Woman's going out of her home for Da'wah
14-1-2006 | IslamWeb
Question:
I do Da'wah work among non-Muslims. My wife also is very eager to do. By doing Da'wah our servant reverted due to my wife's effort. What I want to know is just like men go out to do Da'wah? Does woman also have to do the same way (to female non-Muslims) as Verse 9:71 says so? I want proof from Prophet's wives and companions (Allaah be pleased with them) whether they went out of their house to do Da'wah to non-Muslims.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
A woman is like a man, she is instructed in general to call to Allaah, to enjoin good and forbid evil. Allaah Says (what means): {The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give Zakat and obey Allaah and His Messenger.}[Quran 9:71]. However, for a woman to do this obligation, she must fulfil some religious requirements. For instance, doing Da'wah should not lead her to neglect her obligations towards her husband or children, and she should not mix with men and so forth. As regards going out of her home to do that, then there is no harm in it, if she fulfils the religious requirements. However, we have not come across any specific evidence which proves that some wives of the Prophet 
or some female companions 
went out for Da'wah in order to enjoin good and forbid evil. Nonetheless, some scholars
mentioned that 'Umar 
appointed Ash-Shaffaa' Bint 'Abdullaah 
to enjoin good and forbid evil among the women in the market, yet this narration is classified by some scholars as weak.
In general, since Islam permitted women to go out for Jihaad (fighting in the Cause of Allaah) in order to do some tasks that befit her natural disposition, like treating the injured, giving water to the thirsty and the like, then it seems that it is more appropriate to say that it is permissible for her to go out in Da'wah among the women of her locality, and the like. Generally, going out for Da'wah does not necessitate a journey like going out for Jihaad.
Allaah Knows best.