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What is the ruling on working as a nanny in a non-Muslim family's home, and is the nanny considered sinful if the mother leaves her children to engage in work that is not Islamically permissible?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a Muslim woman's work as a nanny for the children of disbelievers is restricted to teaching, there is no objection to it. However, if it includes taking care of their private affairs, then it is not permissible. This is because it involves the humiliation of the Muslim and the ascendancy of the disbeliever over them, in accordance with the verse: ﴿And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way [to triumph] over the believers﴾ [An-Nisa' 4:141]. Furthermore, it implies the confinement and debasement of a Muslim by a disbeliever. Likewise, it is not permissible if the nanny's presence helps the children's mother go out for unlawful work, in accordance with the verse: ﴿And do not cooperate in sin and aggression.﴾ [Al-Ma'idah 5:2].

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

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