SOME THOUGHTS ON MIX-GATHERING

Jan 30, '13 12:12 PM for everyone

The topic of “mixed gathering” has been a very controversial issue among the South Asian Shi‘as. Almost all Shi’a organizations and centers in the West, at one time or another, have gone through debates and discussions on “mixed gatherings”. 1. What is “Mixed Gathering”? It is important to identify what is meant by “mixed gathering”. For the purpose of our paper, it means gathering of Muslim men and women with hijab without partition and/or without a designated area for either gender. This paper does not deal with the Muslim gatherings where hijab is not practiced or enforced. It goes without saying that such “mixed gathering” where hijab is not observed or enforced is not acceptable from the Islamic point of view. Free and unrestricted interaction between those who are not mahram to one another is not permissible. 2. What is the Norm in Islam? And so let us raise the question: When members of opposite gender step outside of their mahram circle, what should be their mode of behaviour? The norm has been in Muslim societies that whenever there is a gathering of Muslims, especially of a religious nature, men and women are segregated either by designated separate space or by a barrier (i.e., curtain or partition). This norm can be traced back through the centuries to the lifestyles of the Imams and the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.) themselves. For example, even though women came in hijab to the masjid for prayers, the Prophet preferred that at the time of leaving the mosque, the men stay behind so that the women can exit the mosque before the men. It was later on that a separate entrance was made for ladies1. “Islam says neither imprisonment nor mixing, instead the sanctity [of hijab and decent interaction] is to be observed. This is the tradition of Muslims right from the days of the Messenger of Alla~h (s.a.w.) when women were not prevented from participation in the gatherings—of course, always preserving the climate of sanctity between the two sexes. “Women did not mix with men in the masa~jid or the gatherings, or even in the streets and alleys. Mixing of women with men in some gatherings, like the crowd observed in some of our holy shrines, is indeed against the wishes of the Divine Law-Maker2.” Islam does not allow free mixing between members of opposite gender but it allows decent and sanctified interaction.

Tags: islamic talks