A sister asks Shaykh Khālid ar-Rāshid (فك الله أسره):

“What is your opinion concerning the subject of women working, is it halāl or harām?”

Shaykh Khālid ar-Rāshid (فك الله أسره) responds by saying:

❝We do not say anything is halāl except what Allāh has made halāl, and we do not say anything is harām except what Allāh has made harām.

We are in need of women to work, but where does she work?

In between men?! She speaks to them and they speak to her?! She laughs with them and they laugh with her, asking each other about their affairs?! She has a delightful time with them, and they have a delightful time with her, until her Hayā’ goes away, where she wouldn’t have any significance?

No way, a woman can work, however with guidelines. Our religion has simplicity and ease, and it has softness, and it deals with different circumstances, and it deals with different situations, as it must be done.

“We have not neglected in the Kitāb (i.e. Qur’ān) a single thing.” [6:38].

And you don’t find anything in this Dīn, except that it has a way out. However, free-mixing, adorning herself and forbidden acts?! No way, the Dīn doesn’t accept this!

I say that a woman is concealed and honoured, if we need her to work in a field for woman, then she is welcome to work there, or else she adheres to her house and Allāh will suffice her from His bounty.

Many of the girls argue that they’re in need of a profession, however I say that their need for the Taqwā of Allāh is given precedence to their need for a profession.

Because if she feared Allāh, then Allāh will suffice her profession and give her a way out. But for the way out to be in harām? Not at all! The way out (given by Allāh) will never be in harām.

We are not against women working, but we’re against where a woman works. We don’t want her to be a toy that’s played around with left and right.

And by Allāh, the one who there’s no deity except Him, today, just today alone during ‘Asr, I was informed of a story of a girl working amongst men, until she became a toy between their hands.

So a cousin of hers came to her (for marriage), but she replied to him “I am not suitable for marriage”, she outwardly proclaimed to her cousin, she said:

“I am not suitable for marriage, due to the affect of frequently free-mixing with these (men), I have lost the most honourable thing I hold (my chastity), the wolves played around with me until they took the most honourable thing I hold, so who would accept me as a wife for him?”

He (the cousin) says (to me), he is consulting with me, he says “shall I conceal her and take her (to marry)? Should I conceal her due to her exposure and accept her as a wife to me, or what should I do?”

What caused her to reach that extent? Because she took sitting around with men as a light matter, so fear Allāh.

We do not wage war against women working, but rather we’re against where a woman works.❞