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Is a husband permitted to prevent his wife from working, knowing that he promised her before marriage not to prevent her, and she wishes to continue working, while he sees some Sharia and social prohibitions in it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The conditions of marriage agreed upon before the contract must be fulfilled. The husband has the right to prevent his wife from working if the work involves something that violates Islamic law, such as impermissible mixing (of genders). He must also protect her from anything that could lead to her corruption, as Allah Almighty says: "O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire." However, if there is no impermissible mixing, there is no harm in her meeting with guardians, provided she adheres to Islamic guidelines. A woman's voice is not considered 'awrah (something that must be concealed), and there is no harm in her raising her voice while teaching children, as long as it does not involve softness in speech. A woman's leaving the house is not forbidden by Islamic law because of men looking at her, and if the husband permits his wife to work in this situation, there is no sin upon him. If the wife's absence from home leads to the neglect and harm of the children, then the husband has the right to prevent her from working. However, if the nannies are righteous, then it is not permissible for him to prevent her from working. The wife must cover her face in front of non-mahram men, according to the preponderant opinion of jurists.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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