Is it permissible to employ a non-Muslim or polytheist maid?

The questioner : Is it permissible to employ a non-Muslim maid, whether she is a People of the Book or otherwise, Jewish or Christian? Is it permissible to employ them in the homes?

The Shaykh : It is permissible to employ a non-Muslim woman, regardless of the type of her disbelief, on the condition that the woman employed as a maid lives as if she is living with a non-mahram man. If she is not the mistress of the house, it is not permissible for her to employ this non-Muslim woman. This is because when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) permitted Muslim women to display their hidden adornment, He mentioned in that context, after saying at the beginning of the verse: , then He said at the end of it or its ends: , meaning Muslim women. This is the correct interpretation that we find in tafsir books generally. As for interpreting this phrase of this verse as "their women in creation" rather than "in religion," this is an innovated interpretation that has no basis in the interpretations of the righteous Salaf. This is an example of hundreds of examples of how we are committed to the Salafi methodology based on the Book and the Sunnah. As we have said more than once, we call to the Book and the Sunnah and to the methodology of the righteous Salaf, because we know that many Muslims come to verses and interpret them with their own opinions. So by what do you establish the argument against him if he says to you, "My brother, this is my opinion and this is my ijtihad"? We say to him, "You have no right to ijtihad that contradicts what the righteous Salaf were upon." If the mufassirun from the Companions and others agreed on interpreting this verse to mean that the intended meaning is Muslim women, it is not permissible for us to say, "No, the intended meaning is not Muslim women, but rather those who adopt the morals of Islam, whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim." Therefore, these countries that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has blessed with these bounties and abundant wealth, which He expanded for them in provision and allowed them to enjoy what many Islamic countries have not enjoyed, the consequence of that has been that they employ women, and even men, while they know that it is not permissible for a woman, the mistress of the house, to appear before a man. And yet, we find many of them being lenient, and their wives are aware of this, being lenient in their going out before the maid as if she is her brother or her son. So how is the situation regarding the maids? The mistresses of the houses are more lenient in going out before the maids than before men. Therefore, I say a word of truth: it is not permissible for a husband to allow his wife to employ a man, nor is it permissible for him to allow his wife to employ a non-Muslim woman except on the condition that he knows from her that she is religious and fears Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so that she veils herself from this woman whenever she enters or exits. And this is a very difficult matter, except for believing women who are accustomed to living in their homes while veiled. And this in this time hardly exists. Therefore, practically, it is not permissible to hire these non-Muslim maids. And I lived there in the Emirates, specifically in Sharjah, for two months or more, and I found a great calamity there of complaints about these non-Muslim maids entering upon the Muslim mistresses of the houses as if they were Muslim. When we remind them, they say, "What can we do? It is necessity." And what is the necessity? And there are rulings for necessity. Here Satan plays with the desires of people. So we ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to protect us from transgressing the Shari'ah.