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Fatwa CenterMuslim women working with men to help parents
Question
My question is about the Muslim woman and work in a society where people have lost their faith and where there's a lot of corruption. I'm afraid of the "fitna" and I've choosen to stay at home, but my parents want me to work in order to help them. We are not very poor, but my father has a lot of debts. I don't wear the "nikab", only hair-scarf. When I was working, I was sometimes obliged to shake hands with men; most of the time I was obliged to bear with some men who are not very polite even if I wear the scarf and even if I'm always very serious. Should I work to help my parents, or should I stay at home and help my mother? My mother is a bit sick, and needs somebody to help her at home. And I think that's more important than working outside. I'm sorry if my question is too long, and if my English is not very good. Thank you.
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 
is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, may Allaah reward you, dear sister, for wishing goodness for yourself and for willing to preserve your dignity and fearing affliction. We ask Allah to make you firm and steadfast on His Religion until you die.
As regards your question, you are not Islamically obliged to work until you repay your father's debt especially that you were not the cause of this debt. Moreover, the fact that the men with whom you work keep bothering you at work and that no matter how serious you try to be, you might fall into doing something against the Sharee’ah, like shaking hands with men, then this is enough a sound reason to give up this job. It is even an obligation on you to leave this job in this case even if this leads to your father being angry with you, as Allah ordained you to obey your father in what is not a disobedience to Him [to Allah]. Mixing with men in this way is a great sin and there is no obedience to a creature in disobeying the Creator.
Finally, you and your father should know that Allah Says (what means): {And whoever fears Allah — He will make for him of his matter ease.} [Quran 65:3]
Allah knows best.
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