ANSWERED: Driving Instructor & the opposite gender?

[abdushakur]

My mate is a driving instructor.
I love him for the sake of Allah.

Im in a bit of a predicament though as he is a driving instructor and i feel like telling him or asking him if his job is halal or not.
i dont want him doing something haram u see BUT i dont know the ruling for this job.

so 2 questions i have:
1. is the job of a driving instructor halal? (bearing in mind that he also teaches females, alone in the car with them)
2. if it is haram, how should i go about telling him?

jazakallah khayran.


ps. i remember reading something on sunnipath fatwa bank saying that taxi-driving is halal provided that the driving is done during daylight hours and in urban areas - is this similar to driving instruction where there is in fact more interaction?

[ridhwan]

Q. Is income derived from teaching females to learn to drive Haraam? I am a male working as a driving instructor.

A. As far as possible, one should refrain from teaching the females. Females should be taught alternately by their own Mahram males or special arrangements should be made for a female instructor.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

[abdushakur]

jazakallah khayr for that Ridhwan.

I know that Mufti Desai Sahib tends to give fatwa with high taqwa rather than easier fatwa in mind, and if he says that 'as far as possible' it should be avoided but he doesnt categorically declare it haram, then i wonder what ulama in UK say?

[UmmIbrahimIsa]

Assalamu alaikum wr wb

I had taken a driving course when i was expecting Isa about 3 years ago. I was about 6 months pregnant and they had given me a lady instructor the only one that they had with their company. So perhaps she was having a bad day or whatever but she was the worst instructor ever. IT was my 1st time driving and I was nervous plus I was pregnant and going through all this pain and aches and she had the nerve to hit me and punch me in the arm each time I was going either too slow or too fast. She kept saying signal go right and left and then was criticizing me and putting me down and insulting me. I was clearly upset, and after what seemed like the longest 45 mins ever i went on home and complained at the company against her saying if they didnt find me someone else i would want my money back. they didnt have any other female instructors just her at that time so they sent me another guy who happened to be muslim, an older uncle etc. He was fine. He knew about the issue of not being alone in the car so there was always another student or two in the car with us during those times.
After that I got another instructor that was also a muslim, an uncle that was VERY GOOD! He charged about 16 dollars per hour for an hour and some more mins for the driving, he was very patient with me and very understanding. :)
Anyways i was told that this lady instructor was rough on everyone and that's just how she is...but i hope if they get enough complains they'll give her the boot.. no one deserves to be hit because of that... I think if i wasnt pregnant i would have given her something for that pain that she put me through...
Though I do know that the company did manage to hire 5 other lady instructors and 2 of them were muslim women whom I know personally are good and I said if only you were there when I was there, i felt I had no other option, either take her and go through her abuse physical and emotional or take the man instructor.
Alhamdulillah it was good because now I can drive with confidence.

Though personally worse thing to do is to go with your brother, father, or husband driving on learning to drive.... CUZ they'll make you 10times nervous...and that's truth.
I can drive yet I get nervous around them cuz they freak out all the time ... AHHH! watch out for this! :)

[abdushakur]

ermmm.....yea....thanx for that UmmIbrahimIsa

[jaylen]

hmmm how about orthodontists? if the teacher is haram how about orthodontists? seriously because I'm going to one now and I didn't find women ortho's and this one is all in my mouth and stuff...it's kind of awkward..is that haram?

[eat-halal guy]

hmmm how about orthodontists? if the teacher is haram how about orthodontists? seriously because I'm going to one now and I didn't find women ortho's and this one is all in my mouth and stuff...it's kind of awkward..is that haram?


:salam:



In the situation where a Muslim female is in need of medical treatment, the endeavour should be that she is treated by a female medical doctor, preferably a Muslim. If a female practitioner is:

a) easily available,

b) one is satisfied and content with her medical treatment,

c) there is no other valid legal (shar’i) excuse for not resorting to her treatment,

then in such a case, it would not be permissible to seek the medication of a male doctor, rather, the illness must be treated by a qualified female doctor.

http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00002659.aspx


As for the driving instruction, my unworthy opinion is that it's not the same as the taxi ride, as the cab ride is a one-time thing whereas driving lessons are extended over a prolonged period of time, thus the chance of fitnah is much greater in the latter than the former. And even with the cab issue, it's not a unanimous opinion that it is permissible. If my reasoning is correct (and Allah knows best), then it would be Haram since it is a form of khalwah. However, that may not be the case if the conditions described in the SunniPath answer to taxis are met, but that is up to Muftis to decide. In any case, I'd say that it would be strongly recommended that it be avoided.

Therefore, I'd suggest you first introduce your friend to the concept of khalwah with evidence and reasoning, and then slowly make him realize that this a situation to be concerned about.

Maybe he can work out an arrangement to take only male students. Perhaps get him to ask a scholar he trusts and follow his advice.

Wallahu Alam.

Wassalam,
Ziad