She wants to set up her own business to encourage women to work

Question: 97751

I am a muslimwoman from the Netherlands. Nowadays the government is forcing woman to work outside their homes if they are payed with governmentmoney. I want to start my own business to motivate these muslimwoman and help them to start their own business instead of working in regular companies.Then at least they will be able to work from their homes and take care of the children instead of going out mixing etc.They can even employ other muslimwoman eventually. Is their any haram in this for me? I want to help them with an alternative and I have the best intention for the oumma. Please advise me?.

Answer

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

If the business will do permissible work, and will not be accompanied by anything haraam such as taking a riba-based loan or free mixing, then there is nothing wrong with that. If there is the hope that it will motivate Muslim women to start their own businesses so that they will not have to go out and mix (with men), then this is beneficial work and we hope that you will be rewarded by Allaah for it.

See question no. 22397 for guidelines on women’s work.

In a fatwa issued by the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas (13/16) it says: What is the ruling on a woman working as a businesswoman, whether she travels or stays at home?

Answer:

The basic principle is that it is permissible for both men and woman to earn money and do business when travelling and staying at home, because of the general meaning of the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah has permitted trading and forbidden Riba” [al-Baqarah 2:275] and the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was asked, What earning is best? He said: “That which a man earns with his own hands, and every transaction is blessed.” And it is proven that the early Muslim women used to buy and sell with modesty and they avoided showing their beauty. But if a woman’s doing business means that she will expose her beauty such as the face that Allaah has forbidden her to show, or to her travelling without a mahram, or mixing with non-mahram men in a way that it is feared will lead to fitnah, then it is not permissible for her to do that, rather she should refrain from that, because if the haraam thing that she has to do in order to obtain something permissble. End quote.

We ask Allaah to help and guide you and to reward you for your intentions and your actions.

And Allaah knows best.

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