Is it permissible for her to study in a mixed environment in a non-Muslim country?
Question

                I have a question about studying in European countries. My question is: what is the ruling on studying in a mixed institute? Please note that I will be accompanying my husband, and the period of his study is five years. I want to learn the language and study for a Masters after that. I observe full hijab and wear loose clothing, and nothing appears except my eyes; I am very careful with my hijab, and my sleeves are long and nothing appears except my fingertips. When I sit in the classroom, I will sit beside women, and the number of students will be no more than twelve. I need to learn the language in order to talk to the people around me and for the purpose of da‘wah, so that I can explain Islam to them, especially since they often ask me the reason why I wear hijab. I hope that you will answer my question, for I am waiting for it, because I have already spent one year and four months abroad and I have been looking for a fatwa to answer my question, because I want to study, but only with an Islamic fatwa from you. May Allah preserve you and bless you.
Praise be to Allah.
		Firstly: 

	First of all, we appreciate your keenness to make sure that 
	your actions are sound and in accordance with Islamic teaching. This is what 
	every Muslim should do, and it should be done before starting to do what he 
	wants to do, whether it is business, travel or a job, because true sincerity 
	in following Islam means asking about the ruling on an action before 
	embarking on it. 

	Secondly: 

	The scholars have issued fatwas stating that mixing in places 
	of education and elsewhere is prohibited because of what it leads to of 
	negative consequences and things that are contrary to Islamic teaching. The 
	scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: 

	Is it permissible for sisters to enter and learn in mixed 
	schools and universities, because in the West there are no options except 
	mixed classes, but the sisters wear Islamic dress and, moreover, the 
	disbelievers cause them annoyance. 

	They replied: 

	Free mixing of men and women in educational settings is 
	haraam and is a great evil because of what it involves of temptation, spread 
	of corruption, and transgression of sacred limits. What happens because of 
	this mixing of evil and moral corruption is among the clearest evidence for 
	it being prohibited. If we add to that the fact that it is in a non-Muslim 
	country, then it is even more emphatically prohibited. For a woman to learn 
	in schools and universities is not one of the cases of necessity because of 
	which that which is prohibited may be permitted. She has to learn in ways 
	that are safe and free of temptations. We advise her to make use of sound 
	audiotapes that are issued by scholars of Ahl as-Sunnah, and we also advise 
	her and others to listen to Noor ‘ala ad- Darb, which is broadcast by 
	the Idhaa‘at al-Qur’an al-Kareem radio station in the Kingdom of Saudi 
	Arabia. 

	Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh, 
	Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd. 

	Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah 
	(12/181-182) 

	And they said: 

	It is not permissible for a Muslim student to study in 
	classrooms in which there is mixing between men and women, because of what 
	that involves of great temptation. You have to find a way to study in a 
	place where there is no mixing, so as to protect your religious commitment 
	and your honour. “And 
	whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him 
	to get out (from every difficulty)” [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]. 

	Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh, 
	Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd. 

	Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah 
	(12/173).                                   

	Even if your husband agrees with you studying, this does not 
	make it permissible for you to study in that mixed environment. 

	The scholars of the Committee said: 

	Mixing between men and women in schools and elsewhere is a 
	great evil and serious problem that affects both religious and worldly 
	interests. Therefore it is not permissible for a woman to study or work in a 
	place where there is mixing between men and women, and it is not permissible 
	for her guardian to allow her to do that. 

	Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh, 
	Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd. 

	Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah 
	(12/156). 

	These are the fatwas of the scholars that you wanted to know. 
	You can learn English from a female teacher who comes to your house, or from 
	audio and video tapes and books, which are readily available in the markets. 
	You can also join a university or institute and take the exams by 
	correspondence or in the presence of your husband, and thus attain your goal 
	of learning the language and obtaining a certificate, without going against 
	Islamic teachings. 

	We ask Allah, may He be exalted, to enable you to do that 
	which pleases Him. 

	And Allah knows best.