As’salaamu alaikum! I am a Muslim female who is trying to learn more about Islam. I am married and my husband is always telling me that women should stay at home and look after their husbands and children, which is fine except that in today’s world it is a known fact that both parents have to work in order to secure a good future for their children. My question is Islamically, is a woman allowed to work and interact with men and may be even travel to other countries on training without her husband if this is required by her job? What if her husband does not allow her to travel on training? I she obliged to listen to him? Jazakum Allah khairan.
Answer
As far as women working, I want to emphasize on the nature of the relationship between believing (mo'min) husband and wife in Islam. Allah says in Surah 9 Verse 71-72 "the believers men and women are protectors one of another. They enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil: They observe regular prayer, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy. For Allah is exalted in power and wise". According to the Quran, the main thing is to establish strong relationship between the believers: Husband and wife. We have general principles in Islam which we have to follow and we have detailed issues that need to be studied and discussed between the two parties (husband and wife). As for the women's role in Islam as Mustaklif(Vicegerent) that requires both women and man to employ their intelligence, talent, and skills to fulfill this mission and accomplish it as Allah wanted us to do it. So if the wife being a women has a certain talent and skill then she needs to utilize them to fulfill her role of vicegerancy and "enjoining the good and forbidding the evil"
Keeping in mind these general principles(enjoining the good and.....) and the relationship of belief that both husband and wife share, they need to setup their priorities to carry out such injunction. Since the Quran and Sunnah has no specific injunction forbidding women from working, then it depends on the husband and wife how they adjust their lives.
As for women traveling, this issue can also be resolved between the husband and wife whereby they can prioritize there needs. If for example there are children, perhaps this situation demands for the mother to remain nearby to attend to the children. Also another issue that both husband and wife need to consider is the issue of Safety.
In case where the husband does not want his wife to travel, it is not a question of obeying him or not, but rather an issue of listening to each other and discussing wisely both sides of the argument and coming to a mutual conclusion on what fits the best interests of the family as whole as opposed to approaching this argument where a victor and loser is decided.
In conclusion, I will say that a marriage relationship in Islam is not where one party dominates the other. On the contrary, the relationship is build on concepts of Shura(consultation) , Waliyah(mutual protection), Sakeenah(tranquility), Amanah (trusts), Rahmah(mercy).
Name
Wafaa
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Profession
Question
I would like to know if you cann comment on how Islam has been warped by patriarchal governments in order to oppress women, and even brign about their deaths..for example with what happened when the Saudi police for virtue and the prevention of vice forbade rescuers from saving the young girls from the deadly fire and even locking them in the school because they were not "properly covered"
Answer
In the case of many Muslim governments and religious leadership, what they often practice is a misrepresentation of Islamic values or mis-prioritize these values in such a way where core values are marginalized and marginal values are emphasized. The example you mentioned serves as clear case for my point. In the Shari’ah, we have what is known as Aims(Maqasid). And these Aims are prioritized according to importance. For example the protection of life is the highest aim in Shari’ah and the particulars of Islamic Law are of a secondary nature in this comparison. This incident highlight how muslim governments mis-prioritize these aims of Shari’ah and place particulars in front of fundamentals that led to such a disaster.
Moreover, Shari’ah rules are flexible when situations necessitate them to be so. Whereby Haram can be made Halal or vice versa or when group responsibilities are shifted to individual responsibilities because a situation requires it.
In conclusion, It is clear that it not a problem of women in Islam, but rather a case of misunderstanding the priorities of the Shariah and the very conception of womanhood which stems in many cases from the culture. In extreme cases, many of these societies use Islam to protect cultural values which where developed by those societies and have nothing to do with Islam.
Name
nadia
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Profession
Question
assalam alikoum dear sister
i just want to congratulate you for your knowledge of islam.
may allah bless you and increase your knowledge.
wa salam
Answer
Thank you very much I appreciate your support. We need to work more together to increase our knowledge of ourselves, roles, and our mission in this life.
Name
Fatih
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Profession
Question
How is the women as conceptualized in Islam essentially differnt from the way they are understood in western ideologies such as feminism.
Answer
One of the main differences in the conception of woman in Islam as opposed to Feminism for instance is that the Islamic conception is a broader and more comprehensive definition of women then in feminism. For instance, historically the feminist movement has primarily focused on women as individuals, whereby Islam sees them as individuals and a part of a larger community. What I mean is that women in Islam are viewed as individual human beings, as family members, and a part of the Ummah as a whole.
As a result of focusing on women as individuals, feminism has created a situation where there is somehow a dichotomy between men and women. This dichotomy leads to friction between women and men and this friction eventually leads to the breakdown of the family and then society. On the other hand, the more comprehensive view of women in Islam has not only defined women as individuals, but more so the role and responsibility towards the other gender has also been outlined. In the Quran in Surah 8 verse 71 Allah says:" the believers, men and women, are protectors (Awiliya) of one of another, they enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil". This Ayat spells out clearly that the relationship between women and men is one of mutuality whereby no particular gender can fulfill it’s main aim of Allah's Vicegerncy (Khilafah) in this world without mutual cooperation between both parties.
