What is the ruling if the husband is unable to work outside the home? Who is obligated to serve the household?
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The questioner : If the situation were reversed, O Shaykh, and the husband was unable to earn a living, and the wife went out to earn?
The Shaykh : If you reversed it, what do you mean?
The questioner : If you reversed the situation such that the husband stayed in the house because of his inability to earn, and the wife went out to earn.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Do the rights and obligations reverse, meaning does managing the home become the man's responsibility?
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, and you say the man sat in the house, why?
The questioner : He was unable to earn a living.
The Shaykh : And he was not unable to serve the house. No problem, he is speaking.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He was not unable to serve the house?
The questioner : He was not unable.
The Shaykh : And why was he unable to work outside?
The questioner : It may require more effort to go out to work.
The Shaykh : And he does not find, meaning you are now addressing a purely theoretical issue. So take from the debate what you wish or what you do not wish. I will tell you, does he not find a light job that corresponds to his claimed inability outside the home? I will tell you, narrow the matter as you wish, even if it is theoretical and not practical.
The questioner : There is a practical aspect, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : There is a practical aspect.
The Shaykh : I am proceeding, I have not stopped. I am expanding the answer, and it is theoretical for me, because when I say theoretical, I mean that the nature of life is not like this. But it may happen that the man stays in the house, not unable in the sense of being between strength and inability. In that case, the question arises a fortiori. But I say, he did not say, for example, that he stayed in the house, God forbid, that he was struck with "paralysis." He did not say that, but he said that he was partially unable such that he can work in the house in place of the housewife, that is what he claims. I say this is a theoretical issue, but I am proceeding with the matter. So I ask, did the wife go out to work outside the house in a lawful manner or an unlawful one?
The questioner : Of course, in a lawful manner.
The Shaykh : Lawful, good. Was that by the husband's command to her, or without his command?
The questioner : Without his command.
The Shaykh : Okay, is it within her ability or not within her ability?
The questioner : It is within her ability to work.
The Shaykh : Then it is obligatory for her to do so.
The questioner : The dispute here is not about who manages the house?
The Shaykh : We are in disagreement. You are now either walking with me in this logic that has unfolded with us, stay with me, my brother, stay with me. We said first, second, and third. You said it is lawful, she is capable, and it is by the husband's command. So I am telling you now, in the normal situation, if the husband commands his wife to do something she is capable of, is it obligatory or not?
The questioner : It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : Okay, what is the problem now?
The questioner : The problem is that she cannot do the housework and the work outside the house.
The Shaykh : Leave the house for now, we are talking about outside the house.
The questioner : Outside the house, she obeys, of course.
The Shaykh : She can. Okay, she cannot work in the house.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Along with the outside work.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, who does the work in the house? The man.
The questioner : The man.
The Shaykh : We will tell you, can he?
The questioner : He can.
The Shaykh : If he can, then he must do it. And if he cannot, Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. What is derived from this situation, which is contrary to the nature of life between spouses, is that every anomalous matter has its ruling. Take an example, for instance, the prohibitions in Islam.[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] A person is compelled, my brother, the answer is in the verse itself. So the forbidden is certainly permitted in a specific situation, in an exceptional situation. So a fortiori, this situation that I called theoretical is permitted considering the prevailing reality. Now we come to this, you have something else.
The questioner : I say, for example, in Saudi Arabia, she works and he sits in the house. It is not permitted for him to work, and it is permitted for her to work.
The Shaykh : Are you now talking about the Shari'ah or about reality?
The questioner : About reality.
The Shaykh : Okay, this reality is Shari'ah-based, it comes back to the same previous statement.
The Shaykh : Otherwise, we know, not in Saudi Arabia, we know in many farming communities, the man is in the coffee shop drinking shisha all day, and his wife is working all day in the harvest and planting... and so on. Do you not know this fact? But this is not Shari'ah, we are talking about the ruling of the Shari'ah. Yes.
The Shaykh : If you reversed it, what do you mean?
The questioner : If you reversed the situation such that the husband stayed in the house because of his inability to earn, and the wife went out to earn.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Do the rights and obligations reverse, meaning does managing the home become the man's responsibility?
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, and you say the man sat in the house, why?
The questioner : He was unable to earn a living.
The Shaykh : And he was not unable to serve the house. No problem, he is speaking.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He was not unable to serve the house?
The questioner : He was not unable.
The Shaykh : And why was he unable to work outside?
The questioner : It may require more effort to go out to work.
The Shaykh : And he does not find, meaning you are now addressing a purely theoretical issue. So take from the debate what you wish or what you do not wish. I will tell you, does he not find a light job that corresponds to his claimed inability outside the home? I will tell you, narrow the matter as you wish, even if it is theoretical and not practical.
The questioner : There is a practical aspect, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : There is a practical aspect.
The Shaykh : I am proceeding, I have not stopped. I am expanding the answer, and it is theoretical for me, because when I say theoretical, I mean that the nature of life is not like this. But it may happen that the man stays in the house, not unable in the sense of being between strength and inability. In that case, the question arises a fortiori. But I say, he did not say, for example, that he stayed in the house, God forbid, that he was struck with "paralysis." He did not say that, but he said that he was partially unable such that he can work in the house in place of the housewife, that is what he claims. I say this is a theoretical issue, but I am proceeding with the matter. So I ask, did the wife go out to work outside the house in a lawful manner or an unlawful one?
The questioner : Of course, in a lawful manner.
The Shaykh : Lawful, good. Was that by the husband's command to her, or without his command?
The questioner : Without his command.
The Shaykh : Okay, is it within her ability or not within her ability?
The questioner : It is within her ability to work.
The Shaykh : Then it is obligatory for her to do so.
The questioner : The dispute here is not about who manages the house?
The Shaykh : We are in disagreement. You are now either walking with me in this logic that has unfolded with us, stay with me, my brother, stay with me. We said first, second, and third. You said it is lawful, she is capable, and it is by the husband's command. So I am telling you now, in the normal situation, if the husband commands his wife to do something she is capable of, is it obligatory or not?
The questioner : It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : Okay, what is the problem now?
The questioner : The problem is that she cannot do the housework and the work outside the house.
The Shaykh : Leave the house for now, we are talking about outside the house.
The questioner : Outside the house, she obeys, of course.
The Shaykh : She can. Okay, she cannot work in the house.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Along with the outside work.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, who does the work in the house? The man.
The questioner : The man.
The Shaykh : We will tell you, can he?
The questioner : He can.
The Shaykh : If he can, then he must do it. And if he cannot, Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. What is derived from this situation, which is contrary to the nature of life between spouses, is that every anomalous matter has its ruling. Take an example, for instance, the prohibitions in Islam.
Prohibited to you are dead animals
حرمت عليكم الميتةThe questioner : I say, for example, in Saudi Arabia, she works and he sits in the house. It is not permitted for him to work, and it is permitted for her to work.
The Shaykh : Are you now talking about the Shari'ah or about reality?
The questioner : About reality.
The Shaykh : Okay, this reality is Shari'ah-based, it comes back to the same previous statement.
The Shaykh : Otherwise, we know, not in Saudi Arabia, we know in many farming communities, the man is in the coffee shop drinking shisha all day, and his wife is working all day in the harvest and planting... and so on. Do you not know this fact? But this is not Shari'ah, we are talking about the ruling of the Shari'ah. Yes.
Source
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The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.