Can I Go Out with Friends Who Don’t Wear Hijab?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
I observe my hijab properly, but my friends from school are Muslims who don’t wear the hijab properly or don’t wear it at all. This is common in the West but of course haram. I go out with them but only once in a while just to catch up with them and eat. I don’t participate in any haram activities with them, purely just eating and talking and have advised some of them. I’m a teen, I don’t have any other friends and I stay home all day or go out with my mum, it can get lonely if I can never go out with any of them. Most hijabis here are similar to my friends. Please advise.
Answer
Thank you for your question. You should continue to do what you are doing. Everyone needs friends, everyone needs a bit of leisure to reset and refocus. And you are advising your friends, which is the best thing you can do for them. At the same time, ask Allah Most High to send you company that inspires you to grow and increase your spirituality, people who are role models, and people who do what you aspire to do. Have confidence that He certainly will send you friends like this if you ask, by His grace.
Our Beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) advised us, saying, “A person is on the religion of his close friend, so let him carefully examine whom he befriends.” [Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud]
Please see these links as well:
Is It Permissible To Go Outside With Family Members Who Don’t Wear Hijab?
Is It Sinful for Me To Step Out With My Family Members Who Don’t Wear Hijab?
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, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s 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.
