Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah

Calling she by he

· 20 Jumada II 1435 AH1 min readFatwa 28962English

Question

in our custom we denote womens by he not by she as to give them respect is it permisible?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

A male should be addressed and referred to as a male and a female should be addressed or referred to as a female. It is incorrect to refer to a female as a male.

The custom you refer to is against nature[1] and should be corrected.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Arshad Ali

Student Darul Iftaa
Trinidad

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

http://www.daruliftaa.net/

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

[1] عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَعَنَ الْمُخَنَّثِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالْمُتَرَجِّلاَتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ

Ibn ‘Abbas (Radhiallahu Anhu) said:

The Prophet (May peace be upon him) cursed effeminate men (mukhannatheen) and women who imitated men. (Sunan Abi Dawud 4930)

Answered by
Arshad Ali
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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Source: Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah — https://askimam.org/public/question_detail/28962
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/askimam-28962

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