How long is it permissible for a man to be away from his wife, for example, when he is in a foreign land? And is work considered an act of worship, as some people say?

The questioner : This is a Yemeni listener, Muhammad Hamud, who asks: How long is it permissible for a man to be away from his wife, for example, when he is in a foreign land? And is work considered an act of worship, as some people say?

The Shaykh : Yes. A person’s absence from his wife should not exceed six months, unless she has given her permission and she is in a safe place. In that case, there is no harm in him staying as long as the opportunity allows, because this is a right of the wife. If she is satisfied with waiving it, it is waived, and there is no blame on the husband in that.
As for work, it is not correct for us to say that work is an act of worship, except for work that is an act of devotion to Allah; that is worship, and there is no doubt in it. But work for the sake of this world is not worship, unless it leads to something required by the Shari'ah, such as working to protect oneself and one’s family from asking people for help and becoming self-sufficient through what Allah the Exalted has provided. For this reason, it came in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: The narrator said, and I think he said, “like the one who is fasting and does not break his fast, and like the one who is standing in prayer and does not sit down.” Work for the sake of this world depends on the intention of the worker. If he intends good by it, it is good, and if he intends something else, it is according to what he intended, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Yes.