Fatwa No : 6808
My Wife has been offered a job in a home based start-up company.

My Wife has been offered a job in a home based start-up company.

Assalam Alaikum, This is about my wife, a married woman with kids. She has never worked anywhere before. Recently started looking for a job. She has been offered a job in a home based start-up company. The job would involve staying in the small office set-up inside the male owner's home and receiving telephonic orders from customers. My concern is on 2 issues: 1. Staying in a closed home with the probability of staying alone with the male Business Owner, when his wife may be outside. 2. Talking to and discussing with a non-mehram male, though on job related issues only. Kindly advise on what is the step she must take. Sincerely

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful
The noble Shari’a has not entrusted the responsibility of support and maintenance upon women. Therefore if somebody who takes care of her is present, it is not correct for a woman to leave home unnecessarily for employment. However woman can do employment if there is no one else to earn, provided she, adorns herself with Shar’i Parda; does not intermingle with non-Mehram males in the work place; gets permission from her husband or guardian and also the employment too be a permissible one. In any condition, her earnings will be Halal if the employment is permissible and even though she happens to speak with males due to necessity.

Allalh knows best.