Should I Share an Apartment With Two Non-Muslim Girls or Live on My Own?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
For university, I want to move out of my parent’s home. I found a shared apartment with two other non-Muslim girls. Am I allowed to move in with them? Can I take off my hijab in front of them? Or should I look for an apartment for just myself?
Answer
Assalamu alaykum,
Thank you for your follow-up question. May Allah give you success in your higher studies, and may you find the best option for you.
Hijab
It is permissible for you to have non-Muslim roommates, and it is also permissible in the Shafi’i school for you to remove your hijab in front of them. See more details here:
Women Covering in Front of Other Women
Lifestyle
The answer to your question is not black and white. It really depends on your personality and their personalities. It also depends on how much they will bend, what you will need to put with, and how you handle it. Would I say that it’s optimal to live with them? No. Optimally, living with Muslims is better because many potential problems can be avoided, and your first experience away from your parents would be easier with Muslims.
Istikhara
If you really can’t find Muslim roommates, pray istikhara about this. If it comes out positive, and you end up living with them, you must lay down the rules about not having pork or alcohol in the house, nor dogs or music, nor visits from boys. This may also be an opportunity to teach them about Islam, so tread carefully, but preserve your religion first. And remember this hadith, “You will never leave something for the sake of Allah, but Allah will give you something better in return. “[Ahmad]
See this link as well:
What do I do with my roommate?
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.
