Ruling on Online Jobs for Muslim Women

17-10-2022 | IslamWeb

Question:

Can a woman do halal online jobs where she needs to communicate with male colleagues/clients via texting or audio calling? And can she attend a video meeting while wearing hijab and also covering her face? She only talks with them about professional things and no fear of Fitna or chit-chatting. Is it permissible?

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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.

It is permissible for women to join an online job as long as it is void of any unlawful matters. Besides, they (i.e. women) are allowed to communicate with men via messages or phone calls as per the need of the work on condition that they should show no soft speech. On that, Allah, the Almighty, said (what means): {O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.} [Quran, 33:32] This means that though women are prohibited from making soft speech to men, they are not totally prohibited from talking to them; rather Allah, the Almighty, commands that the speech between men and women should show no signs of lust.

It is also permissible for women to attend video conferences with men for the sake of work as long as they adhere to the Sharee'ah Hijab and to the etiquette of talking to men.

Allah knows best.