What is the ruling on a wife changing her appearance and shaving the sides of her hair to resemble a man, so that she can deal safely with men and avoid being raped, due to her disabled husband's inability to work and their significant debt?
A woman's resemblance to men is forbidden and a major sin, based on the : "Allah has cursed women who imitate men." Therefore, it is impermissible for a woman to work in a field that requires such imitation, and neither her husband's inability nor her need to work justifies committing this act. If she is compelled to work and cannot find a field free of prohibitions, she is permitted to work while adhering to sharia guidelines, such as maintaining modesty and refraining from mingling with men, in accordance with the Almighty's saying: "So fear Allah as much as you are able." If she becomes independent of this work, she must abandon it.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/167346
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 167346
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy