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From Issue: 509 [Read full issue]

Religion at a Man's Club

There have always been religious people who have sought to escape from the world, to lock themselves away in conditions that satisfied their need for 'purity' or peace. Muslims consider such detachment, or religious seclusion, to be a form of escapism; it can even be seen as a kind of insult towards the rest of human society that God has created and loved.

In Islam, individual salvation should not be sought away from society. Islam disapproves of monasticism. It encourages people to mix together, and desires collective actions and co-operation. Therefore, to a Muslim, friends are extremely important and good conduct when out amongst the general public is extremely important.

Incidentally, one of the things that female Muslims often find quite irritating is the tendency of male Muslims in certain societies to segregate themselves to an unnecessary and excessive extent - thereby encouraging that very atmosphere of 'religion at a man's club' that was disapproved of in monasticism.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, emphasized often that his way (sunnah) included marriage, and encouragement of family life and care and companionship for the female Muslims.

The sort of Muslim man who avoids and shuns all female company would do well to reflect on the enormous number of female persons (aunts, wives, cousins, children and friends) who surrounded the Prophet and cherished him.

Compiled From:
"Living Islam" - Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood, pp. 157, 158

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