I was married 8 months ago to my husband. I respect him and love him dearly. I have never disobeyed him. Before we got married he gave me the option that I could go out to work if I wanted to. Now we are married he thinks that I should be earning money. I do not want to and we do not need the money as he is earning enogh for us. I do not believe that money is the answer to everything. Please help me. How should I deal with the situation? Must I obey him and go out to work? We live in the Western world and my job would involve contact with the public.

Praise be to Allaah.

We put the following question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen:

If a woman’s husband tells her to get a job outside the home so that she can earn money, does she have to obey him?

He (may Allaah preserve him) answered as follows:

She does not have to, because he is obliged to spend on her, and she is not obliged to spend on herself.

How, then, if this work involves something haraam, namely mixing with men? She should not obey him with regard to this, because there is no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience towards the Creator. Remind him that he is the man and is your protector and maintainer (qawwaam) because he spends on you from his means. It is not right for him to let greed for worldly things and the desire for more money make him ask his wife to do work which she is not obliged to do according to sharee’ah, or to expose her to fitnah (temptation) for the sake of the transient conveniences of this world. We ask Allaah to guide him. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid