pleased with her) said Salaam to the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). He asked, “Who is it?” Umm Hani replied, “I am Umm Hani.” Answering the Salaam, he said, “Welcome, O Umm Hani.”
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 3171)
(Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 336)
Imam Bukhari has titled a chapter in his Sahih Bukhari as:
كِتَابٌ : الِاسْتِئْذَانُ
|بَابُ تَسْلِيمِ الرِّجَالِ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ وَالنِّسَاءِ عَلَى الرِّجَالِ.
“The Chapter of Men Greeting Women and Women Greeting Men.”
Meaning, through this title, Imam Bukhari (May Allah have mercy on him) intends to answer those who do not like greeting women or answering them. Under this chapter, Imam Bukhari has presented two Hadiths in favor of his opinion:
First Hadith:
Sahl (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates regarding a woman: “We used to be happy on Fridays.” I asked, “Why?” He said, “There was an old woman amongst us who used to go to Buda’ah.” Ibn Salamah said Buda’ah was a date-palm garden in Madinah. “She used to bring chard (beetroot) from there and put it in a cooking pot and grind some barley grains (mixing them). When we returned after praying the Friday prayer, we would come to greet her (say Salaam), and she would present this dish of root vegetables mixed with flour to us. For this reason, we used to be happy on Fridays, and we used to have our nap or lunch after the Friday prayer.”
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 6248)
Second Hadith:
Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said to her: “O Aisha, this is Jibreel (Gabriel) peace be upon him, offering you Salaam.” So Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) replied to his Salaam.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 6249)
It should be noted that here Jibreel (peace be upon him) came in the form of a man.
Similarly, Imam Tirmidhi (May Allah have mercy on him) has established a chapter in his Sunan:
سنن ترمذی
كتاب الاستئذان والآداب عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
The Book of Permissions and Etiquette from the Messenger of Allah
. باب مَا جَاءَ فِي التَّسْلِيمِ عَلَى النِّسَاء
Chapter: What has been related regarding greeting women.
Then he brought this Hadith below:
Asma (May Allah be pleased with her) narrates that:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
مَرَّ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ يَوْمًا وَعُصْبَةٌ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ قُعُودٌ فَأَلْوَى بِيَدِهِ بِالتَّسْلِيمِ،
“The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by the mosque one day while a group of women were sitting. So, he waved his hand with Salaam (greeting them).”
(Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2697)
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (May Allah have mercy on him) has mentioned a narration in his Musnad Ahmad that when Muadh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) went to Yemen, a woman came to him and said Salaam to him.
(Musnad Ahmad | Musnad Al-Ansar | Hadith of Muadh bin Jabal)
From all these traditions, it is proven that the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Companions used to say Salaam to women, and women also used to reply to the Salaam, as is present in the narration of Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her).
A Woman’s Voice is Not Awrah
According to Sharia, non-mahram men and women are permitted to say Salaam to each other, because there is no evidence in Sharia regarding the voice of a woman being ‘Awrah’ (something to be concealed); rather, in the Quran, Allah the Almighty Himself gives permission.
Allah’s glorious command is:
وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعاً فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِن وَرَاء حِجَابٍ ذَلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّ
Translation: And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts.
[Surah Al-Ahzab: Verse 53]
Regarding the context of the revelation of this verse, Umar Farooq (May Allah be pleased with him) says: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I wish you would order your wives to cover themselves (observe Hijab)! Because good and bad people alike speak to them (regarding religious and worldly matters).’ Upon this, the verse of Hijab was revealed.”
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 402)
And then we see that there are hundreds of Hadiths in the books of Hadith in which women ask the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) about issues and speak to him. Men used to ask the Mothers of the Believers about issues. Therefore, in Sharia, a woman’s voice is not Awrah. However, there is also a command to avoid Fitnah (temptation/trial), that when speaking out of necessity, one should not speak with such a voice or in such an informal manner that creates a disease in the heart of the listener.
As Allah the Almighty says:
يٰنِسَآءَ النَّبِىِّ لَسۡتُنَّ كَاَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَآءِ اِنِ اتَّقَيۡتُنَّ فَلَا تَخۡضَعۡنَ بِالۡقَوۡلِ فَيَـطۡمَعَ الَّذِىۡ فِىۡ قَلۡبِهٖ مَرَضٌ وَّقُلۡنَ قَوۡلًا مَّعۡرُوۡفًا ۞
Translation: O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.
(Surah Al-Ahzab: Verse 32)
Sheikh Saleh Al-Uthaymeen (May Allah have mercy on him) writes:
“Forbidding speaking with a soft voice and commanding to speak clearly and straightforwardly indicates that a woman’s voice is not Awrah. If a woman’s entire voice were Awrah, the command to speak straight would not have been given; rather, it would have been completely forbidden. Because then, forbidding soft speech would have no meaning.”
He further says: “As for the Sunnah, there are many proofs for this. Women used to come to the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and ask questions in the presence of men, and he would answer them. He never forbade women from asking, nor did he tell the men to leave. This shows that a woman’s voice is not Awrah, because if the voice were Awrah, he would have either forbidden the women or ordered the men to leave, and neither of these happened. And the Prophet of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) could not maintain something forbidden. It is known that the voice of a woman is not Awrah.”
(Majmoo’ Fatawa wa Rasa’il Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Uthaymeen – Vol 12 – Chapter of Covering the Awrah)
And Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen (May Allah have mercy on him) says: “Our Hanbali jurists have explicitly stated that a woman’s voice is not Awrah.” For details see:
(Sharh Al-Muntaha 3/11)
(Sharh Al-Iqna’ 3/8)
(Ghayat Al-Muntaha 3/8)
(Al-Furu’ 5/157)
Sheikh Saleh Munajjid, in response to a question, says: “A woman’s voice is absolutely not Awrah. Women used to complain to the Prophet of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and inquire about Islamic matters. This series continued with the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the rulers after them. They used to say Salaam to strange men and answer Salaam, and the scholars never disapproved of this. Yes, it is not permissible for women to be delicate in their speech or adopt a tone that puts men into Fitnah.”
(Fatawa of the Standing Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta – Vol 6 / Page 83)
Note: This writing should never be interpreted as us inviting Muslim women to talk to whoever they want, however they want. No, our meaning is only that a woman’s voice is not Awrah like the woman herself (her body). But if she speaks to a strange man with affection and delicacy, then this is Haram (forbidden). Our meaning is that just as she can go out according to necessity, she can also speak to someone according to necessity, and obviously, this necessity must be within the bounds of Sharia.
( Therefore, if there is a fear of Fitnah, young non-mahram men and women will not say Salaam to each other )
Allah the Almighty says in the Quran:
وَالۡفِتۡنَةُ اَشَدُّ مِنَ الۡقَتۡلِۚ ۞
Translation: And Fitnah (persecution/sedition/temptation) is more severe than killing.
(Surah Al-Baqarah: Verse 191)
Therefore, remember that there is a specific ruling regarding strange men and women greeting each other and answering it, because in such a case, there is often a fear of Fitnah. If the strange woman is old and elderly, whom greeting poses no risk of Fitnah, then men can say Salaam to her verbally without shaking hands and can answer her Salaam. And if a single man greets multiple women or a single woman greets multiple men, and there is no fear of Fitnah for any of them, then saying Salaam or answering is permissible. But where there is a fear of Fitnah, the young girl or boy should refrain from saying Salaam to avoid Fitnah. The people of knowledge have been guiding towards this very point.
And Al-Hafiz said in “Al-Fath”:
عن جواز سلام الرجال على النساء ، والنساء على الرجال، قال : الْمُرَاد بِجَوَازِهِ أَنْ يَكُون عِنْد أَمْن الْفِتْنَة .
ونَقَل عن الْحَلِيمِيّ أنه قال : كَانَ النَّبِيّ صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِلْعِصْمَةِ مَأْمُونًا مِنْ الْفِتْنَة , فَمَنْ وَثِقَ مِنْ نَفْسه بِالسَّلامَةِ فَلْيُسَلِّمْ وَإِلا فَالصَّمْت أَسْلَم .
ونَقَل عَنْ الْمُهَلَّب أنه قال : سَلَام الرِّجَال عَلَى النِّسَاء وَالنِّسَاء عَلَى الرِّجَال جَائِز إِذَا أُمِنَتْ الْفِتْنَة اهـ بتصرف،
Translation:
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (May Allah have mercy on him) says in “Fath al-Bari”:
“The permissibility of men greeting women and women greeting men applies when there is security from Fitnah.”
