In Islām, is there any proof that says a girl can’t become a doctor or a teacher or she can’t study? Is there any proof that says if she does study she can only go to an all girl’s college?
There is no proof which says that a woman cannot become a doctor or a teacher or that she can't study as the general legal rule in worldly affairs state: “everything is lawful until proven unlawful.” In fact some of the Saḥābiyyāt [female Companions] were "doctors" who treated the sick and wounded during and after battles in the Prophet's (ﷺ) time.[1] ‘Ā'ishah and Umm Salamah were among the top teachers and scholars of their time, ‘Ā'ishah being the forth most prolific narrator of Hadīth among all of the Companions. She had both female and male students.
Going to an all girls college is obviously best, but if it is not available, and if her faith is strong, she may go to a mixed school due to the necessity of gaining knowledge to be able to fulfill the needs of the Muslim community which is a fard al-kifāyah [communal obligation]. For example, every woman who is forced to go to a male gynecologist due to the absence of female gynecologists is excused but the community carries the sin for not providing female gynecologists for her. And the males who control the educational process carry the greater portion of the sin. Similarly is the case for dentists, and other female related medical needs.
Related Islamic verdicts:
Reference:
[1] Muslim, 2003, vol.6, p.505, no.1811
< Back to Questions
