I am a young man studying at university. Is it permissible for me to practice Da'wah amongst my female colleagues since they respond to me? There are no female colleagues to assume this task.

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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.

Da‘wah is obligatory on all Muslims, men and women, as the command to do so is general. Allaah Says (what means): {You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.} [Quran 3:110]

I n addition, the biography of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and the history of his Companions prove that it is permissible for men to practice Da'wah amongst women and vice versa. This is proved by the fact that many male Companions, used to visit ‘Aa’ishah, , the Mother of the Believers to acquire knowledge from her.

Nevertheless, we should always remember that this took place during the era of the best generations. However, these days we find that men working in the field of Da'wah amongst women and vice versa often fall into temptation.

Therefore, we advise the questioner to assign this task to a male Mahram to those women, or to a female Mahram of yours, such as your wife. This is better for you and your religion. It is better to benefit yourself (by protecting it) than to benefit others with the risk of harming yourself.

If you did not find any Mahram to do this, then do not assume the task of Da‘wah amongst women unless you are sure that you will be able to resist temptation. You should also take every possible precaution. This means that you should make sure you will never meet a woman in seclusion, never look at a woman and never speak with a woman beyond the scope of Da‘wah.  In other words, assume that you are walking on thorny ground when assuming this task, and always be careful not to fall into temptation. Please review the following Fataawa 88997, 85379 and 83862.

Allaah Knows best.