Can I Practice With Weapons and Learn How To Fight as a Female?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I am a female and I am really into weapons. I even used to design them for fun. I recently wanted to start doing karate or some other forms of fighting and also practice using weapons, all as a hobby, but I was scared that it would come under imitating men.

I don’t want to imitate men at all, I just find those things really cool and they are mostly used by men, so I’m not sure if I should continue.

Answer

Thank you for your question.

It is permissible for you to do what you mention as long as you have a permissible intention, and as long as the fighting you choose doesn’t include blows to the face.

Please see the details here:
Is Punching or Striking the Face Allowed?
Is Practicing Martial Arts a Waste of Time?

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 aqidah, 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.