These days, being a career woman seems increasingly commonplace and even a dream for many. Having your own income, being able to create, and being able to support your husband, who wouldn’t want that?
Indeed, in Islam, a wife’s working is permissible. It’s permissible and clearly not a sin. However, this doesn’t mean she’s free from restrictions.
This is precisely where the test begins. Many people have sincere intentions to help their husbands, increase their charitable giving, or simply develop themselves, but because they lack sufficient knowledge (Islamic aqliyah), they end up going too far.
Not only has the main mandate as Ummun wa Rabbah al-Bayt been neglected, but not a few have even violated the guidelines of sharia.
Even though there is an important rule, something that is permissible can become forbidden if it makes us abandon our obligations.
So the question now is, “Can you be a career woman who still complies with Islamic law, remains calm, and remains blessed?”
The answer is: absolutely. How? Let’s discuss it.
Initial Foundation, Straight Intentions and Husband’s Permission
Before we can enthusiastically step out of the house to work, these two things must be in order. If the foundation is shaky, the building will collapse, no matter how good it looks from the outside.
Right Intentions, the Key to Success in Building Piety
Before we enter the world of work, try asking yourself slowly, “As a working wife, what is the purpose of this?”
To help your husband? Do you give alms to Lillah? To gain experience?
Or is it just to follow trends and be seen as productive? Or is it so you can check out your shopping cart without feeling nervous?
It’s okay to be honest with yourself. Intentions seem small, but they determine your direction. If your intentions aren’t for Allah ﷻ, you’ll experience fatigue but no reward, or even a negative outcome, which means you’ll increase your sins.
Rasulullah ﷺ has reminded us from the beginning through the most popular hadith about intentions.
إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّات ِ
“ Indeed, every deed depends on its intention.” (Hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari, No. 1)
Right intentions also give us a clearer perspective on life. We understand what’s essential and what’s merely optional. What should be prioritized and what can be postponed. What brings us closer to Allah ﷻ, and what silently distances us.
Because in the end, it is intention that determines whether our steps become acts of worship that ascend to heaven, or just a worldly routine that simply ends there.
“Intention is the soul of deeds. Without it, deeds are just a body without life.”
Husband’s Permission, Official Ticket for Wife’s Activities
In Islam, a husband’s permission isn’t due to a wife’s distrust, nor is it due to a husband’s overbearing nature.
Quite the opposite, because Allah ﷻ has appointed the husband as the qawwam (guardian), the guardian, and the one responsible for the family. And this responsibility as a guardian extends beyond providing for the family or ensuring the physical safety of the home, but also includes protecting his wife from things that could slowly lead her to sin.
Allah ﷻ has warned:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا
“O you who believe, protect yourselves and your families from the fire of hell…” (Quran Surah At-Talaq 66:6)
This verse teaches us that a husband has a heavy responsibility to ensure that his family does not lead to sin, including things that seem small, such as his wife leaving the house without permission, which can often become the door to friction, slander, or violations of Islamic law if left unchecked.
The Prophet ﷺ also emphasized the great trust of a wife:
وَالْمَرْأَةُ رَاعِيَةٌ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِ زَوْجِهَا وَوَلَدِهِ وَهِيَ مَسْئُولَةٌ عَنْهُمْ
A wife is the guardian of her husband’s house and children, and she will be held responsible for them.” (Hadith narrated by Bukhari 7138)
This hadith gently reminds us that when a wife goes out without her husband’s permission, her great responsibility at home could be neglected.
Therefore, if a wife has to ask her husband’s permission before engaging in activities outside the home, it’s not an act of obstruction. Rather, it’s a sign that she’s following Allah’s command to protect the person she loves most from harm, sin, and anything that could gradually erode marital harmony.
So, the husband’s permission is not a guardrail. It is more like an umbrella of protection that Allah ﷻ has prescribed so that a wife’s steps remain safe, honorable and worthy of worship.
Also read: Afraid Your Income Will Stop If You Stay Sharia Compliant?
Public Signs for Career Woman
If your intentions are sound and your husband’s permission is secure, all that remains is to maintain Islamic law in public spaces. This is crucial to ensuring that future steps remain compliant with Islamic law.
Take care of your private parts, according to Sharia standards
For career woman, this is one of the most acute challenges in the modern workplace. Sometimes office standards make women feel like loose clothing is untidy, or that a wide headscarf looks unprofessional. It’s as if Islamic law requires conforming to workplace fashion tastes.
Allah ‘s command does not change just because humans like it or not.
