Is it permissible for a woman to work selling products over the phone?

Question: 60221

There are foreign companies in Morocco which also own companies in the west. These companies that are in Morocco offer customer service for the companies that are in the west over the phone, whereby western customers contact the companies in Morocco to ask questions or the company contacts customers who are obviously in the west – Europe – to sell their products over the phone, and the employee attempts to convince the person to buy. The companies market various products and services such as mobile phones, internet, insurance, computers and so on.

These companies have started to increase rapidly, and young men – and even young women – are clamouring to join them as they pay a good salary. The government is also helping with that. Please note that fitnah is widespread in these companies, such as uncovering of women.

What is the ruling on working for them? Is it halaal or haraam?.

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

It is not permissible for a man or a woman to work in places
where women mix with men. The evils of mixing are many. It is one of the
most effective ways used by the shaytaan to make the Muslim fall into sin
and immorality. Hence Islam blocks the ways that may cause a Muslim to fall
into anything haraam.

We have discussed the prohibition on mixing in the answer to
question no. 1200, where we mention
incidents of female workers who have been exposed to annoyance and
harassment. This confirms that the Islamic prohibition on mixing is what
will protect a woman’s modesty and chastity, and it is what protects a man
from allowing his gaze to wander, and protects him from bad consequences.

There is no reason why a woman should not work if she is with
other women like her, or she is alone and answers calls from customers or
calls them to offer the company’s products, so long as she observes proper
etiquette when speaking and does not speak in an alluring tone to men,
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women.
If you keep your duty (to Allaah), then be not soft in speech, lest he in
whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery) should
be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner”

[al-Ahzaab 33:32]

See also the answer to
question no. 27304, which discusses
the ruling on how to address women at work, and the answer to question no.
20140, which explains the ruling on
a woman working as a secretary for men in the workplace.

And Allaah knows best.

Source:

Islam Q&A

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