Date : 10-05-2010

Question :

Is it permissible for the man to prevent his wife or daughter from going out for work?


The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds, and may His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.


This question is a bit unrealistic since we see husbands looking for jobs to their wives, fathers to their daughters and male cousins to their female cousins. However, the work a woman is allowed to do is one which doesn`t involve any violations of Sharia Law. Here, we remind of the story of the daughters of the righteous man in Midian, which is mentioned in the Noble Quran. Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "And when he came unto the water of Midian he found there a whole tribe of men, watering. And he found apart from them two women keeping back (their flocks). He said: What aileth you ? The two said: We cannot give (our flocks) to drink till the shepherds return from the water; and our father is a very old man." {Al-Qhasas, 23}. These two women were grazing sheep and didn`t mingle with men. They were forced to take this job because their father wasn`t able to do it. This verse reflects the circumstances under which theses women worked. However, it is permissible for a woman to work in other circumstances so long as her work doesn`t involve any violations of Sharia. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.