What is the ruling on a woman acting the role of a man in a school play that is shown only to women, with the female audience members knowing that the actress is a woman and there being no intention of imitating men, given the necessity of the role and the impermissibility of intermingling?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Acting is permissible with certain conditions, among them that a woman should not portray a man's role, as this constitutes the forbidden imitation. The knowledge of the attendees that she is a woman or the lack of intention to imitate does not make it permissible. Instead, one of the girls can narrate what the man says from behind a screen, rather than acting out his role.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 86092
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy