Q: Is horse riding allowed in Islam for women?
A: In order for a woman to go horse riding, she will have to leave her home and expose herself before strange men, whereas the Quraan Majeed and Ahaadith of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) command women to remain within the confines of their homes and not venture out of the home unless for a valid need.
Apart from this, when going horse riding, a woman will be required to dress in a manner that will be conducive to riding the horse i.e. to dress with tight-fitting clothing as a jockey dresses. This type of tight-fitting clothing causes the shape of the body to be revealed. It is not permissible for a woman to wear such clothing which reveals the shape of her body. Wearing this type of clothing is against hayaa and shame and thus opposes the fabric of Islamic values.
For this reason, it is not permissible for women to leave their homes to go horse riding.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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