Is It Permissible to Go Out When Haram Is Almost Everywhere I Look?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

I have been staying at home because so much around me is not in line with Islam, and I want to know whether I may go out and take a walk when women are uncovered almost everywhere I look, and whether I may play football with non-Muslims in a city where there are no other Muslims.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

There is real sincerity in this question, and real strain behind it. May Allah bless you and grant you facilitation.

You may go out and play football with the men in your city. Neither permission comes with conditions attached.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) settled something close to this. Abu Said al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reports that he said, “Beware of sitting in the roadways.” The Companions (Allah be pleased with them) answered that they could not do without their gatherings.

He said, “If you must have the gathering, then give the road its due right,” and when they asked what that right was, he said, “Lowering the gaze, withholding harm, returning greetings, commanding good (al-amr bil-maruf), and forbidding wrong (al-nahy an al-munkar).” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

The street was not treated as somewhere to flee. It was given duties.

The Command to Lower the Gaze Assumes You Are Outside

Allah Most High says, “Tell believing men, they lower and restrain of their looks, and keep well chaste their private parts: That is purer for their spiritual growth; Verily Allah is well aware of all they work.” [Quran 24:30; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

You cannot lower your gaze in an empty room. The command was built for a man who is among people, and it places your struggle in your eye rather than at your front door.

What is asked of you is the turn of the eye. Jarir ibn Abdallah (Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) about the accidental glance, “and he commanded me to avert my gaze.” [Sahih Muslim]

He was not told he had sinned; he was told what to do next. So walk, and when something comes into view, look elsewhere and keep walking. You are not the judge of the street. You answer for your own eyes and your own limbs.

Playing Football Where You Live Is Permitted

Go and play, without hesitation. Sport is lawful, your body has a right over you, and dealing well with the people among whom you live is a good in itself.

Withdrawal Is Not the Safer Religion

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The Muslim who mixes with people and bears their harm patiently is better than the one who does not mix with them and does not bear their harm.” [Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja]

Mulla Ali al-Qari (Allah have mercy on him) writes that this hadith carries “the superiority of mixing over seclusion,” and that it is “the strongest indicant of the recommendedness of mixing.”

He adds that the balance shifts with times, places, and the people in them. [Mulla Ali al-Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih] So seclusion has its hour.

A man shutting his door on a whole city is not taking that hour. He is carrying a weight the religion never handed him.

Judge a Place by What It Is For

There is one real limit, and it is narrow. A gathering assembled around a wrong is not the same thing as a street where some people happen to sin.

In the Shafiʿi school you follow, Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (Allah have mercy on him) holds that at such a gathering one objects, and “if he is unable, he leaves.” [Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj]

A bar, a hall built for gambling: those you do not attend. A park, a market, a pitch, an ordinary road: those you enter with a good intention and a guarded eye.

So open the door. Walk, play, greet people, and come home with your gaze and your heart intact. That is the harder religion, and the better one.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Related Answers

[SeekersGuidance, When Is It Obligatory to Lower One’s Gaze?] — Establishes when lowering the gaze becomes obligatory, and separates intentional looking from mere seeing.

[SeekersGuidance, What Is the Ruling on Playing and Watching Football?] — Establishes that playing is permitted within limits that do not displace one’s obligations.

[SeekersGuidance, Can I Mix With My Non-Muslim Friends?] — Establishes that there is no harm in non-Muslim friendship, weighed by whether it raises you or pulls you down.

[SeekersGuidance, How Can I Find Peace and Companionship When I Feel Alone?] — Establishes that isolation feeds anxiety, and that company which raises one’s faith is part of the cure.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.

Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.

In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.

Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.

Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.

His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.

النصوص  ·  Source-Texts

[صحيح البخاري، رقم ٦٢٢٩]

«عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رضي الله عنه أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: «إِيَّاكُمْ وَالْجُلُوسَ بِالطُّرُقَاتِ. فَقَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، مَا لَنَا مِنْ مَجَالِسِنَا بُدٌّ، نَتَحَدَّثُ فِيهَا، فَقَالَ: إِذْ أَبَيْتُمْ إِلَّا الْمَجْلِسَ، فَأَعْطُوا الطَّرِيقَ حَقَّهُ. قَالُوا: وَمَا حَقُّ الطَّرِيقِ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ؟ قَالَ: غَضُّ الْبَصَرِ، وَكَفُّ الْأَذَى، وَرَدُّ السَّلَامِ، وَالْأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَالنَّهْيُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ.»»

[صحيح مسلم، رقم ٢١٥٩]

«عَنْ جَرِيرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ. قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ نَظَرِ الفجاءة. فأمرني أن أصرف بصري»

[مشكاة المصابيح، رقم ٥٠٨٧]

«وَعَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: «الْمُسْلِمُ الَّذِي يُخَالِطُ النَّاسَ وَيَصْبِرُ عَلَى أَذَاهُمْ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الَّذِي لَا يُخَالِطُهُمْ وَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَى أَذَاهُمْ». رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وابنُ مَاجَه»

[الملا علي القاري، مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح]

«فِيهِ فَضِيلَةُ الْخِلْطَةِ عَلَى الْعُزْلَةِ، وَذَلِكَ مِمَّا يَخْتَلِفُ بِاخْتِلَافِ الْأَزْمِنَةِ وَالْأَمْكِنَةِ وَأَهْلِهِمَا مَعَ الشُّرُوطِ الْمُعْتَبَرَةِ فِي آدَابِ الصُّحْبَةِ … وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ أَدَّلُ شَيْءٍ عَلَى اسْتِحْبَابِ الْمُخَالَطَةِ»

[ابن حجر الهيتمي، تحفة المحتاج في شرح المنهاج]

«فَإِنْ عَجَزَ خَرَجَ فَإِنْ عَجَزَ لِنَحْوِ خَوْفٍ قَعَدَ كَارِهًا وَلَا يَجْلِسُ مَعَهُمْ إنْ أَمْكَنَ»