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Is the wife justified in her jealousy and apprehension about her husband working as a principal of an elementary school where the majority of the staff are women, especially given her complaints about his neglect of her and their children, his mistreatment of her, and his lack of concern for lowering his gaze? And is it permissible for the husband to work in such a mixed-gender environment?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A wife should advise her husband to maintain prayer, for it is the greatest matter of religion after faith, and abandoning it is one of the greatest abominations. Scholars have agreed that one who abandons it out of denial is a disbeliever, and some hold that one who abandons it out of laziness is likewise a disbeliever. The sin of abandoning prayer is greater than the sin of murder, adultery, theft, and consuming alcohol. As for the husband's work that necessitates interaction with non-mahram women, there is no harm in it if he adheres to the legitimate Islamic guidelines, such as avoiding private seclusion and suspicious mixing, and lowering his gaze. One should be careful not to let jealousy exceed the bounds of moderation, lest it become blameworthy.

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

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