q : it is narrated that fatima (as) said: “the best thing for a woman is to avoid the company of man”, does that mean women should not have a role in society? is the narration authentic ?
answer:
the narration is authentic and is related to the prophet (saw) when he asked his companions what the best thing was for a woman to do. no one answered him. ali (as) related the incident to his wife fatima (as), the prophet’s daughter. she gave that answer and ali (as) conveyed her answer to the prophet (saw). he glorified allah and approved of her reply.
this does not mean that women should not have a social role in the community. this fact was demonstrated in fatima’s important role in the muslim community during her fathers life and after his death. during the prophet’s lifetime, she and other women believers participated in the muslim’s battles. they prepared food and water, looked after the wounded and even carried the sword to defend the prophet (saw) , as in the battle of uhud.
after her fathers death, fatima (as) had a political role when she made her speech in the prophet’s mosque, demanding her inheritance. she also visited the muslim’s homes and warned them about making wrong decisions which could violate the divine instructions and cause allah’s displeasure.
a woman can have her role in society and perform every kind of work within religious legislation’s and according to her needs and her society’s needs. a woman can guard against evil by observing her islamic dress. however, a muslim woman should avoid working with men if she can perform her work within women’s company. this can spare her a lot of annoyance and mistreatment.
