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Fatwa CenterIf a woman receives assistance, there is no need to work in a place of mixing
Question
Asalaam aleykumWhat if an unmarried woman that lives in the west and where it is not easy to find a workplace where there is only woman. Is it then permissble for her to choose a workplace where there is as little mixing between men and woman as possible, where she do not have to be alone with a male and interact with so much, but still be in a mixed place (other men and women), for example in a hall or ward?If it is not permissble, then what should the woman do? Should she rather receive benefits or subsidy from the state or goverment then to work? Or is it better to work? (where there is as little mixing as possible)Barakallahu feek
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, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
It is impermissible for a woman to work in a place where men and women mix without necessity as previously highlighted in Fataawa 82399 and 83607. If there is a necessity in working in such a place, it is permissible for her to work there as underlined in Fatwa 99826.
If the case is as described in the question, and this woman is able to receive benefits or subsidies from the government, then she is not in dire need of working at this job where mixing between men and women takes place, and there is no exception for her to work there.
It should be noted that if working at this job does not involve a prohibited form of mixing between men and women and there is some sort of separation between male and female coworkers in the workplace, then there is no harm in working there.
The Kuwaiti Encyclopedia of Fiqh reads, “The ruling on mixing between men and women differs according to whether it conforms to Islamic guidelines or not. Thus, mixing is prohibited if it involves staying in seclusion with a non-Mahram woman, looking at one with lust, lack of decency on the woman's part, wearing revealing clothes, acting immorally, dissoluteness or touching other people's bodies. On the other hand, mixing with the opposite sex is allowable in case of necessity provided that the relevant Shareeʻah provisions and Islamic guidelines are observed. This is why it is permissible for a woman to go out to attend the congregational prayers and ʻEed prayers.”
Allaah Knows best.
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