Is It Permissible for a Female To Exercise or Play Sports in Public?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
Is it permissible to exercise or play sports in public, if there is no physical contact with men and she is wearing modest clothes? Also, does the type of exercise matter, such as stretching in yoga vs. kicking and running with martial arts?
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for intending to take care of your health and for striving to be a strong believer over a weak believer, although there is goodness in both.
Exercise
There is no question that exercise is necessary for good health and to give the body its rights. Unfortunately, women from Muslim countries seem to have less access and understanding of its importance. I pray that we can prevail over this ignorance and/or laziness and make it a priority. Women, arguably more than men, need to take care of themselves in order to do all that they need to do, and women need to be avid for what benefits them, which in turns benefits everybody around them
Modesty
Getting the right type of exercise, without compromising one’s modesty has a lot of gray areas. One would act according to one’s ‘urf (the local customs of the land), consider what the religious ladies of one’s area do, consider the approval of one’s husband or father, consider what to wear, and consider the best times to do it. Out of all of these considerations, one should err on the side of modesty and get creative about what can be done indoors, as well.
Options
I suggest that you pray istikhara on what to do and consult those around you. Where I live now, religious women tend to go out for long walks, even with their face veils. Others I know, stay at home and do intense workouts with kettlebells and weights, but wouldn’t do that outside. Others have found women-only swimming pool hours. All of these are permissible.
Related:
Is It Permissible for a Woman To Go Out for Walks and Get Fresh Air?
The Fiqh of Sports and Games
Is Horse Riding Permissible for Unmarried Women? (Shafi’i)
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.
