Woman's Voice is Awrah

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

‌السَّلَامُ ‌عَلَيْكَ ‌أَيُّهَا ‌النَّبِيُّ ‌وَرَحْمَةُ ‌اللهِ ‌وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds

Peace be upon you, you who are the Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessing

Allah commands the believing women:

وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ

And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment

(Surah 24:31)

Based on the prohibition of ladies striking their feet to make the jingle of their anklets heard to strangers, the Hanafi scholar and commentator on the Quran, Abu Bakr al-Jassas, analogized that the voice of a woman is likewise to be concealed from strangers:

وَفِيهِ ‌دَلَالَةٌ ‌عَلَى ‌أَنَّ ‌الْمَرْأَةَ ‌مَنْهِيَّةٌ ‌عَنْ ‌رَفْعِ ‌صَوْتِهَا ‌بِالْكَلَامِ ‌بِحَيْثُ ‌يَسْمَعُ ‌ذَلِكَ ‌الْأَجَانِبُ إذْ كَانَ صَوْتُهَا أَقْرَبَ إلَى الْفِتْنَةِ مِنْ صَوْتِ خَلْخَالِهَا وَلِذَلِكَ كَرِهَ أَصْحَابُنَا أَذَانَ النِّسَاءِ لِأَنَّهُ يُحْتَاجُ فِيهِ إلَى رَفْعِ الصَّوْتِ وَالْمَرْأَةُ مَنْهِيَّةٌ عَنْ ذَلِكَ

It indicates that a woman is forbidden from raising her voice when speaking in a way that strangers can hear, since her voice is closer to temptation than the sound of her anklets. For this reason, our companions disliked the Adhan from women, because it requires raising the voice, and women are forbidden from doing so (Ahkam al-Quran, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, v.5, p.177)

The Holy Prophet, sall Allahu alayhi wasallam, said:

التَّسْبِيحُ لِلرِّجَالِ وَالتَّصْفِيقُ لِلنِّسَاءِ

The tasbih [saying ‘Subhan Allah’] is for men and clapping is for women (Sahih al-Bukhari)

The Hadith indicates it is forbidden for a woman to speak in the Salah, and that if she must correct an error of the Imam she should only tap her hand. This is another strong proof for the view that a woman’s voice is awrah—that it is to be silent in the presence of strangers:

وَلِهَذَا قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ التَّسْبِيحُ لِلرِّجَالِ وَالتَّصْفِيقُ لِلنِّسَاءِ فَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَسْمَعَهَا الرَّجُلُ وَمَشَى عَلَيْهِ الْمُصَنِّفُ فِي الْكَافِي فَقَالَ وَلَا تُلَبِّي جَهْرًا لِأَنَّ ‌صَوْتَهَا ‌عَوْرَةٌ وَمَشَى عَلَيْهِ صَاحِبُ الْمُحِيطِ فِي بَابِ الْأَذَانِ وَفِي فَتْحِ الْقَدِيرِ وَعَلَى هَذَا لَوْ قِيلَ إذَا جَهَرَتْ بِالْقُرْآنِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَسَدَتْ كَانَ مُتَّجَهًا

For this reason, he - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - said: “Tasbih is for men and clapping is for women.” So it is not permissible for a man to hear it. The author followed this view in Al-Kafi, saying: “Do not recite the Talbiyah aloud.” Because her voice is awrah, and the author of Al-Muhit followed this in the chapter on the call to prayer and in Fath Al-Qadir. Based on this, if it were said that if she recites the Qur’an aloud in prayer, it is invalid, then that would be correct (al-Bahr al-Ra’iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, v.1, p.470)

However, the dominant view of the Hanafi school is that a woman may speak to a stranger if it is necessary, without softening her voice. Nevertheless, Fakhr al-Din Uthman bin Ali al-Zayl’i has said:

وَالْمَرْأَةُ تُخَافِتُ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ لِأَنَّ ‌صَوْتَهَا ‌عَوْرَةٌ

A woman lowers her voice when saying the Takbir for her voice is awrah (Tabyin al-Haqa’iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq, v.1, p.227)

The view that a woman’s voice is awrah was also transmitted by some of the Malikis:

لأن ‌صوتها ‌عورة

For her voice is awrah (Sharh al-Kharashi, v.1, p.237)

Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi al-Maliki said:

وَالْمَرْأَةُ كُلُّهَا عَوْرَةٌ ‌بَدَنُهَا ‌وَصَوْتُهَا فَلَا يَجُوزُ كَشْفُ ذَلِكَ إلَّا لِضَرُورَةٍ أَوْ لِحَاجَةٍ كَالشَّهَادَةِ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ دَاءٍ يَكُونُ بِبَدَنِهَا أَوْ سُؤَالِهَا عَمَّا يَعِنُّ وَيَعْرِضُ عِنْدَهَا

A woman’s entire body and voice are awrah, so it is not permissible to uncover that except out of necessity or need, such as testimony against her, or an illness in her body, or asking her about something that concerns her and comes to her mind (Ahkam al-Quran li-Ibn al-Arabi, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, v.3, p.616)

Similarly, Sulayman al-Baji said:

وَهَذَا كَمَا قَالَ إنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ ‌رَفْعُ ‌الصَّوْتِ بِالتَّلْبِيَةِ لِأَنَّ النِّسَاءَ لَيْسَ شَأْنُهُنَّ الْجَهْرَ لِأَنَّ صَوْتَ الْمَرْأَةِ عَوْرَةٌ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهَا مِنْ الْجَهْرِ إلَّا بِقَدْرِ مَا تُسْمِعُ نَفْسَهَا وَمَا زَادَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ مِنْ إسْمَاعِ غَيْرِهَا فَلَيْسَ مِنْ حُكْمِهَا وَالْجَهْرُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ كَذَلِكَ

This is similar to what he said, that women are not required to raise their voices in the Talbiyah, because it is not the nature of women to speak out loud, as a woman’s voice is awrah, so she is not required to speak out loud except to the extent that she can hear herself, and anything more than that, such that others can hear, is not part of her ruling. And speaking out loud in prayer is likewise (al-Muntaqa Sharh al-Muwatta, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, v.2, p.211)

Allamah al-Alusi says:

روي عن بعض أمهات المؤمنين أنها كانت ‌تضع ‌يدها ‌على ‌فمها إذا كلمت أجنبيا تغير صوتها بذلك خوفا من أن يسمع رخيما لينا

It was narrated on that some of the Mothers of the Believers that would place her hand over her mouth when speaking to a stranger, and her voice would change as a result, for fear that he would hear her soft and gentle speech (Ruh al-Ma’ani, Mu’assasat al-Risalah, v.21, p.281)

So if it is said that a woman’s voice is awrah, it means that she should not speak to a male stranger unless it is absolutely necessary. And it is certainly unlawful for her to sweeten or soften her voice when speaking to a male stranger, and likewise it is unlawful for a man to listen to the singing of a woman that is a stranger [ghayr mahram] to him. This is why in Islam women do not give the adhan or iqamah, nor do they say the talbiyah loudly like men during Hajj and Umrah. It is therefore not right for women to recite the Quran audibly such that her recitation is heard by a male stranger.

In our time, the cultural norms have radically changed such that ladies speak loudly and casually in public and in the presence of male strangers. This is all a terrible consequence of cultural Westernization and modernity.