In what cases does a woman have the right to work without her husband’s permission? What is the freedom of single or married women to spend their earnings?
Submitted by on Thu, 03/03/2022 - 11:16
Dear Brother / Sister,
When her husband gives permission, she can work if she wants to work. However, she can work in compliance with Islamic rules, privacy etc.; no other special conditions are required.
As for the question “In what cases does a woman have the right to work when her husband does not allow it?”:
If the husband does not meet the essential needs of the woman and leaves her in a difficult situation, the woman has the right to work. Otherwise, the desire to live more comfortably cannot be an excuse for working.
Single women are subject to their fathers until they get married. If they want to work, they have to get permission from their fathers. Single women also have the right to work if their fathers do not meet their essential needs.
The issue of married or single women’s spending their earnings:
A woman can spend the money she earns as she wishes; her spouse cannot claim the right of use of that money. For example, he cannot put pressure on his wife by saying, “You will meet the food expenses.”
The income of the child who stays with his father belongs to his father. It is not considered a separate wealth. His father spends and meets the expenses.
However, if he makes a partnership agreement with the father, his earnings can be arranged according to that speech and agreement such as saying, “From now on, such and such amount of my income will be shared and such and such belongs to me.”
Unless such a clear agreement is made, the income of the child living with the father belongs to the father, and it is not considered to belong to him. However, the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Be fair among your children.” He ordered fathers to act meticulously about their children’s rights.
Even though there is no talk regarding the issue between a father and his children due to good manners, fathers should think about their children’s labor, take their work share into account, and try to give their rights.
However, the father of a child who has a separate job cannot use his child’s property as he wishes. There should be a limit to it.
As you know, according to the Islamic law, even the people who waste their own property are intervened and their properties are seized; their properties are protected under the supervision of a “trustee”. Therefore, a person who cannot use (extravagantly) even his own property as he wishes cannot use the property of his child as he wishes either.
However, it is also a fact that if the parents eat and drink from their child’s property without the child’s being aware of, it is halal even if the child does not like it. The father and mother are not regarded to have eaten haram in that case. On the other hand, the son has to take care of the father and the mother. In this respect, the property of the child is like the property of the father and mother; they can take from it as much as they need even without permission.
However, it is not appropriate for the child to spend the property of the father and mother without permission.
Today, the women who work though they do not have to work do not violate the rights of unemployed men. There is no such right. A woman can work even if she is rich after getting permission from her husband, father, etc. However, it will be virtuous for women who do not need to work to prefer not to work with the thought of “letting more needy people get jobs”.
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