Fields of Work for Muslim Women

(A jurisprudential study)

Abstract

This study is about Muslim Women’s Work Fields Fundamental Jurisprudential Study, the lack of clarity in the purpose of the Muslim woman’s work, whether it is permissible or obligatory in her right, and which fields should she pour her knowledge and talents into, after the previous jurisprudential investigations concentrated on the necessity of her legal sponsorship as a mother, daughter and sister. The research aims to rationalize the goals of women's work, and to expand the options for specialization with which to serve her nation, and herself with her family. The research has three sections, firstly the status of women and work in Islam.  The second section talks about ruling on women's work and its controls. The third one is about the fields of women's work and its provisions. The study has come up with the following conclusions:

1- Working in Islam is a legal requirement and it is a right for both the man and the woman, whether it is worship or earning.  Work is the cause of life's movement and continuity, and it is the only means of earning and acquiring a livelihood.

 2- For a woman to work outside the home in proportion to her nature, preserve her honor and preserve her dignity, and among the most important of these conditions:  she has a need for work, such as the family becoming without a guardian, and that work is commensurate with her physical capabilities and femininity, so she does not work with what requires physical strength such as construction work  Blacksmithing, carpentry, and the like, and to go out to work in legitimate clothing that covers the rest of the body and head.

 3- It is not for the husband or guardian to prevent the woman from working if her work is legitimate and does not harm the marital rights, especially if she is appointed to work as a doctor, teacher and so on.

4- Expanding the circle of women’s employment leads men to be unable to work;  Unemployment spreads and is a destructive tool for families, the economy, and the country.

 5- The occupational and professional work of women has multiple provisions, and not a single provision (which is permissibility), depending on the type of work that the woman does, or the state in which she is.

 This study is beneficial to civil society organizations concerned with women, and women working in the professional and civil fields.