what is the truth about women working in islam

[sky_012]

:salam2:
i hope to find you all in best of health and imaan

i have a question bothering me since a long time now

first, about my education, i 'm just completing my MSC engineering (masters) and currently i'm doing my internship as a consultant in Business Intelligence field

i have to do it because without completing my internship i can't get the diploma, but when i look at the job, how hard it is, the hours, the hard work you need, i don't imagine working after i get my diploma.
it's not an impossible job, but to build the best career for yourself, you need to devote many time to your work like in any field, but it's even more important in this

now my parents are looking for a person to marry for me
but what we see in europe is that more and more, the boy wants his wife to work, especially if she is educated

i have really few criterias that i told my parents for choosing a boy, but one of them is that the boy or his family don't ask me to work
but my parents say they won't accept, plus if you have a degree of course they will ask you to work
and perhaps, at least in the beginning you will have to work one or two years to support him, especially i he comes from back home and it will take time to him to settle down in europe

so my questions are:
1.is it a bad deed and thing if i apply this criteria and only accept to marry if i'm not forced to work?

2. in islam, is it better for a woman to work or to stay at home and take care of home tasks?
people tell me it's sad that you waste yur education, plus some say that you can do dawah going outside etc... but i 'm not satisfied with these things, when i go outside, i have to take the bus, train and as an engineer i can be working until usually 7 or 8 pm which i find incorrect for a woman
plus if i do job otside, how can i take care of home tasks

i don't understand what i should do because people tell me life is hard in europe if you don't work, especially if your husband hasn't good a great job and doesn't earn a lot etc.. ..and isn't well settled

should i accept to work if i need to, because my future husband will need my financial help, even if i really don't wan't to do job?

thanks for advice, it's really really important for me

wassalam

 

[Meraj]

:salam2: Dear sister!!!

first of all i appreciate your thinking abt your future life....dear sister let me tell you that it is your choice to work r not after you get merry...nobody should force you in this regard....regarding the wasting of ur degree r diploma it is not neccessary that educaton should be only for jobs r working for making money...education is just to get knowlege of the real life and how to deal with this world...and to open the mind for new inventions and understanding the creation of Allah (subhana wa ta'alah) with the knowledge Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has given us etc....
i would love to see my wife chosing not to work no matter how much qulified she is....but it is her choice..i should not force her in any case...she should decide it herself...
i hope inshaAllah Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) wil help u in ur good intensions and make ur life easy (ameen)

 

[ShyHijabi]

Salaam,

Brother Meraj answered it quiet elegantly. I do suggest you being up front with the man you decide you want to marry, about desiring to focus your energy at maintaining the home. It's always best to start with a clean honest slate.

Wasalaam

~Sarah

 

[tabuzbr]

women working in islam

asalaamualikum i think brother meraj did answer well but what does isalm clearly state about working of muslim women matters the most so i think one should clarify the islamic stand in this issue.jazakhallah khair

 

[dianek]

May I ask why you chose the field you did if you didn't want to work at it?
Education is expensive and you should want to see your return on your or your parents investment. BUT.....

I do believe it is your choice to work or not. I work, I have to work so that our bills are paid. I would love to stay home with my children and tend house, but it isn't possible. And it isn't easy but you adapt to it and you manage it. I am a fanatic about a clean home. So that doesn't fall to the side because I work.....what does fall to the side is cooking.....thank God for frozen foods and fast food! You do what you need to. If he can afford for you to stay home great! If not, you should understand that you have a responsiblility to the finances of your home.

 

[warda A]

truth

:salam2:

Dear sister, i really think that if the truth be told many women would prefer to stay at home, but at times circumstances really do not give you a choice.
that is my opinion
and this is a video on Can a Lady Work?\



Salamu alaykum sister, please do not post stuff of diviant sects like ahmadiya and qadiyanis when they are not considered muslim. There are proper scholars of this sunnah who have talked on this issue so u should listen to them. Muslims can't get the knowledge from everyone. It is very important to know on which methodology (manhaj) the person is who ur listening to.

http://fatwa-online.com/deviantgroups/qaadiyaaniyyah/0010513.htm

wasalam
Muharram

 

[Kayote]

Thanks Warda A for sharing this. I had forgotten about the condition that the husband does not have a right over his wife's earnings.

