What is the ruling on bringing in Muslim maids with a mahram or without a mahram?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, esteemed Shaykh. I would like to ask about bringing in Muslim maids. Some doubts have arisen between me and some young men who want to bring them in, whether with a mahram or without a mahram. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes. First, we must offer advice to our brothers in general: it is not permissible to bring in maids or servants except when there is a pressing need or dire necessity. This is because if these servants come, they will impose expenses on the person that he has no need for and no dire necessity for. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he forbade the squandering of wealth.
Second, some of them are not trustworthy with the trust we place in them. For this reason, I say: it is not permissible to bring in servants, male or female, except under certain conditions:
As for the woman, it is obligatory that she have a mahram with her. If she does not have a mahram with her, it is not permissible to bring her in, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 9:2565 So if you bring her in and she does not have a mahram with her, this is a violation of the prohibition of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
Second: that he needs her. If he does not need her, and his intention is merely to indulge in luxury and to relieve himself of the burden, even if it is a slight burden, on his family, then there is doubt regarding the permissibility of that.
The third condition: that he does not fear fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). If he fears fitnah for himself, or for one of his children if he has children, then it is not permissible for him to expose himself to that.
The fourth matter: that she adheres to what is obligatory for her regarding hijab, such that she covers her face and does not expose it. It is not valid to cite the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nur 24:31] up to where He said: [An-Nur 24:31] It is not valid to cite that as evidence that it is permissible for the maid to expose her face to the person she is with, because the employer has not taken possession of her; rather, she is a wage-earner with him. The wage-earner is like a stranger in the matter of hijab.
The fifth condition: that he does not be alone with her. If there is no one else in the house, then it is not permissible for him to bring her in under any circumstances. And if there is someone in the house, but the household members leave the house and he remains alone with this maid, then that is not permissible, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 5233 Yes?
The questioner : Shaykh, for example, the woman might be... a teacher and she leaves the house?
The Shaykh : Yes, that is the problem: that she is a teacher and leaves the house, and there is no one in the house except small children and her husband.
The questioner : Is there the husband's mother and the small children in the house?
The Shaykh : In the house, meaning he does not remain alone with her. There is nothing wrong with that. This condition is fulfilled: that there is no seclusion. But as for the other conditions, if she comes to him, does she serve him coffee, tea, lunch, and dinner while uncovered, or not?
The questioner : She is not uncovered. But the problem is bringing her in without a mahram!
The Shaykh : It is not permissible. Bringing her in without a mahram is not permissible, absolutely not.
The questioner : A dispute might occur between the two brothers... a dispute has occurred!
The Shaykh : And it is one house?
The questioner : And it is one house, and one of them left.
The Shaykh : And one of them left?
The questioner : The one who does not want her left.
The Shaykh : There is no harm in that.
The questioner : A dispute might occur between the two brothers, and the brother who wants a maid for his wife says: "I do not want to sit with a person who does not love me, does not appreciate me, and does not obey my words." Then a dispute and discord occur between them, which may lead to severing the family ties between one of them?
The Shaykh : Severing the family ties is not necessary. A person may leave the house while the ties of kinship remain. If one of them is not satisfied and says: "By Allah, I am not satisfied for her to be in my house, and we do not need her. I am not satisfied for her to be in the house while she is uncovered," then he has the right to leave, and he is not considered the cause of severing the family ties. He leaves and visits them from time to time.
The questioner : The one who left is the one who wants the maid.
The Shaykh : The one who does not comply should leave. May Allah help him and guide him to bring a mahram for her.
The questioner : Amen. And the one who left is the one who was angry, and the other is the better one. The one who does not want the maid has become the one who visits him.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward him with good.
The questioner : Is there anything on the other one?
The Shaykh : Absolutely nothing is on him, as long as the cause of that is that the woman came without a mahram, and that she might violate the hijab and not cover herself. So there is nothing on him.
