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Fatwa CenterGirls Should not read Soorah An-Noor!?
Question
Assalamu Allikum . I have read somewhere that there is a hadith narrating that girls shoukd not read tafseer of Surah Yusuf
'Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) is reported to have said: "Do not teach your women Surah Yusuf nor let them recite it because there are temptations in it. Teach them Surah Nur because there are spiritual advices in it .
Is this hadith authentic and is their any sahih hadith in this matter.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that none is worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and messenger.
This statement is not authentically attributable to ‘Ali 
! It is a false report circulated by some people who are given to practicing religious innovations and known for lying. The mentioned comment in relation to Soorah Yoosuf [Quran Ch. 12] that “it is a source of Fitnah (temptation),” is indicative of impudence and flagrant impoliteness towards the Quran.
We do not know of any authentic report narrated on the authority of the Companions of the Prophet forbidding teaching Muslim women or men a specific chapter of the Quran. On the contrary, there are authentically narrated reports urging Muslims to teach women a specific chapter, which is Soorah An-Noor [Quran Ch. 24]. The relevant report in this regard was transmitted through various chains of narration, which are collectively authentic. It was reported that ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, wrote to some provinces saying: “Teach your women Soorah An-Noor.” This report was cited by Abu ‘Ubayd in his book Fadhaa’il Al-Quran, ‘Abdur-Razzaaq in his Musannaf, Sa‘eed ibn Mansoor in his Sunan and Tafseer, Al-Haakim in Al-Mustadrak, and Al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab Al-Eemaan. Similar reports were narrated on the authority of other Companions as well.
It should be noted that some scholars denounced the person who dislikes listening to Soorah An-Noor because it contains verses about the punishment for adultery and fornication while, at the same time, he intentionally listens to Soorah Yoosuf and makes women listen to it seeking thereby to stir sexual desire and bring up the subject of infatuation and the state of infatuated people. What is denounced here is this person himself due to his corrupt intention and purpose, and not the learning of Soorah Yoosuf.
Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah 
wrote: "Some people like listening to this Chapter in particular for what it includes of the mention of infatuation and behavior relevant to it, because they themselves are inclined to such matters and wish to gratify their sinful desires. Some even deliberately make women and others listen to it out of their wicked inclination towards lewdness … and they choose not to listen to the verses in Soorah An-Noor about the punishment of sin and the prohibition in this regard … Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.} [Quran 17:82] … So whoever likes listening to that Chapter [Yoosuf] to stimulate such sinful feelings and dislikes listening to that one [An-Noor] so as not to restrain and repel such feelings; he himself is dispraised." [Majmoo‘ Al-Fataawa]
Allah Knows best.
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