❀ Ruling on Women Working Alongside Men in Islam ❀
This fatwa is taken from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women,” based on the rulings of the Scholars of the Ḥaramayn, translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.
What is the Islamic ruling on women working together with men?
It is a well-established fact that a woman stepping out to work alongside men inevitably leads to blameworthy intermixing (ikhtilāṭ) and seclusion (khalwah), which are extremely dangerous. The consequences are grave, the outcomes bitter, and the end result detestable and harmful.
Women stepping into the field with men contradict the clear Qur’ānic rulings that confine a woman’s sphere of action to the home and urge her to fulfill the responsibilities for which she has been created and which are naturally aligned with her physical and emotional constitution. Through this, she can also safeguard herself from unlawful mixing with men.
There are numerous explicit and decisive evidences from the Qur’ān and Sunnah that strictly prohibit seclusion with non-maḥram women, looking at them unlawfully, or any means that lead to prohibited actions. These proofs collectively and conclusively establish that intermixing between unrelated men and women is ḥarām, especially when it leads to corruption and moral decay.
Some of the textual evidences include:
﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:33]
"And stay in your homes, and do not display yourselves as was the display of the former times of ignorance. Establish prayer, give zakāt, and obey Allah and His Messenger..."
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ... يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:59]
"O Prophet! Tell your wives, your daughters, and the believing women to draw their cloaks over themselves..."
﴿قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ... وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ...﴾
[An-Nūr 24:30–31]
"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty... And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty..."
﴿فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:53]
"...Then ask them from behind a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«إيَّاكم والدخولَ على النساء»
"Beware of entering upon women."
When asked about in-laws (brothers-in-law), he replied:
«الحمو الموت»
"The in-law is death."
[At-Tirmidhī]
He ﷺ further said:
«إنَّ ثالثهما الشيطان»
"Their third (when a man is alone with a woman) is Shayṭān."
He also forbade a woman from traveling alone with a non-maḥram man, to prevent temptation and wrongdoing.
The Prophet ﷺ warned:
«اتقوا الدنيا واتقوا النساء، فإن أول فتنة بني إسرائيل كانت في النساء»
"Beware of the world and beware of women. The first trial among the Children of Israel was caused by women."
He also said:
«ما تركت بعدي فتنة أضر على الرجال من النساء»
"I have not left behind a trial more harmful to men than women."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim]
When we observe the condition of women in some Muslim countries, it is evident that stepping out of the home and abandoning their natural roles has led to moral downfall and dishonor. Some thinkers in the West—and those imitating them—are now calling for women to return to their natural sphere, recognizing the physical and intellectual suitability of women for specific responsibilities for which they were created.
If women were to dedicate themselves to household responsibilities, teaching, and professions specific to women, there would be no need for them to work alongside men.
We supplicate to Allah ﷻ to protect all Muslim lands from the plots of the enemies of Islam, and to guide leaders, intellectuals, and writers towards that which brings reform and righteousness to the Ummah. May He enable the application of His laws, for He is our Creator and knows best what benefits us.
May He bless the leaders of the Muslim world with the ability to act in the best interests of their people and lands, and may He protect all of us from deviant tribulations and His displeasure.
«إنه وليّ ذلك والقادر عليه»
Verily, He is the One who has power over all things.
(Shaykh Ibn Bāz رحمه الله)
This fatwa is taken from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women,” based on the rulings of the Scholars of the Ḥaramayn, translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.
❖ Question:
What is the Islamic ruling on women working together with men?
❖ Answer:
It is a well-established fact that a woman stepping out to work alongside men inevitably leads to blameworthy intermixing (ikhtilāṭ) and seclusion (khalwah), which are extremely dangerous. The consequences are grave, the outcomes bitter, and the end result detestable and harmful.
Women stepping into the field with men contradict the clear Qur’ānic rulings that confine a woman’s sphere of action to the home and urge her to fulfill the responsibilities for which she has been created and which are naturally aligned with her physical and emotional constitution. Through this, she can also safeguard herself from unlawful mixing with men.
There are numerous explicit and decisive evidences from the Qur’ān and Sunnah that strictly prohibit seclusion with non-maḥram women, looking at them unlawfully, or any means that lead to prohibited actions. These proofs collectively and conclusively establish that intermixing between unrelated men and women is ḥarām, especially when it leads to corruption and moral decay.
Some of the textual evidences include:
❖ Qur’ānic Evidences:
﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:33]
"And stay in your homes, and do not display yourselves as was the display of the former times of ignorance. Establish prayer, give zakāt, and obey Allah and His Messenger..."
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ... يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:59]
"O Prophet! Tell your wives, your daughters, and the believing women to draw their cloaks over themselves..."
﴿قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ... وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ...﴾
[An-Nūr 24:30–31]
"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty... And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty..."
﴿فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:53]
"...Then ask them from behind a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts."
❖ Prophetic Traditions:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«إيَّاكم والدخولَ على النساء»
"Beware of entering upon women."
When asked about in-laws (brothers-in-law), he replied:
«الحمو الموت»
"The in-law is death."
[At-Tirmidhī]
He ﷺ further said:
«إنَّ ثالثهما الشيطان»
"Their third (when a man is alone with a woman) is Shayṭān."
He also forbade a woman from traveling alone with a non-maḥram man, to prevent temptation and wrongdoing.
The Prophet ﷺ warned:
«اتقوا الدنيا واتقوا النساء، فإن أول فتنة بني إسرائيل كانت في النساء»
"Beware of the world and beware of women. The first trial among the Children of Israel was caused by women."
He also said:
«ما تركت بعدي فتنة أضر على الرجال من النساء»
"I have not left behind a trial more harmful to men than women."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim]
❖ Reflection on the Condition of Women in Society:
When we observe the condition of women in some Muslim countries, it is evident that stepping out of the home and abandoning their natural roles has led to moral downfall and dishonor. Some thinkers in the West—and those imitating them—are now calling for women to return to their natural sphere, recognizing the physical and intellectual suitability of women for specific responsibilities for which they were created.
If women were to dedicate themselves to household responsibilities, teaching, and professions specific to women, there would be no need for them to work alongside men.
❖ Conclusion and Supplication:
We supplicate to Allah ﷻ to protect all Muslim lands from the plots of the enemies of Islam, and to guide leaders, intellectuals, and writers towards that which brings reform and righteousness to the Ummah. May He enable the application of His laws, for He is our Creator and knows best what benefits us.
May He bless the leaders of the Muslim world with the ability to act in the best interests of their people and lands, and may He protect all of us from deviant tribulations and His displeasure.
«إنه وليّ ذلك والقادر عليه»
Verily, He is the One who has power over all things.
(Shaykh Ibn Bāz رحمه الله)
