Are Girls Allowed to Study Abroad? – Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

My daughter wants to study at the best university abroad when she can study locally or online. Still, she says that local universities don’t provide the same level of education and that studying online won’t make her reach her highest potential. I’ve heard that some scholars even forbid studying at a local university if they can study online. How can we navigate through this? Please tell us what’s permissible and what’s not. Can I make her study at a local university if she can study online, or can I send her abroad?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Ideally, she should attend a local university where she can receive full family support. As she begins her studies, she will likely come to value and appreciate the proximity of family care. Additionally, she can enhance her education with the abundance of free online and paid courses.

In Islam, the measure of the highest potential is to become mindful of Allah, preserve faith, and value it. Whatever a person does, whether one studies, works, or lives, has to evolve around it.

General Guideline of Islam

Islam directs that maḥram male relatives, such as fathers, brothers, and husbands, ensure the welfare, safety, and protection of their daughters, sisters, and wives. Consequently, the prophetic hadiths direct say that females are to live and travel with the accompaniment and presence of their maḥram male relatives.

Esteemed scholars say it is preferable to study at a college or university close to her home or within her city, allowing her to stay with her maḥram family. Online education is another acceptable alternative.

Should local options be unavailable, a female can study at a college or university away from home and live in a rented place, provided she has her parental’ happiness and consent, ensures her safety, and complies with all Sharia guidelines. It is recommended that she has female roommates only and encourage her to associate with practicing Muslim women while away from home.

Studying Abroad

Please read the answers below for a detailed explanation.

Related

• Can I travel alone without a Mahram to study abroad? (seekersguidance.org)
• Can Women Move Out To Go and Study, Whether Locally or Abroad? (seekersguidance.org)

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org) or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course?

I pray this helps answer your question.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.

He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.

He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.