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Is it considered imitating men if females address each other using the masculine form?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Islamic Sharia prohibits men from imitating women and vice versa, and this includes dress, speech, gait, and other aspects. It is narrated in the Hadith: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men." Included in the prohibited imitation in speech is a man softening his voice or elongating it like women do, and a woman using masculine pronouns, such as saying to her female friend: "You (masc.)" or "O boy," or "O young men." This act is丑陋 and forbidden, and falls under the imitation whose doer is cursed. It is more egregious than a woman wearing something specific to men. The same applies if a man addresses his brother with feminine address.

A husband must prevent his wife from imitating men, out of fear for her and for himself from the curse. An exception to this is what has become an established and recognized custom in addressing women with masculine pronouns, such as using the masculine for the purpose of magnification or concealment, which has a basis in the Arabic language.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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