How Should a Professor Behave with Students of the Opposite Gender?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
I have read ‘free mixing, gender interaction, and teaching cross-gender class answers here. In our country, most do not observe hijab. However, I have read here that to see women’s faces for need without lust, unintentionally by the peripheral view, is harmful.
I want to be a University professor; I am still a student, but I want to prepare myself and learn how to behave in mixed classes. Should I only look at men in the mixed classes? I may have to look at women to ask and answer questions, check their note-taking in class, and supervise exams.
What if I notice all of their features and their beauty when I talk to them? What should I do? What do Muslim professors do in the West?
Answer
May Allah reward you for being straightforward and sincere and may He facilitate for you the best way to proceed with your career.
Professor
Becoming a professor is a noble goal; it is a dignified occupation that benefits many. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Lo! Indeed the world is cursed. What is in it is cursed, except for the remembrance of Allah; what is conducive to that, the teacher and the student.” [Tirmidhi]
Looking
Professors look and speak to all of their students in the West and the East, as it is permissible for students and teachers to look at one another. The best way to do it is to start your day by asking Allah to guard your eyes, conquer your temptation, fulfill your desires at home with your wife, and maintain a respectful distance from female students.
Look at their eyes when you speak to them, and do your best not to look at anything else. You are not responsible for seeing something unintentionally, but you are responsible for the lustful lingering second glance. Always treat the students of both genders fairly and give them your all.
Make this the goal for your two eyes: The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “There are two eyes which will never be touched by hell, an eye which weeps from fear of God and an eye which spends the night on guard in God’s path.” [Tirmidhi]
Please see these links as well:
Mixed Schools and Looking at the Opposite Sex
Guidelines for Interacting With the Opposite Sex
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
