Going to beaches and public pools

Q: I wanted to ask if it is haraam or permissible for Muslims to go to public beaches with family and kids where there are uncovered men and women swimming. I live in Canada and my family members frequently go to lakes and beaches etc in summers and they say that as long as you can can guard your own eyes and not be tempted towards sins then there are no issues. If you have any issues then you should go to some Islamic country as here the kids see these things everywhere and you will have to control them then they will not go towards it more. Whenever I try to convince someone against it, all of them justify that other Muslim families also go there and where else should we go to in the hot summer. Can you kindly guide me about the clear Islamic rulings about this matter so I have a solid reason to believe and guide others around me.

A: The hadeeth has prohibited us from going to public baths. One reason for the prohibition was that people were not covering themselves. The second is that there were men and women going into the bath at the same time. Hence Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had prohibited this. The circumstance here is the same.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)