Is it permissible, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted (and those who serve them), for a Muslim to have servants who serve him and his family with food?

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah reward you. Regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted,

O you who have believed, let those whom your right hands possess and those who have not [yet] reached puberty among you ask permission of you [before entering] at three times: before the dawn prayer and when you put aside your clothing [for rest] at noon and after the night prayer. [These are] three times of privacy for you. There is no blame upon you nor upon them beyond these [periods], for they continually circulate among you - some of you, among others. Thus does Allah make clear to you the verses; and Allah is Knowing and Wise.

عَلَيْكُم

[An-Nur 24:58]

, is it permissible to derive from this verse that a Muslim man may have servants who serve him and his family with food and drink, or is this an act of arrogance?

Answer:
It is permissible for a person to have servants; there is no prohibition. However, if the servants are adults, the woman must cover herself, and the man must not enter upon the women.

And when the children among you reach puberty, let them ask permission [at all times] as those before them have done

وَإِذَا بَلَغَ الْأَطْفَالُ مِنكُمُ الْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَأْذِنُوا كَمَا اسْتَأْذَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ

[An-Nur 24:59]

It is permissible to have servants, but it is not permissible to allow them to mix with the women. It is not permissible for women to uncover their faces in their presence, and they must not be left alone with the women. This is not permissible. Yes.

Source قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [3326- 4717] هل يؤخذ من قوله تعالى(ويطوف عليهم﴾ جواز اتخاذ المسلم خدما يطوفون عليه وعلى أهله بالطعام — youtube.com

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

Flag this fatwa