Is coeducation permissible?

Question

Getting an education is considered a fundamental right of every man and woman and it is a virtue to get educated. But if we talk about coeducation in the context of below hadith and ayah of the Holy Qur'an it may cause harm.

The importance of haya (modesty) can be found in this Sahih hadith:

Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 8::Book 73::Hadith 138:

عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي السَّوَّارِ الْعَدَوِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ، قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ الْحَيَاءُ لاَ يَأْتِي إِلاَّ بِخَيْرٍ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ بُشَيْرُ بْنُ كَعْبٍ مَكْتُوبٌ فِي الْحِكْمَةِ إِنَّ مِنَ الْحَيَاءِ وَقَارًا، وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْحَيَاءِ سَكِينَةً‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ عِمْرَانُ أُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَتُحَدِّثُنِي عَنْ صَحِيفَتِكَ‏.‏

Narrated Abu As-Sawar Al-Adawi: 'Imran bin Husain said, "The Prophet said, 'Haya' does not bring anything except good." Thereupon Bashir bin Ka'b said, 'It is written in the wisdom paper: Haya leads to solemnity; Haya leads to tranquility (peace of mind)." 'Imran said to him, "I am narrating to you the saying of Allah's Apostle and you are speaking about your paper (wisdom book)?"

and in the Qur'an too:

An-Nūr (Aayaah 30 - 31)

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾ وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي أَخَوَاتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَائِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ أَوِ التَّابِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُولِي الْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ أَوِ الطِّفْلِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَىٰ عَوْرَاتِ النِّسَاءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Translation: "Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.

Do coeducation systems in schools and other educational institutions go against the above hadith & Quranic verses?

Answer 1

Islam does promote modesty and haya. If both genders in coeducation retain modesty and haya which has been explained by Islam then it is not haram to be in coeducation.

Hazrat Ayesha RA taught hadith to our sahaba kara'am in parda. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari says:"Never had we (the companions) had any difficulty for the solution of which we approached Aisha and did not get some useful information from her".

It depends on us either we make halal or haram. and the verse 30-31 of surah nur has explained us the right thing.

Answer 2

The modern sciences we developed by western people who did not practice Islamic faith. In today's world we need these sciences to progress in society as a whole.There is nothing bad in education if the men and women follow Islam and avoid forbidden. State might not have enough resources to make separate higher education institutions for men and women as they are expansive. At that age people are supposed be mature and decide what is good or bad for them. What is must that co-education at developing or tender age be avoided as it may lead to conflict in young minds. Any how separate college, universities or working places can be ideal. We have to work in positive direction but we can not cutoff or leave the society we are living in. Any change will come from true desire and hard working. May Allah guide all Muslim men and women to right path.

Answer 3

But not every girl shows her interest in boys. Like we all do know that women universities are very less in number with very high merit So what we girls do?.. Should we stop studying?. Its not the solution. The only solution is to study with proper haya and parda. And not to cross limits or get attracted to boys. Quran shows us a right way in surah AHZAB. That lower your chadar on your faces. So that should be done.

Answer 4

It's 100 percent Haram in my eyes in every university i taught i saw boys and girls sitting together they are having affairs and its natural that they start having feelings for each other mostly men do feel sexual all the time so, i don't think so it's right but they are doing parents are blind now a days no matter how strict they are.

Answer 5

Ask yourself, is it permissible for young men and women to freely mix? It has never been permitted in Islamic civilization. Coeducation is an imposition of the western colonial culture on Muslim lands.

Answer 6

i also agree that coeducation is not good at all and must be avoided. One brother said that Hazrat ayesha used to teach sahaba in parda, justfying coeducation. But i say can u observe that kind of parda today? It was the parda where only her voice could be heard, nothing else. And on this she was teaching not gaining education in a coenvironment. I plead to my Islamic governments to please create separate institutes for our daughters and sisters. My younger sister has passed her high school and now I am really worried about her future, as there r no quality universities for women, and I cannot afford to send her in coeducation environment. I have witnessed first hands its evils.

Answer 7

co-education is not good in my opinion because first of all the ISLAM is against this system and secondly the parents are making admission in any schools,college that my son or daughter can get higher education but because of co-education system the boy and girl came closed together and the affairs start. and the boys and girls are doing wrong thing and their parents are thinking that our childrens are geting good education.Government have to think by the point if you of ISLAM because it can spread in other areas and become dangerous.
the famous quatation "one dirty fish spoil the whole water" so people have to think about it. i hope that the government will take a decision in the against of co-education system