[Q 414] Permissibility of Male-Female Driving Lessons, Islamic Ruling on Driving Instruction, Teaching Driving to Opposite Gender

QUESTION:

Salaam, is it permissible for a woman to be a driving instructor if she will potentially have to take male students as well? What about the reverse situation – can a male be a driving instructor who potentially will have female students alone in the car?

ANSWER:

It is permissible for a man to teach a woman how to drive if the woman is ba-pardah (observing modesty/hijab) and one of her mahram (non-marriageable relative) is also present in the vehicle. Without a mahram, this is prohibited due to the risk of fitnah (temptation or corruption), and therefore it is not allowed.

A woman should teach driving to women only. It is not permissible for a woman to teach driving to men, as this too leads to many forms of fitnah (temptation).

عن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم قال: لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا كان ثالثهما الشيطان»
Translation: No man is ever alone with a woman except that the third among them is Shaytan.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith: 1171)

It is mentioned in Fatawa Hindiyyah:

قال علماؤنا رحمهم الله تعالى يكره للرجل أن يستأجر حرة أو أمة يستخدمها ويخلو بها لأن الخلوة بالأجنبية منهي عنها. كذا في الظهيرية.

(Fatawa Hindiyyah, Volume 4, Page 434)

It is stated in Al-Jawharah al-Nayyirah:

«لا تحجن امرأة إلا ومعها محرم» ولأنها بدون المحرم يخاف عليها الفتنة ويزداد بانضمام غيرها إليها ولهذا تحرم الخلوة بالأجنبية.

(Al-Jawharah al-Nayyirah, Volume 1, Page 150)

Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 22nd June 2025.