Islamic Perceptions Regarding Working Women

Islam has given equal rights to men and women. Muslim women are not forbidden from going out in the community, working and visiting friends and relatives. There is an exception that women should cover themselves properly, and there is no objection from their guardian/ husband regarding their work.

Women’s home is the main base from she starts working. She should first take care of her Husband, children and family. Her first duty is to take proper care of her house and fulfill her all duties as a wife and as a mother.

Islam does not prohibit women from working. If a woman is working outside then she should follow some Islamic teachings in order to safeguard her dignity, honor and purity of the Islamic society.

• A woman’s first priority should be her husband or family. Outside employment should not come before her family and should not interfere with her responsibilities as a wife or a mother.
• She should work outside with the permission of her husband, and if she is not married then her guardian’s consent is necessary.
• The most important thing is her appearance and the way of talking should follow the Islamic guidelines. A woman should not be soft in speech, but she should speak in an honorable manner.
• She should do her job with full dedication and her job should not be the cause of moral corruption in the society.
• She should seek employment in those fields which requires women’s skills like in teaching, nursing etc.

In Islam, people are encouraged to work without discriminating between men and women. There is an exception that working women should follow the teachings of ALLAH.

Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) gave the duty of taking care of the domestic responsibilities to Hazrat Fatima (RA), his daughter, and external responsibilities to his son-in-law Hazrat Ali (RA). So, there is no discrimination about men and women in Quran regarding work.

If a Muslim woman is working in a non-Muslim society, she might face some problems. A male employee offers his hand during introduction to other employees. An invitation for lunch or dinner is sent to all employees at local bars. These are some of the situations which Muslim women can face while working in a society which can divert her attention from Islamic teachings. If a woman has some major reasons or if she is a widow and cannot make ends meet then she can work in a non-Muslim society.

Conclusively, Islam has no restrictions on a working woman except it has given some guidelines for her. These guidelines can help women in maintaining their dignity in the society.

View the Original article