Salam

 

[sky_012]

thanks or your replies

i will watch the video this week end inshallah

well,i don't think i could not work because if my future husband is from back home, before he gets visa, papers and all administrative things which will enable him to work here, i will have to work


about he field i chose: i just want to say sometimes destiny brings you somewhere you never imagined, sometimes you make choices due to family or personal constraints, but that the end, Allah SWT Give you what is best for you, so even if i don't like the field, i'm still thankfull i could have the chance to study and to study it

and my parents didn't made me study with the intentions i will give back them the money after i finish, or that it is a waste of money

but if i'm not a good human beeing later , of course they will deeply regret and be sad for all the sacrifices they made for me, and despoite all the chances i got (for example the chance to study) i won't take any benefit of it and be a bad person in life

 

[aishajor]

i work sister as i have a debt from years which i have to pay off and i likemy own money so i can give to charity without asking my husband for the money/


thats why i work

 

[*Saniyah*]

:salam2:

Dear sister, i really think that if the truth be told many women would prefer to stay at home, but at times circumstances really do not give you a choice.
that is my opinion
and this is a video on Can a Lady Work?
*link*

Why is here promoted a sect ahmadiyya or qadianis, when they are not even muslims???

http://www.irshad.org/qadianism.php

 

[warda A]

Inorance isnt bliss

Why is here promoted a sect ahmadiyya or qadianis, when they are not even muslims???

http://www.irshad.org/qadianism.php

Salamu alaykum sister, please do not post stuff of diviant sects like ahmadiya and qadiyanis when they are not considered muslim. There are proper scholars of this sunnah who have talked on this issue so u should listen to them. Muslims can't get the knowledge from everyone. It is very important to know on which methodology (manhaj) the person is who ur listening to.

http://fatwa-online.com/deviantgroup...ah/0010513.htm

wasalam
Muharram

Well i did not know that, thank you for expanding my knowledge
jazakallahu kheiran

 

[*Saniyah*]

:salam2:

Sis Warda, I'm sorry if I offended you. That wasn't my intention. It was just my first reaction, since this site is very good example of following Qur'an and Sunnah.
Forgive me.:shymuslima1:


wa salaam

 

[warda A]

:salam2:

Sis Warda, I'm sorry if I offended you. That wasn't my intention. It was just my first reaction, since this site is very good example of following Qur'an and Sunnah.
Forgive me.:shymuslima1:


wa salaam

:salam2:

A muslim (my own opinoin) should not apologise for giving knowledge to a fellow muslim, we are taught to always seek knowledge and one way for that is being taught by someone who knows.Allah knows best.
and yes this site is trully a blessing.
jazakallahu kheiran

 

[deovolente]

The Place of Women

All of the knowledge necessary for living a life that will earn Allah's good pleasure is contained in the Qur'an: the true nature of life on Earth, why humanity was created, how to live a fulfilled life, and the most appropriate system of morality. People who believe in this truth and live their lives accordingly will find true happiness here and in the Hereafter.

Unbelieving societies, however, have no absolute truths or powers to guide their people. In fact, they do not know where most of their values came from, who discovered them, and when and why they became their society's social norms. These rules, which cannot be ascertained but are adopted by the community as a whole, were inherited from their ancestors. In fact, all of an unbelieving society's values, ideals, and social foundations are based on tradition, also known as the way of the ancestors. Every person has a fixed place based upon his or her social status, gender, beliefs, situation, and lifestyle.

A woman's place is determined by these fixed criteria and the dominant creeds. In some societies, women are thought to have a weaker soul than men, just because they are physically weaker. Surprisingly, many people actually believe this lie due to the mistaken and clearly illogical idea that a woman's personality, morality, and ability are limited in direct proportion to her slighter body. For instance, various activities are classified as a man's job or a woman's job. Obviously, their different physical strength and build have some impact upon what tasks they perform. But in unbelieving societies, this distinction is based on a certain bigotry that ascribes to them a weakness in both intellect and talent.

Modern women, through their abilities and achievements, have disproved such biased assertions in many. Nevertheless, some parts of society still consider women to be incompetent in some respects or believe that men, simply because they are men, can do a better job.

Many people also mistakenly believe that women have a weaker character than men. In unbelieving societies, it is taken for granted that women panic and lose control, whereas men remain cool and calm. Or, in a situation of adversity, men are said to display great strength of character, whereas women respond meekly. Girls are conditioned to conform to this prejudice from early childhood. Families, which take great care to give their boys strength of character, condition their girls with opposing character traits. In the face of trouble, boys are told that boys don't cry, behave like a man, be brave, don't be scared like a little girl, you are crying like a little girl. Girls are also told that they are different from boys and that they should behave accordingly.

