| Answer: (For the benefit of the
readers: According to the verse 24:31 , there are certain men who are
considered to be very close to a woman, to the extent that the woman may wear a
more relaxed cloth in their presence and be more relaxed when interacting with
them. Anyone other than these men are called non-Mahrams by some Muslim
societies).
I can assure you that there are no
strict restrictions on working women outside and mixing with other men. This is
a concept that has been developed among Muslims gradually, and only after the
demise of the Prophet (sws), for various reasons. When you read the history and
note how some Muslim women were active outdoors at the time of the Prophet (sws)
you may agree with me that it seems like some Muslims at our time are more
sensitive about gender interaction, compared to our beloved Prophet (sws)!
All the limits on women that have
been prescribed by the sharī‘ah or have been advised by the Prophet (sws), are
due to one or the combination of the following considerations:
a. Safeguarding the status of the
family (e.g. the ruling of the Qur’ān about women in principle being obedient to
their husband).
b. Safeguarding the moral values
in the society (e.g. the verse that instructs women to only display those
ornaments that are normally revealed when in the presence of a stranger).
c. Keeping women out of danger and
humiliation (e.g. the verses of the Qur’ān about a particular situation that
emerged in Medina, resulting in advising women at the time to cover up
themselves in order to be recognized – obviously this also relates to the
aforementioned considerations – or the Prophet (sws) –advising women not to
travel without a Mahram, as this was not safe at the time).
As long as the above
considerations are fulfilled there are no issues (in terms of gender
interaction) about women working outside.
Many Arab women used to work and
be active both economically and socially before Islam. No directives of the
Qur’ān and no instructions of the Prophet (sws) forbade them from continuing to
do so.
I very briefly mention some of the
examples of women from among the female companions of the Prophet (sws) who used
to work alongside men:
Samrah bint Nahik al-Asadiyah (rta),
a female companion of the Prophet (sws) used to act as an inspector for
businesses at the time of the Prophet. She used to walk in the shopping areas of
the city of Madīnah and advise people to be good and avoid evil with regard to
their work. She had a whip with which she would warn people.
In his book, Al-Radd Al-Mufhim,
Imām Albānī refers to her and other active women at the time and then makes an
interesting comment. He writes:
هذه وقائع صحيحة تدل دلالة قاطعة على ما كان عليه نساء السلف من
الكمال والسماحة والتربية الصحيحة حتى استطعن أن يقمن بما يجب عليهن من التعاون على
الخير
These are authentic incidents
that firmly prove the state of the women of salaf (i.e. era of the companions
and their followers) in terms of their perfection and magnanimity and good
upbringing to the extent that they were capable of doing what they had to do in
contribution to good causes.
We know the name of some of the
female companions of the Prophet (pbuh) who used to work and carry out
businesses at the time, for example Umm al-Munzar bint Qays (rta) used to sell
dates while Asma bint Mukhribah ibn Jundal (rta) used to buy perfume from Yemen
and sell it in Madīnah. Umm al-Mu’minīn Zaynab bint Jahsh (rta) used to make
handicrafts, then she would sell them and give the money to the charity. We also
know that Umm al-Mu’minīn Khadijah (rta) was a business woman.
Apart from the above examples of
working women, many of the female companions and the members of Ahl al-Bayt used
to be present in the battles to support men. Some of these women would
occasionally get involved in the battles as well like Umm ‘Umārah and Nusaybah
bint Ka‘b.
I can assure you that if legally
women could not work outside, then none of the above would have happened. I can
also assure you that if some of the baseless limitations that some Muslims today
impose on women were applied at the time of the Prophet (sws) again none of the
above would have taken place.
Nadhīrah Zayn Al-Dīn (d. 1976) who
is a female Muslim scholar from Lebanon wrote a very thought provoking and
scholarly book on the status of women in Islam and challenged the baseless views
on seclusion of women. She gives a number of examples of women participating in
outdoor and social activities in the early days of Islam. The title of the book
is Al-Sufūr wa al-hijāb. In agreeing with her views, ‘Abd al-Halīm Abū Shiqqah
(b. 1924) writes in Tahrīr al-mar’ah fi ‘asr al-risālah (The Freedom of Women
during the Time of the Prophet):
Through my study of the time of
the Prophet I found texts and sayings of the Prophet which show women acting in
all kinds of professions in total difference to what we see, understand and
interpret today. This great discrepancy explained to me why so many women got
away from [Islam] because it simply deprived them of the rights of life; that is
why I felt it my duty to free the women from the habits and rules of jāhiliyyah
which are mistakenly thought to be Islamic.
The above is my view of the
subject from the religious point of view. I do think that in principle and in
balance it fits better for men to take care of the responsibilities outside [of
home] while women taking care of the responsibilities inside [home]. However
this by no means should be seen as a law, it is not always possible in our
current economic system and I do not make this statement as a restricting
statement.
I end this answer with a verse of
the Qur’ān that itself shows that both women and men are responsible for their
social duties (which by the same token would indicate the permissibly of women
taking care of matters outside their homes):
وَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ
بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَ يُقِيمُونَ
الصَّلَوةَ وَ يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَوةَ وَ يُطِيعُونَ اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ أُوْلَئكَ
سَيرَحَمُهُمُ الله إِنَّ الله عَزِيزٌ حَكِيم (9: 71)
And
the believing men and the believing women, they are guardian friends for each
other They enjoin good and forbid evil and keep up prayer and pay the poor rate,
and obey God and His Messenger These, God will show mercy to them Surely, God is
the Mighty, the Wise. (9:71)
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