When we talk about the issue of mixing, we should keep two things in mind. First, the Islamic system is from Allah the Creator, and this fact alone should compel us to submit to the Islamic system in their totality, including that part of the system that regulates and organizes man-woman relationships in the society. We do not want to hear from any Muslim ideas such as the separation that Islam imposes being ''backwards'' or ''uncivilized.'' Islam is the system from the Creator, who knows His creation best, and the system from the Creator does not discriminate against a particular gender or favor another. Aside from this point, as Muslims, we are ordered to submit to Allah in all aspects.

Secondly, the Islamic approach is preventive, meaning that it builds the individual and sets up the society in such a way that would prevent problems from emerging. Thus, Islam sets up the society in such a way that there is a clear separation between men and women, and this is the NORM. The instances where men and women are allowed to mix are the EXCEPTION, and when they do mix, Islam defines a very specific code of behavior that men and women are obligated to follow with one another. In addition, Islam encourages marriage at an early age, and the Islamic system and state would actively work to assist individuals in this regard. Also, the role of men and women, and the rights and obligations of each to the other, are well-defined, which produces harmony in the society. In such an environment, any problems that may arise would be reduced to a minimum. However, we look to the societies around us, and we can see the consequences of free mixing - on the individual as well as the society. The contemporary societies arouse our instincts to the extreme, allow free mixing without restriction, and leave it to the individual to satisfy those instincts the way he wants. To make matters worse, many of these societies actually impose laws and restrictions AGAINST marriages at an early age. And above all, the role of men and women are not clearly defined, and as a result, we see that the underlying theme is friction between the two; ideas such as ''war of the sexes,'' ''gender war,'' ''girl power,'' and ''feminism,'' are the natural result of this confused state.

On another note, we see that, even in the Kufr societies, the general pattern is that women tend to flock with other women, and men flock with men. Of course there is other stuff as well, but the overall pattern is that the human beings have a tendency towards separation. This shows that Allah (swt) created us with a tendency for the sexes to separate, and the Islamic system simply enforces this built-in tendency. The ''other stuff'' is the result of the corrupted man-made culture and way of life, which not only contradicts this natural disposition, but is a breeding ground for many social ills as well.

Somebody might say that ''I am strong and able to control myself.'' However, this mentality is flawed because not all human beings are of that type; in fact, the type of human being who can control himself and maintain his behavior are typically few in number. In the absence of the preventive measures, most human beings would be susceptible to falling into sin. That is the beauty of the preventive approach. By setting up the society and building the individual in this way, those human beings who are weak would be prevented from situations which would render them susceptible to committing sins, and those human beings who are strong would become stronger in their piety because their obedience and loyalty to Allah would not be constantly tested to the extreme.

Perhaps there are a strong people, and alhamdullilah for that, but let us not forget that not everyone is the same, and even strong people are still human. In the United States, when the government prescribes a certain recommended level for vitamins, do we think that they really believe all people need such limits? The answer is definitely not because they acknowledge that people are different. Some individuals are strong and have healthy immune systems and hence do not need as much vitamin supplements. Others have a healthy diet and lifestyle and get all the vitamins they need from their food intake. However, there are many who are weak, such as elderly and children, or people with poor immune systems and diet, who will need vitamin supplements to ensure a minimum level of health. Thus, to make sure that ALL PEOPLE GET THE VITAMINS THEY REQUIRE, the government sets certain minimum limitations, even though many people are perfectly fine without them.

Similarly, Islam sets certain minimum requirements which will work to prevent problems from emerging, and these minimum requirements are the laws and legislation that Allah (swt) revealed to us which ALL MUSLIMS are required to adhere to. In the absence of these preventive measures, the people who are weak will be susceptible to committing haram and falling into sin, and those who are strong will be constantly preoccupied with dealing with all sorts of temptations, maintaining one's Iman, and keeping oneself within the limits. And the moment that we drop our guard, even strong people may find themselves committing sins or transgressing the boundaries. However, if the Islamic system is in place, and we maintain our adherence to the Islamic rules, then those who are weak will be protected from sin, and those who are strong will have their minds free to enhance their obedience to Allah, which will make them stronger.

Conclusion

The procreation instinct on a practical level like all other instincts is agitated by external stimuli, or the recollection of these stimuli internally. Without these the sexual element of the instinct is not activated. Taking into account what has already been mentioned with regards to Capitalist society, the external elements are not hidden along with the inculcated ideas. The ideas being freedom, accountability to self and the law (if caught), as it is, it is like carrying a ticking time bomb, the external agitations being the inter-mingling and socialising between the sexes, dancing, advertising which treats everyone like sexual commodities - these are some examples of the detonators. This is not to say that Islamic society is  a paradigm of perfection, for no matter how imbued by taqwa human beings are, there will always be disobedience to Allah (Subhanahu Wa ta'aala). This cannot be eliminated altogether, but the environment filled with reminders and direction will lessen this.

Related

Archive