Guidelines for Dealing with Female Servants
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
May Allah reward you, O Shaykh! We have a female servant in our house, and I told my family—Meaning: my parents—to try to send her out of the house.
The Shaykh: Yes,You return her! The questioner: Yes,They told me: We are unable to do so, and she is of a certain degree of beauty,So, on the day they returned to me and said to me: we are unable to do so, or perhaps you find her attractive or to your liking. Does my responsibility end like this, or should I ask them for something?
First: May Allah reward you! We do not see that a female servant should come without a mahram (a relative one may not marry); a mahram is necessary. If she does not have a mahram, it is obligatory for them to request her mahram or return her.
Second: If she does not observe hijab in the presence of men,It is obligatory that she be compelled to observe hijab, meaning: she must cover her face; this is necessary.
Third: If a person fears for himself from her because she is young or beautiful, or the like, it is obligatory that she be removed from the house; because if we assume the father is safe from her harm, the sons may not be safe from her harm. And if a person fears for himself with a direct, real fear, it is obligatory for him, if he has the ability and his family refuses to return her, to separate himself into a house of his own; because the matter is not trivial, and Satan flows through the son of Adam like blood, so perhaps he will whisper to him one day or one night to commit a sin with her.So, first, you tell them: This is a danger to me, to my character and my religion. If you refuse to let her stay, a mahram must come with her. If you refuse that, allow me to live separately in my own residence, if you have the ability. Yes.
The questioner: If I asked her for something, or took something, she should cover her face, but they do not tell her.
The Shaykh: You, my brother! You tell her,If she comes and is uncovered before you, tell her: cover your face.
The questioner: Can I speak to her?The Shaykh: Yes,You can say to her: Cover your face, and strive to ensure that there is no soft speech between you and her, or the like, and hold in your heart that you dislike her presence in the house.
The questioner: Sometimes they speak to her about this,They said: saying, "Either you observe hijab or you leave." Will this not be cutting off her livelihood?The Shaykh: No, no, absolutely not. It must not be cutting off her livelihood; this is avoiding harm.
The questioner: May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: Yes,You return her! The questioner: Yes,They told me: We are unable to do so, and she is of a certain degree of beauty,So, on the day they returned to me and said to me: we are unable to do so, or perhaps you find her attractive or to your liking. Does my responsibility end like this, or should I ask them for something?
First: May Allah reward you! We do not see that a female servant should come without a mahram (a relative one may not marry); a mahram is necessary. If she does not have a mahram, it is obligatory for them to request her mahram or return her.
Second: If she does not observe hijab in the presence of men,It is obligatory that she be compelled to observe hijab, meaning: she must cover her face; this is necessary.
Third: If a person fears for himself from her because she is young or beautiful, or the like, it is obligatory that she be removed from the house; because if we assume the father is safe from her harm, the sons may not be safe from her harm. And if a person fears for himself with a direct, real fear, it is obligatory for him, if he has the ability and his family refuses to return her, to separate himself into a house of his own; because the matter is not trivial, and Satan flows through the son of Adam like blood, so perhaps he will whisper to him one day or one night to commit a sin with her.So, first, you tell them: This is a danger to me, to my character and my religion. If you refuse to let her stay, a mahram must come with her. If you refuse that, allow me to live separately in my own residence, if you have the ability. Yes.
The questioner: If I asked her for something, or took something, she should cover her face, but they do not tell her.
The Shaykh: You, my brother! You tell her,If she comes and is uncovered before you, tell her: cover your face.
The questioner: Can I speak to her?The Shaykh: Yes,You can say to her: Cover your face, and strive to ensure that there is no soft speech between you and her, or the like, and hold in your heart that you dislike her presence in the house.
The questioner: Sometimes they speak to her about this,They said: saying, "Either you observe hijab or you leave." Will this not be cutting off her livelihood?The Shaykh: No, no, absolutely not. It must not be cutting off her livelihood; this is avoiding harm.
The questioner: May Allah reward you with good.