The Ruling on a Woman Working in Education, Medicine, and Other Fields
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Question:
What is the ruling in Islam regarding a woman working in education, medicine, and nursing? And how can this be reconciled with the statement of Allah ﷻ: [Al-Ahzab: 33]?
Answer:
Women have their own tasks, and men have their own tasks. They share in some of them, and each has some that are exclusive to them. Therefore, a woman performs the tasks suitable for her, such as teaching women, managing women’s schools, nursing women, treating women, and similar tasks that take place in the sphere of women. If necessity calls for her to work in a man’s need, such as nursing him when the need arises, that is permissible with hijab, modesty, and avoiding seclusion, and the like. This is what happened with the women alongside the Prophet ﷺ in some of the military expeditions; they would give water to the sick, treat the wounded, and be with the Muslims in the camps for the sake of benefit, with hijab, covering, modesty, purity, and avoiding all types of suspicion.
So if the woman is in this position, the position of hijab, protection, and modesty, and she is needed to treat a man when there is no man available to treat him, there is no harm in her giving him medicine, and there is no harm in her preparing medicine when there is a need. Otherwise, her sphere is the sphere of women in medicine, education, nursing, and the like.
And the man’s sphere is the sphere of men in medicine, education, and the like. This is what is prescribed, and it is the known path, and it is the path that is followed. And if necessity calls for this man to do this, for the man to treat the woman, and the woman to treat the man when there is a need, there is no harm, provided that hijab is observed and seclusion is avoided, as is well known, as came in the Sunnah from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
And this does not contradict the statement of the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab: 33]. The verse has two meanings:
The first of which is: The first meaning is: stay in your homes, and do not go out except for a need, for a benefit. This is the reality, for a woman is best off in her home except for a need. If she goes out for a benefit, such as praying in congregation with hijab and covering, they used to go out in the time of the Prophet ﷺ. They used to go out to prayer with the Prophet ﷺ. Likewise, they used to go out to visit the sick to fulfill a need from among the needs, to buy a need from the market that she requires, and the like.
So if going out is for a need and a benefit, there is no harm. What is required is that she stay in the home when there is no need to go out.
The second meaning is that it is from dignity and modesty, and that the meaning is to maintain modesty and maintain dignity, and not to be undignified or lax. The first meaning is the famous one, and it means staying, meaning dignity in the home. So there is no contradiction between this and that.
What is the ruling in Islam regarding a woman working in education, medicine, and nursing? And how can this be reconciled with the statement of Allah ﷻ:
And abide in your houses
وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّAnswer:
Women have their own tasks, and men have their own tasks. They share in some of them, and each has some that are exclusive to them. Therefore, a woman performs the tasks suitable for her, such as teaching women, managing women’s schools, nursing women, treating women, and similar tasks that take place in the sphere of women. If necessity calls for her to work in a man’s need, such as nursing him when the need arises, that is permissible with hijab, modesty, and avoiding seclusion, and the like. This is what happened with the women alongside the Prophet ﷺ in some of the military expeditions; they would give water to the sick, treat the wounded, and be with the Muslims in the camps for the sake of benefit, with hijab, covering, modesty, purity, and avoiding all types of suspicion.
So if the woman is in this position, the position of hijab, protection, and modesty, and she is needed to treat a man when there is no man available to treat him, there is no harm in her giving him medicine, and there is no harm in her preparing medicine when there is a need. Otherwise, her sphere is the sphere of women in medicine, education, nursing, and the like.
And the man’s sphere is the sphere of men in medicine, education, and the like. This is what is prescribed, and it is the known path, and it is the path that is followed. And if necessity calls for this man to do this, for the man to treat the woman, and the woman to treat the man when there is a need, there is no harm, provided that hijab is observed and seclusion is avoided, as is well known, as came in the Sunnah from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
And this does not contradict the statement of the Exalted:
And abide in your houses
وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّThe first of which is: The first meaning is: stay in your homes, and do not go out except for a need, for a benefit. This is the reality, for a woman is best off in her home except for a need. If she goes out for a benefit, such as praying in congregation with hijab and covering, they used to go out in the time of the Prophet ﷺ. They used to go out to prayer with the Prophet ﷺ. Likewise, they used to go out to visit the sick to fulfill a need from among the needs, to buy a need from the market that she requires, and the like.
So if going out is for a need and a benefit, there is no harm. What is required is that she stay in the home when there is no need to go out.
The second meaning is that it is from dignity and modesty, and that the meaning is to maintain modesty and maintain dignity, and not to be undignified or lax. The first meaning is the famous one, and it means staying, meaning dignity in the home. So there is no contradiction between this and that.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.