Allah ﷻ says:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ
“O Prophet, say to your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers, that they may draw their cloaks all over their bodies…” (Quran Surah Al-Ahzab : 59)
And:
وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ
“And let them cover their bosoms…” (Quran Surah An-Nur : 31)
These verses don’t have a small note that says “unless the office dress code is different.” Sharia remains the same, even when human tastes change.
Even perfumes have rules. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
أَيُّمَا امْرَأَةٍ تَعَطَّرَتْ فَمَرَّتْ بِقَوْمٍ لِيَجِدُوا رِيحَهَا فَهِيَ زَانِيَةٌ
“Any woman who wears perfume and then passes a group of people so that they smell the aroma, then she is like an adulterer.” (Hadith History of An-Nasa’i)
Guarding one’s modesty and refraining from perfume doesn’t mean sacrificing style, but rather honoring oneself by heavenly standards. Ultimately, what we seek isn’t simply looking presentable in the eyes of the office, but being recognized as noble by Allah ﷻ through piety.
Interact as needed, maintain boundaries
At the office, you’re bound to meet people of the opposite sex. That’s normal. What’s not normal is if the interactions are too casual.
Ikhtilath isn’t just about meeting, but about mixing without limits.
For example, joking too intimately, sharing your feelings via chat, eating together, having a meeting together in a closed room, or hitching a ride home with a male coworker.
We can be friendly and professional, but there’s a line to be kept. Keep your distance, talk only when necessary, and leave as soon as you’re done. Remember, getting emotional at work is the most subtle trap.
Also read: A Profitable Business, But Declining Faith? How Come?
Final Sign, Prohibited Work
At this stage, we talk about choosing the right job.
Job Filter: Don’t Let Femininity Become a Commodity
Islam really protects women’s honor. Therefore, work that exploits women is prohibited.
This is not a new rule. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) already set clear boundaries. Narrated by Rafi’ ibn Rifa’ah, he said:
نَهَانَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ عَنْ كَسْبِ الأَمَةِ إِلَّا مَا عَمِلَتْ بِيَدَيْهَا ,وَقَالَ: هَكَذَا وَنَقَرَ بِأَصَابِعِهِ، يَعْنِي: الخَبْزَ، وَالغَزْلَ، وَالنَّسْجَ.
“The Prophet SAW has prohibited us from doing the work of a female servant (kasb al-amah) except that which is done with both hands. He said, “This is how (she does) with her fingers such as making bread, spinning or weaving.” (Hadith History of Ahmad)
The meaning is clear, what is prohibited is work that uses women as a sweetener, not work that relies on skills.
Therefore, women are prohibited from working in positions that use their beauty to attract customers, as personal servants (personal secretaries), jobs that sell feminine charm such as flight attendants, even diplomatic positions that utilize women’s charm for negotiations.
Remember, a woman’s honor is too valuable to be sold off so easily.
Don’t let what is obligatory lose out to what is permissible.
This is the crux of it all. Working is permissible. But being Ummu Rabbah al-Bayt is obligatory.
If your husband is not taking care of the housework, your children are lacking attention, your husband is neglected, or you come home with only a little energy left, then there is something that needs to be reviewed.
Sharia is simple, “If the obligatory falls because of the permissible, then the permissible must be set aside.”
Also read: Independent Ruqyah to Protect Your Heart and Business
Conclusion, Career is a Bonus, Trust is the Core
Becoming a sharia compliant career woman is possible. It just requires knowledge, the right intentions, and the courage to uphold principles amidst the current climate.
A career is an added bonus. But the mandate as a wife and mother is the essence of life as a woman longed for in heaven.
“A woman’s glory is not in her high position, but in her strong trust in piety. A career may be a bonus, but it should never be used to exchange obligations.”
May Allah ﷻ protect the steps of women, at home and outside the home, and make every step a path to the blessings of this world and the beauty of the Hereafter.
Also read: Business Competition, Is It Test or a Threat?
Let’s Visit, Zeed and join for halal investment with Zeed.
Author: Redha Sindarotama
Reference:
Al-Qur’an. Al-Karim. Accessed from: https://quran.com/
Al-Bukhari. Sahih Al-Bukhari , Hadith No. 1. Accessed from https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1
Al-Bukhari. Sahih Al-Bukhari , Hadith no. 7138. Retrieved from https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7138
An-Nabhani, Taqiyuddin. Relationship System in Islam (An-Nizhâm Al-Ijtimâ’î fi Al-Islam). Jakarta: Pustaka Fikrul Islam.
An-Nabhani, Taqiyuddin). Syakhsiyah Islamiyah (Islamic Personality) Volume I. Jakarta: Pustaka Fikrul Islam.
An-Nasa’i. Sunan An-Nasa’i , Hadith No. 5126. Accessed from https://sunnah.com/nasai:5126