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Does the Hadith: "The woman approaches in the image of a devil and retreats in the image of a devil. So when one of you sees a woman, let him go to his wife, for that will repel what is in his heart," forbid mixing and the presence of women in the street, and prevent them from working and seeking knowledge?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Al-Munawi likened a beautiful woman to Satan due to her characteristic of whispering temptations and leading astray, as seeing her arouses desire. The Hadith does not prohibit women from mixing or going out into the streets. As for the ruling on women going out, Allah Almighty commanded women to stay in their homes, saying: "And abide in your houses." However, they are permitted to go out for certain acts of worship and necessities when there is no fear of falling into suspicion, such as praying in the mosque, attending Eid prayers, scholarly gatherings, Hajj and Umrah, and essential needs that require them to go out. It is also established that they went out with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in battles. Mixing is permissible if there is a legitimate need, while observing the rules of Sharia. As for forbidden mixing, it is the gathering of non-mahram men and women in one place with the woman being immodestly dressed and unchaste, or a man being alone with a non-mahram woman. The Sharia has indicated the prohibition of this type of mixing and everything that leads to it.

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

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