Sayyed Fadlullah’s commented on the news of a German TV report which highlighted that many Muslim parents prevent their daughters from participating in school sports, citing religious and cultural concerns.
His Eminence strongly encouraged women's sports participation in Islam—with Hijab and gender segregation as essential conditions—asserting that physical activity is not merely permitted but vital for women, equal in importance to men's athletic needs, with no religious basis for prohibition:
Playing sports is highly important, and the Islamic Shariah urges the people and encourages them to engage in sports. As for women, they too have the right to play sports, yet while preserving the legal restraints so as not to commit forbidden acts and stay away from the ambiences of deviation that offend their humanity, dignity and Hijab…
As for the opinion of the Shariah with regard to having women playing sports, His Eminence, the late Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (ra), says: “In general, women are allowed to join sport events, provided that they play with other women, and not men, and provided that they maintain the legal conditions of the veil (Hijab), for the woman’s need of sports is by no means less than that of man’s; therefore, in principle, there is no legal impediment.”
[Extracted from the book “Jurisprudence of life - the jurisprudence of sports”, p: 240]
Translated by: Manal Samhat
Sayyed Fadlullah’s commented on the news of a German TV report which highlighted that many Muslim parents prevent their daughters from participating in school sports, citing religious and cultural concerns.
His Eminence strongly encouraged women's sports participation in Islam—with Hijab and gender segregation as essential conditions—asserting that physical activity is not merely permitted but vital for women, equal in importance to men's athletic needs, with no religious basis for prohibition:
Playing sports is highly important, and the Islamic Shariah urges the people and encourages them to engage in sports. As for women, they too have the right to play sports, yet while preserving the legal restraints so as not to commit forbidden acts and stay away from the ambiences of deviation that offend their humanity, dignity and Hijab…
As for the opinion of the Shariah with regard to having women playing sports, His Eminence, the late Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (ra), says: “In general, women are allowed to join sport events, provided that they play with other women, and not men, and provided that they maintain the legal conditions of the veil (Hijab), for the woman’s need of sports is by no means less than that of man’s; therefore, in principle, there is no legal impediment.”
[Extracted from the book “Jurisprudence of life - the jurisprudence of sports”, p: 240]
Translated by: Manal Samhat