And it is narrated from Al-Halimi that he said: The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was divinely protected from Fitnah due to his infallibility. So whoever trusts himself to be safe may say Salaam, otherwise, silence is safer.
Similarly, Al-Muhallab says:
“Men greeting women and women greeting men is permissible when Fitnah is not feared.” (End quote, summarized).
Thus, Imam Malik (May Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
قَالَ يَحْيَى : سُئِلَ مَالِك : هَلْ يُسَلَّمُ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ ؟ فَقَالَ : أَمَّا الْمُتَجَالَّةُ فَلَا أَكْرَهُ ذَلِكَ، وَأَمَّا الشَّابَّةُ فَلَا أُحِبُّ ذَلِكَ.
“Should one say Salaam to a woman?”
He said: “As for the elderly woman, I do not dislike it. As for the young woman, I do not like it.”
(Muwatta Malik | The Book of The Comprehensive | Action regarding Salaam, Hadith No. 2758)
Explaining the reason for Imam Malik’s dislike, Zurqani (May Allah have mercy on him) wrote in the explanation of Muwatta (4/385) that:
“He did not like it due to the fear of falling into Fitnah upon hearing the voice of the young girl.”
وفي الآداب الشرعية (1/ 375) ذكر ابن مفلح أن ابن منصور قال للإمام أحمد : التسليم على النساء ؟ قال : إذا كانت عجوزاً فلا بأس به
وقال صالح (ابن الإمام أحمد) : سألت أبي يُسَلَّمُ على المرأة ؟ قال : أما الكبيرة فلا بأس ، وأما الشابة فلا تستنطق . يعني لا يطلب منها أن تتكلم برد السلام
Translation:
Similarly, in “Al-Adab Al-Shar’iyyah” (1/375), Ibn Muflih (May Allah have mercy on him) mentions that Ibn Mansour said to Imam Ahmad:
“What is the ruling on greeting women?” He replied: “If she is an old woman, there is no harm in it.”
And similarly, Salih bin Imam Ahmad says: “I asked my father about greeting a woman?” He said: “As for the elderly one, there is no harm. As for the young one, she should not be made to speak.” Meaning: Since answering Salaam is obligatory, if you greet her, she will have to speak to fulfill the obligation.
وقال النووي في كتابه “الأذكار”
(ص 407) :
“قال أصحابنا : والمرأة مع المرأة كالرجل مع الرجل ، وأما المرأة مع الرجل ، فإن كانت المرأة زوجته ، أو جاريته ، أو محرماً من محارمه فهي معه كالرجل ، فيستحب لكل واحد منهما ابتداء الآخر بالسلام ويجب على الآخر رد السلام عليه . وإن كانت أجنبية ، فإن كانت جميلة يخاف الافتتان بها لم يسلم الرجل عليها ، ولو سلم لم يجز لها رد الجواب ، ولم تسلم هي عليه ابتداء ، فإن سلمت لم تستحق جواباً فإن أجابها كره له
Translation:
Similarly, the commentator of Sahih Muslim, Imam Nawawi (May Allah have mercy on him), says in his book “Al-Adhkar”, page 407:
“Our Shafi’i jurists have said: A woman with a woman is like a man with a man. But regarding a woman with a man: If the woman is his wife, his slave girl, or one of his Mahram relatives, she is like a man with him; it is recommended for each of them to initiate Salaam to the other, and it is obligatory on the other to return the Salaam.123456
But if she is a stranger (non-Mahram): If she is beautiful and there is a fear of being tempted by her, the man should not say Sa7laam to her. And if he does say Salaam, it is n8ot permissible for her to return the answer. An9d she should not initiate Salaam to him. If she does sa10y Salaam, she does not deserve an answer. If he11 answers he12r, it is disliked (Makruh) for him.”
(For more, see: “Ahkam Al-Awrah wa Al-Nazar” Prepared by / Musa’id bin Qasim Al-Falih)
( And Allah knows best what is correct )
Reference: https://alfurqan.info/problems/1105
