Fatwa n° 270

Category: Fatwas about family – Woman

The ruling concerning the woman
who goes out to work in the exigency of need

Question:

A sister who graduated from university and whose father is unemployed. She has little brothers who are without no resources. Is it permissible for her to work in order to satisfy their needs? On the other hand, this sister was asked for marriage by a man who performs the five ritual prayers in the mosque, has a good character and works as a trader, but he is not of a Sunni ‘Aqîda (creed) and does not follow the Salafî Way. So, does she have to accept him as a husband or work to earn her living? May Allah reward you.

Answer:

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon whom Allah sent as a mercy to the Worlds, upon his Family, his Companions and his Brothers until the Day of Resurrection:

The woman is not commanded to go out and work in order to spend on her family members since the father is capable of earning the living and capable of spending. In principle, it is the parents who are in charge of the woman and should satisfy her needs while she is living with them; then when she joins the marital house, it is her husband who will take her in charge, this is the principle.However, if there is no one who covers her spending on food, drink, clothing and medicines and at the same time she has little underage brothers who can neither work nor earn their living; and she is the only one capable of earning (her and their) living, then -in this case- it is permissible for her to go to work, even if she exceptionally contradicts the principle because of need or necessity. Given this, she has to comply with the religious standards when going out by covering herself [with the religious veil] and preserving her chastity, without any adornment (make-up) or perfume, and by avoiding mixing with men who are strangers (not Mahârim) or being alone (in privacy) with them, and so on. Nevertheless, if the risk of being without resources disappears, then she has to return to her nature and stay at home according to His saying عزّ وجلّ:

﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلاَ تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الأُولَى [الأحزاب: 33.[

The meaning of the verse:

And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of times of ignorance ﴿[Al-Ahzâb: 33].

This being said, if the woman sees that she is qualified for marriage and that if she abandons marriage she may fear falling in temptation while she is capable of establishing and observing Allah’s limits with her husbands, and she finds who can take in charge her little brothers; in this case, it is incumbent upon her to get married only with the qualified man who has a Sunni ‘Aqîda (creed), deeds and behavior, and whose character and religion are pleasing.

The perfect knowledge belongs to Allah عزَّ وجلَّ; and our last prayer is all the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and prayers of Allah are to Muhammad and his Family, Companions and Brothers until the Day of Resurrection.

 

Algiers on: Rajab the 9th, 1426 H

Corresponding to August the 14th, 2005 G.

 

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