Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Your friend is right in his decision to quit coaching wrestling to women at the club to avoid unnecessary interaction with females.
Responding to your question, Dr. Muhammad Salama, PhD in Islamic Studies in English and an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Science, Al-Madinah International University, states,
Islam intends to build a community based on chastity, modesty and bashfulness. Therefore, Islamic teachings have laid restrictions on the interaction between marriageable (non-mahram) men and women to block all ways to evil practices. Islam takes prohibitive measures and does not wait for evil to take place.
Hence, women have been commanded to observe hijab, which is much more than a head scarf; it is a lifestyle and a way of conduct. Moreover, both men and women have been commanded to lower their gazes and not to look at members of the opposite sex except for a legitimate reason. Also, unnecessary mingling between marriageable men and women is not permissible and any contact has to be within the Islamic guidelines in this regard.
All evil practices between men and women are results of neglecting such teachings. Many non-Muslims have converted to Islam when they realized these facts and compared them with the loose life style they live with all its negative impact on individuals, families and the whole society.
Based on the above guidelines, your Muslim friend is absolutely correct in his attitude to quit coaching wrestling to women at the club.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.