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Wife Uncovers Her Hair at Work and Refuses to Quit

Question

I have been married for about 2 years. Before marriage, I was not aware of the rules of Islam. My wife served as a nursing officer (from before marriage) in the Armed Forces Hospital. There they have specific uniform - such as shirts, pants and shoes, and there is no scope to cover head with cloths. I asked her to leave this job and to do a job where proper hijab would be worn. but she refused. In this case, is it permissible for her to continue this service? Is her earned money is halal? If she gives me (husband) some gifts or financially participate in any family, Will it be acceptable? What should I do as a Muslim husband? According to the rules of Islam, I am hoping for answers.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It is obligatory for your wife to leave this job as long as she is obliged to uncover her head. Therefore, you should clarify this to her and order her to leave this job, and she is obliged to obey you.

As regards what she has earned from this job, then if the work itself is permissible, then there is nothing wrong in benefitting from it, and you can benefit from what she has given you as gifts or other money, because the salary is for doing permissible services at work and not for unveiling her hair and the like. However, she must quit that job now, as we have already stated.

If she finds any other job, she is obliged to cover her body, i.e. she must avoid unveiling her hair and avoid wearing indecent clothes, and avoid being in seclusion with men, speaking in a soft attractive voice with them, and other things that a woman is not permitted to do.

For more benefit on the evidence for Hijaab and its conditions, please refer to Fataawa 81554, 83765, 83702, 81494, 354259.

Allah knows best.

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