Can I Ask My Brother to Help My Non-Muslim Girlfriends?

Question: Would it be sinful for me to ask male relatives to interact with my non-hijabi or non-Muslim female friends? An example would be to ask them to drive my friend around to an event that’s not necessary (such as a party). They’d be in a situation of sin if they were to look at my friends’ hair and it’s not hard to do so being in the same car with them or to assist them in some chore.

Answer:

Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for your question. I think that by the nature of your question, you already seem to know the answer to this.

Gender interaction

Islam has placed rules of gender interaction for Muslim society in order to protect people and prevent them from succumbing to their desires and end up with pain and suffering. These include lowering one’s gaze, being alone with or touching the opposite sex, and having unnecessary interaction with them. Please see the rules of gender interaction here:
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/general-counsel/guidelines-for-interacting-with-the-opposite-sex/

Conventional wisdom

As such, I would recommend that you not ask your brother or relative to engage in social matters with your friends, unless it is for a genuine need, especially where her safety is concerned, like picking her up from the airport at night, etc. Even in such a case, I would recommend that he take another lady along, who is his mahram, in order to protect all parties and dissuade any whisperings of the devil.

When dealing with non-Muslims, it’s good to show them kindness and service, but also teach them about Islamic culture and the respectful boundaries that Islam places between the genders. This ultimately leads to great respect for another and perhaps even deeper contemplation about our religion by everyone.

May Allah reward you for striving to do what is right.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, 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 recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family