In such societies, women's jobs and responsibilities are limited to certain areas. As a consequence of this bigotry, most societies still discriminate against women. This misguided view of women has revealed itself in various ways. Especially in the past, women were subjected to barbaric behavior. For example, Allah reveals that girls were considered so worthless in some societies that their fathers buried them alive as soon as they were born:

… when the baby girl buried alive is asked for what crime she was killed. (Surat at-Takwir: 8-9)
In other verses, Allah speaks of people whose faces turned angry upon learning that they had a new daughter and hid in embarrassment from their people:

When one of them is given the good news of a baby girl, his face darkens and he is furious. He hides away from people because of the evil of the good news he has been given. Should he keep her ignominiously or bury her in the ground? What an evil judgment they make! (Surat an-Nahl: 58-59)

Allah also reveals that such people considered their daughters to be pretty things who were incapable of standing up for themselves:

When any of them is given the good news of the very thing that he himself has ascribed to the All-Merciful, his face darkens and he is furious. "What! Someone brought up among pretty trinkets who cannot produce a cogent argument!" (Surat az-Zukhruf: 17-18)
Through His Prophets, Allah educated such people about the mistaken nature of this prejudiced view. Thanks to the Prophets and the spread of Islam among the people, this ignorant and disgraceful outlook has been greatly curbed.

Allah reminds people that whatever they have comes from Him: "The kingdom of the heavens and Earth belongs to Allah. He creates whatever He wills. He gives daughters to whoever He wills, and He gives sons to whoever He wills, or He gives them both sons and daughters. And He makes whoever He wills barren. Truly, He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful" (Surat ash-Shura: 49-50). Both girls and boys are gifts from Allah for which people must be thankful.

Throughout history, many societies have assumed such misguided attitude towards women. An important reality, however, must not be overlooked: Unfortunately, the morality, behavior, and personality of some women help to spread and justify this ignorant tradition by proving it true.

Islam refutes this bigoted view by declaring that all Muslims, by which it means both men and women, have sharp minds, highly developed faculties of comprehension, a great strength of character, and a superior sense of morality. Maryam and Pharaoh's wife are excellent examples of this truth.

 

[*Saniyah*]

:salam2:

A muslim (my own opinoin) should not apologise for giving knowledge to a fellow muslim, we are taught to always seek knowledge and one way for that is being taught by someone who knows.Allah knows best.
and yes this site is trully a blessing.
jazakallahu kheiran

Wa aleikumussalaam wa rahmatullaah

wa iyyaki sis

I wasn't apologizing for pointing out the wrong, it is just how I did it and after I realized that it looked like I'm blaming you of promoting that sect. Astaghfirullah.
It didn't occur to me that you actually don't know about it.
May Allaah increase us all in knowledge and imaan.Amiin.

These sites I can recommend to you for learning about deviant groups
http://www.allaahuakbar.net/
http://www.fatwa-online.com/

*sorry mods for going off topic*

wa salaam

 

[Amir_of_spain]

1) Its perfectly fine that you decide for your marriage contract, part of the deal is that you are not forced to work.
2) Women working (in islam) depends on several factors, eg in some muslim countries such as the arab states, most of their women dont work, so they have to import foriegn female workers from across the world to work as doctors, midwifes, nurses, gps, secretaries, women counselors etc. Also the state of the family is another factor ie if there is a finanical need, eg if u have a large family/parents/siblings to look after, if your a single mother, if you and your partner want to live a certain lifestyle ie big house = big expenses etc. However the choice is yours. Also the job type has to be halal as much as possible ie suitable for a muslima.

My opinion is muslim women should work, espeically those in muslim countries, since majority of every population is greater in females, for females not to work at all, thats like more then 50% of your population not contributing. Yes, i know theyre contributing in other ways by brining up good muslims (inshallah) but societies today need a good workforce to tackle the new challenges of this generation, so thus women are needed.

But in this marriage scenario, u have the right not to work, and thus your education will serve as just theoritical knowledge. However it does seem very ironic that sista would study various degrees, such as engineering and biological sciences knowing very well they dont plan to get a career. However, i suppose its a backup option for the future ie in case the situation arises where u do need to work.

Personally id like my wife to work, as living costs in the west have shot up, and the average wage is not enough, however if she didnt want to work, id never force her, but then dont expect yearly trips to dubai, lol.

 

[sky_012]

thanks for replies
about trips to dubai, this is one thing i don't understand
having high expanses is not necessary at all, having big car, big house and expansive bag and going to trips every holidays for me is a little stupid
islam teaches you to live modeslty but not to be miserly but not to pretend to live superficial lives with superficial and useless enjoyments