She lives alone in a non-Muslim country to earn money for her family
Fatwa No: 130584

Question

am confused whether to live in my country or stay in abroad as my earning is here that continously supports my parent and youngest brother.I newly got married and leave my husband with other nonpractising wife and with his permission am now in abroad we have an intention plan to just earn and save the money to build a bussiness that will help us financially.How will i suppose to response to be a good wife to my husband?to be dutiful to my parents?my husband is kind enough to understand our family status the thing is i need my husband and missing him but i have to stay here earning for my parent and saving some our life.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, we would like to inform you that you are not obliged to spend neither on yourself nor on your husband and you are not obliged to earn money in order to spend on your parents. There is no doubt that it is a good intention to be keen on saving money in order to fulfil the needs of your parents and your brother, and this is something you will be rewarded for. However, there are many disadvantages caused to a Muslim by residing in a non-Muslim country because there are so many attractions and causes of affliction especially to a woman who resides far from her husband. Therefore, it is unlawful for you to reside in non-Muslim countries unless there is a necessity or dire need. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 90207.

Besides, the jurists stated that if a person is subjected to affliction in the non-Muslim countries, then he is obliged to migrate; for more benefit on the ruling on migration, please refer to Fatwa 86405. Hence, if you fear to be tempted, then you are obliged to migrate, and residing with your husband is better for you. If a woman is making migration and she did not find a Mahram to accompany her, it becomes permissible for her to travel without a Mahram as we clarified in Fatwa 82533.

On the other hand, you may look for a job in your country and if you fear Allaah, Allaah will provide for you and facilitate your provision for you. Allaah Says (what means): {And whoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.}[Quran 65:2-3] Moreover, the Prophet said: ''You will never quit something out of fearing Allaah The Almighty except that He will compensate you with something better than it." [Ahmad]

Indeed, you did well by being keen to be a good wife for your husband. Of course, the easiest way to this is to fulfill his rights on you; for more benefit on the rights of a husband upon his wife, please refer to Fatwa 85167. Also, you did well by being keen to be kind and dutiful to your parents; this can be done by keeping ties with them and being merciful to them especially when they are elderly and supplicating Allaah to forgive them in their life and after their death and so forth. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 82254 and 83233.

Allaah Knows best.

Related Fatwa