In this article, we will examine two main points:
1- The regulations of the Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation) with respect to women working in the field of medicine.
2- The hopes that the Ummah (Muslim nation)has pinned on those who work in this field.
We should first speak generally about the role of women in society under Islam before speaking about the topic in detail. Failing to realize this role within a larger context may result in misunderstanding regulations or even rejecting them.
Under Islam, women are considered one-half of the society and their role is indispensable. Similarly, the family in Islam is the foundation and basic unit of society and its soundness is necessary for the wellbeing of the whole society.
At the beginning or the middle of this century, some people thought that they could establish a healthy, vibrant society without the family, and they marginalized its role and allowed both sexes to indulge in limitless sexual relationships.
However, they failed in their endeavor and were forced to abandon the idea of marginalizing the family, which is why the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia was not established until it denounced the principle of abolishing the family. This means that the family is a fundamental unit in society, without which it can never exist.
In addition, there is no perfect alternative for the woman’s role within her family or in fulfilling her duties towards her children, because all the existent alternatives are deficient and have many negative aspects, as we can see in several societies around the world.
Nevertheless, society has many needs that can only be satisfied by women or at least women can satisfy them better than men. Sharee‘ah obligations include individual duties, and collective duties and the Ummah must have the necessary cadres that undertake these duties, such as education, nursing and social work directed at women.
In the light of this overview that preserves the balance between the foundation of establishing the society and between fulfilling society’s many needs, we can derive the regulations of women working outside the family including the medical field. These regulations can be summarized as follows:
· The first regulation: This regulation is derived from the comprehensive view mentioned earlier, that there should be a precise balance between the woman’s main responsibility within her home and her job outside it. The Prophet, , explained her responsibility inside her home saying: “All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects, the man is a guardian of his family, and the woman is a guardian in her husband's home and is responsible for it.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Al-Bukhari mentioned this Hadeeth (narration) twice; once in the Book of Marriage, chapter of “The woman is a guardian in her husband’s home and a guardian of her children” and another time in the Book of Rulings. Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar said, "This means that the woman is responsible for taking care of the affairs of her home, children, and servants in addition to advising her husband in this regard."
This balance to which we are calling and which is considered one of the regulations is the fruit of the correct answer to the following questions:
- Does a woman need to go out and work to earn money?
- Is society in need of her work in a field that is concerned with women?
- Do work conditions allow her to perform both duties properly?
- Does this work negatively affect her matrimonial relationship and household affairs?
- Does this cause any harm to those whom she takes care of, such as her husband and children?
We should not give a single answer, because this varies from one woman to another. Generalization in this regard is wrong because there is a difference between a married and an unmarried woman, a woman with children, and another without children, a young woman and an older woman, and so on. Each set of circumstances and conditions impose certain responsibilities and a different Sharee‘ah ruling.
It is very wrong to say that all women must work to satisfy the needs of the society’s development on one hand, or say that there is no need for women to work because their husbands are mainly responsible for providing for them on the other, as this view is deficient because it disregards the needs of the society in which she is living.
The Sunnah is full of proofs of women working outside their homes in order to satisfy their needs, or the needs of their families or society. Women during the lifetime of the Prophet, , went out to work in agriculture, and earned money from suitable jobs and crafts. They also went out to acquire knowledge and satisfy the needs of society such as participating in Jihaad (armed struggle) by taking care of the wounded soldiers, bringing water to them, preparing food, supplying the men’s needs and even fighting at times.
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I saw ‘Aa’ishah bint Abu Bakr and Umm Sulaym, may Allah be pleased with them, while they both had their dresses tucked up that I saw the anklets around their ankles, while they were carrying water skins on their backs, emptying them into the mouths of the (thirsty) people, and then returning to refill them and then come back again to empty them into the mouths of the people.” [Al-Bukhari]
The Prophet, , said: “…whenever I looked left, or right on the Day of Uhud, I found Umm Ammarah defending me…” [Al-Bukhari]
Umm Sulaym, may Allah be pleased with her, and a group of women used to participate in battles with the Prophet, , as narrated by Muslim .
Thus, there should be a balance and we should avoid generalizing with regard to women’s work.