Praying behind a ḥāfiẓ whose wife goes out to work

Question

ﺍﻟﺴَّــﻼَﻡ ﻋَﻠَﻴــْﻜُم وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ ﻭَﺑَﺮَﻛـَـﺎتُهُ

Can we offer our Salah in the imamat of a hafiz whose wife goes to work. I don't have any idea whether there is a sharai uzr or not to go for work? Kindly guide.

— Qadri Abdul Basit Shaikh, Sharjah, UAE

Answer

There is no harm in women working, as long as they are in a safe environment. A safe environment ensures that the Sharī`ah is not violated, such as working from home or in a place where she can practice purdah, upholding her chastity and modesty. Working in a non-safe environment, where there is no consideration for purdah, is impermissible. Similarly, wearing immodest clothing and engaging in unnecessary conversations with ghayr maḥārim is forbidden.

The responsibility of providing for the family has been placed upon the man and not the woman.

`Allāmah 'ibn `Ābidīn al-Shāmī states,

تجب علی الرجل نفقة امرأته

"It is wājib upon the man (husband) to provide for the expenses of his woman (wife)." [Rad al-Muḥtār, Bāb al-Nafqah]

A woman is not obligated to work to provide for herself and her family unless there is a necessity. This may occur when she has no male relative to provide for her, or the male relatives are unable to provide enough for her living standard. The cost of living in many countries has become very high, leading to the common practice of wives working to support their husbands. If a woman's work is in a safe environment, then it is permissible; otherwise, it is impermissible, and both the husband and wife are considered sinful. If the husband is displeased with her working in a non-safe environment and prohibits it, then she is sinful, and the husband is not blameworthy.

However, if it is established that the husband compels her to work and does not make sufficient efforts to provide for the necessary expenses of his wife and family, or allows her to be in a public workplace without observing proper purdah, then praying behind such an individual is considered makrūh taḥrīmī (prohibitively disliked), and it becomes obligatory (wājib) to repeat the prayer.

Sayyidī 'A`lā Ḥaḍrat 'Imām 'Aḥmad Riḍā' states,

عورت اگر باہر بے پردہ باریك کپڑوں میں پھرتی ہو کہ ان سے بدن چمکے یا گلے یا بازو یا پیٹ یا پنڈلیوں یا سر کے بالوں کا کوئی حصہ کھولے پھرتی ہے اور شوہر مطلع ہے اور شوہر باوصف قدرت منع نہیں کرتا تو دیوّث ہے اور اس کے پیچھے نماز مکروہ ورنہ نہیں۔

"If a woman roams in public without observing purdah, wearing clothing so thin that her body flashes [through the clothing] or with any part of her neck, arms, stomach, ankles, or head hair exposed, and her husband is aware of this but fails to prevent it to the best of his ability, then he (the husband) is considered dayyūth (immoral), and praying ṣalāh behind him is deemed makrūh [taḥrīmī], otherwise not." [Fatāwā Riḍawīyah: Vol. 6, Pg. 500]

Every Muslim has the right to be treated with ḥusn al-ẓan (good conjecture), and an 'imām, due to his honor, is undoubtedly more deserving of this than an ordinary Muslim. If it is unclear whether the wife works out of necessity or within proper purdah, or if the 'imām compels her to work despite being capable of providing for his family's necessities, and even if she is not in purdah, whether the 'imām prohibits her or not, it is permissible to pray behind this 'imām until concrete evidence emerges against him.

`Ārif bi-Allāh Shaykh `Abd al-Ghanī Nāblusī states,

ويحتمل أي أمرهم عنده الصلاح والفساد إذا كان حسن الظن بهم مع هذه الحالة مندوبا إليه فلا يلزم أن يكون ضده وهو سوء الظن جائزا بل هو حرام

"When ḥusn al-ẓan is considered recommended (mandūb) in a situation where both righteousness and corruption are plausible, its opposite, sū' al-ẓan (bad conjecture), cannot be deemed permissible; rather, it is considered ḥarām (prohibited)." [al-Ḥadīqah al-Nadīyah: Juz: 3, Pg. 134]

Rather than seeking a fatwā (verdict) against the 'imām, one should question themselves and the Masjid committee about why they are not paying their 'imām enough, leading to a situation where his wife needs to work, and Allāh Ta`ālā knows best.

Faqīr Sayyid 'Asad al-Qādirī · (may he be forgiven)

Verified by Muftī Zāhid Ḥussain al-Qādirī