One of most frequent questions from Islam is what decision Islam makes concerning wife working and what kind of limitations Islam considered in the field of wife jobs. That is to say, what is the Islamic viewpoint on the working wife?
Western cultures usually accuse Islam to be opposite of wife development and wants them to be always at home. But it is important to read Islam viewpoint in Islamic articles to realize Islam opinion on the subject. The present article summons readers to read Islam real opinion on the subject of what limitations Islam considered in wife workings.
Islamic law has limited precepts concerning the work of a wife as follows:
1. The wife has the right to stipulate in her marriage contract that her husband should not prevent her from working.
2. The husband must agree and let his wife work through mutual understanding. That is when she wants to work with previous stipulation. Sometimes the husband does not let his wife work. This does not mean that Islamic law prevents her from working. However, it depends on the relationship between the husband and his wife.
3. If a wife had worked before the marriage contract, a work contract is valid, even though her job opposes the husband’s right.
4. When the wife works without permission from her husband, the correctness of permission depends on the approval of the husband in what contradicts the rights of husband. The contract is valid in what does not contradict his right.
When we study the precepts of Islamic law, we will not find any text that prevents woman from working in the first place. Rather, those who prevent woman from working outdoors produce evidence of that.
Some people say that when woman works in mixed organizations, she will be corrupted, and will commit unlawful acts. This means that woman’s work is unlawful, because of the mixed work that leads her to commit unlawful acts.
It is necessary to mention here that all work that leads to unlawful things is forbidden for both man and woman. Therefore, it is obligatory to prevent mixed work and to employ the person needed regardless of whether the person is a man or woman.
From interpreting this holy verse: “And We raised some of them above others in rank, so that some may take others into service”, it is clear that abilities, merits, and readiness of one person for work differ from another, regardless of the person being a man or woman, and that exchanging interests and satisfying service and material needs can be achieved by all the members of the society.
Every individual, regardless of his gender, offers his effort and ability to satisfy the needs of society. Meanwhile the individual satisfies his needs through the process of the service and material exchange in society.
When we study and analyze all Islamic concepts and precepts, we will find that Islam does not prevent woman from working or from getting knowledge. The woman has the right to practice any work she wants, such as agriculture, industry, medicine, engineering, administration, political jobs, driving cars and planes, teaching and education, etc.
Man and woman have the right to practice all lawful work. Both man and woman are equal before the precepts of Islamic law.
The difference between man and woman is seen in some duties that are peculiar to each of them taking into consideration the psychological and biological difference of both man and woman to organize and manage social life.
Accordingly, a wife working is permitted in Islamic law. Rather it is sometimes obligatory. No work is forbidden in Islam except those which Islamic law has forbidden, or that leads to unlawful deeds regardless whether the worker is a man or a woman.
The religious scholars have analyzed religious obligations and divided them into collective and individual. Through studying the collective duty, we can conclude that Islam has made it incumbent on both man and woman to secure social services such as medicine, engineering, teaching, agriculture, trade, transport, security, etc. Sometimes collective duty becomes individual duty, regardless of whether the individual is a man or woman.
From this, we understand that the division and carrying out of functional work in society stands on two bases: individual and collective. In both cases, Islam does not make any difference between a man and a woman; rather, it makes it incumbent on woman to learn jobs that concern women such as medicine and teaching.
