al-Ikhtilat bayn al-Rijal wa al-Nisa
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Dar Al-Yusr
al-Ikhtilat bayn al-Rijal wa al-Nisa (Gender Mixing between Men and Women) is an Islamic legal and polemical work compiled by the Egyptian author Shehata Saqr, addressing the Islamic rulings on the mixing of unrelated men and women in education, work, and public gatherings.
Background and Publication
The work was published with the full subtitle Ahkam wa-Fatawa – Thimar Murrah wa-Qisas Mukhziyah – Kashf 136 Shubhah li-Du'at al-Ikhtilat (Rulings and Fatwas – Bitter Fruits and Disgraceful Stories – Refuting 136 Misconceptions of the Proponents of Mixing). It was published by Dar al-Yusr, with its first edition appearing in 1432 AH (2011 CE). Prior to its expanded release containing 136 rebuttals, an earlier draft had circulated addressing 90 misconceptions.
The book contains introductory prefaces written by several contemporary scholars:
- Muhammad ibn Shami Shaybah, a former judge at the Beesh court in Saudi Arabia, whose preface was dated 20 Jumada al-Ula 1431 AH.
- Yasser Borhamy, who framed the opposition to unlawful mixing as a cultural and intellectual defense against Westernization, while noting that practical rulings must weigh harms and benefits regarding the presence of practicing Muslims in educational institutions and workplaces.
- Hisham Abd al-Qadir 'Uqdah, writing from Damanhur on 19 Rabi' al-Thani 1431 AH (4 April 2010 CE).
- Muhammad Yusri Ibrahim, writing from Cairo on 10 Sha'ban 1431 AH.
Content and Method
The book compiles evidence from the Quran, Hadith, legal compendia, and Quranic exegesis (tafsir) to argue for the prohibition of mixing between unrelated sexes as commonly practiced in modern institutions. It is divided into discussions covering:
- Legal rulings and fatwas: The compiler gathers juristic statements and historical rulings from classical authorities—such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim—as well as modern scholars and former Grand Sheikhs of al-Azhar, including Muhammad al-Khadir Husayn, Abd al-Majid Salim, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, and the Saudi scholar Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz.
- Social harms and historical cases: The text presents narratives and social accounts detailing the perceived negative outcomes of mixing, describing them as causes of marital breakdown, divorce, erosion of modesty, and illicit relationships.
- Refutation of opposing arguments: A major section of the book is dedicated to systematically answering 136 textual and rational arguments raised by advocates of gender mixing. For instance, in responding to the report in Sahih al-Bukhari regarding men and women performing ritual ablution (wudu) together during the era of the Prophet Muhammad, the author responds that this occurred prior to the revelation of the verses commanding the hijab and cannot be used to justify contemporary mixing.
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