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What is the Shar'i ruling regarding a woman whose voice rises above that of men and who utters violence and insults?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The majority of scholars hold that a woman's voice is not awrah (nakedness/private part); this is based on the Almighty's saying: "And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition." [Quran 33:53] And He did not forbid speaking with them, but rather forbade softening and beautifying the voice to entice men, based on the Almighty's saying: "So do not soften in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech." [Quran 33:32] It is preferable that a woman's voice does not rise above a man's voice, as it is further from fitnah (temptation) and more preserving of modesty. It is safer for her not to address non-mahram men except to the extent of necessity. Islamic law forbids quarreling, violence, and insult, and this is more emphasized concerning a woman. If the other party is her husband, it is not permissible for her to raise her voice at him, or be violent towards him, or insult him, because she is commanded to obey and respect him, and due to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone, I would have commanded the woman to prostrate to her husband."

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

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