The questioner : And there are adult, unmarried children in the house.
The Shaykh : This is even more dangerous.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good and do you good.
Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, esteemed Shaykh. I would like to ask about bringing in Muslim maids. Some doubts have arisen between me and some young men who want to bring them in, whether with a mahram or without a mahram. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes. First, we must offer advice to our brothers in general: it is not permissible to bring in maids or servants except when there is a pressing need or dire necessity. This is because if these servants come, they will impose expenses on the person that he has no need for and no dire necessity for. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he forbade the squandering of wealth.
Second, some of them are not trustworthy with the trust we place in them. For this reason, I say: it is not permissible to bring in servants, male or female, except under certain conditions:
As for the woman, it is obligatory that she have a mahram with her. If she does not have a mahram with her, it is not permissible to bring her in, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
A woman should not travel except with a mahram
لا تسافر امرأة إلا مع ذي محرمSecond: that he needs her. If he does not need her, and his intention is merely to indulge in luxury and to relieve himself of the burden, even if it is a slight burden, on his family, then there is doubt regarding the permissibility of that.
The third condition: that he does not fear fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). If he fears fitnah for himself, or for one of his children if he has children, then it is not permissible for him to expose himself to that.
The fourth matter: that she adheres to what is obligatory for her regarding hijab, such that she covers her face and does not expose it. It is not valid to cite the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands
وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّthat which their right hands possess
أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّThe fifth condition: that he does not be alone with her. If there is no one else in the house, then it is not permissible for him to bring her in under any circumstances. And if there is someone in the house, but the household members leave the house and he remains alone with this maid, then that is not permissible, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
No man should stay with a lady in seclusion except in the presence of a Dhu- Muhram.
لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا مع ذي محرمThe questioner : Shaykh, for example, the woman might be... a teacher and she leaves the house?
The Shaykh : Yes, that is the problem: that she is a teacher and leaves the house, and there is no one in the house except small children and her husband.
The questioner : Is there the husband's mother and the small children in the house?
The Shaykh : In the house, meaning he does not remain alone with her. There is nothing wrong with that. This condition is fulfilled: that there is no seclusion. But as for the other conditions, if she comes to him, does she serve him coffee, tea, lunch, and dinner while uncovered, or not?
The questioner : She is not uncovered. But the problem is bringing her in without a mahram!
The Shaykh : It is not permissible. Bringing her in without a mahram is not permissible, absolutely not.
The questioner : A dispute might occur between the two brothers... a dispute has occurred!
The Shaykh : And it is one house?
The questioner : And it is one house, and one of them left.
The Shaykh : And one of them left?
The questioner : The one who does not want her left.
The Shaykh : There is no harm in that.
The questioner : A dispute might occur between the two brothers, and the brother who wants a maid for his wife says: "I do not want to sit with a person who does not love me, does not appreciate me, and does not obey my words." Then a dispute and discord occur between them, which may lead to severing the family ties between one of them?
The Shaykh : Severing the family ties is not necessary. A person may leave the house while the ties of kinship remain. If one of them is not satisfied and says: "By Allah, I am not satisfied for her to be in my house, and we do not need her. I am not satisfied for her to be in the house while she is uncovered," then he has the right to leave, and he is not considered the cause of severing the family ties. He leaves and visits them from time to time.
The questioner : The one who left is the one who wants the maid.
The Shaykh : The one who does not comply should leave. May Allah help him and guide him to bring a mahram for her.
The questioner : Amen. And the one who left is the one who was angry, and the other is the better one. The one who does not want the maid has become the one who visits him.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward him with good.
The questioner : Is there anything on the other one?
The Shaykh : Absolutely nothing is on him, as long as the cause of that is that the woman came without a mahram, and that she might violate the hijab and not cover herself. So there is nothing on him.
The questioner : And there are adult, unmarried children in the house.
The Shaykh : This is even more dangerous.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good and do you good.