Assalamualaykum. I have been looking into volunteering for charitable organisations and want to get experience to get a job suited to me. I don't know who I would be working with beforehand e.g. males/or if there will be khulwa and i am shy to speak to the person in charge about such things especially non- muslims. For a current role I applied for, the manager said there would be a man working there who would help me out. I thought maybe it would be a big IT room so it would be okay as there will be clients and I will be helping out and won't be alone with a ghayr mahram. But when I went to this job club, the room is not very big as I expected. So I missed a few weeks and then i went back to try it again after telling the manager about how I found it to be too quiet and not enough clients. The clients are some older people who may have health problems and we help them apply online to jobs. The manager has now suggested if I want more to do, there will be an IT programme I can help new job seekers with. They will learn how to use computers using an online course and she said it sounded like something i would like to do as a tutor. I agreed. But I don't know what gender the clients will be and what age range etc. I don't want to be in an unislamic situation as I would work closely with them, maybe 1-1. And the brother volunteering there went down stairs each time the clients went, as no one was there in the room. This makes me feel like I am inconveniencing this respectable brother and as it is just voluntary work, I could leave it and find another place. But i was advised by someone that this is a big organisation and it would be useful for me to be involved with it. I also feel I have always moved around and need somewhere to stick to and develop. But I'm worried it may not be right for me to carry on there, yet I realise that in life i may have to get used to such situations especially if I need to work/train and want to help people. Please advise, JzkAllah khayr

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, we ask Allah to guide you to what He loves and is pleased with, and protect you from evil temptations.

You should know that the principle in regard to the work of women, whether voluntary or in order to earn money, is that it should not involve mixing with men.

For more benefit on the pre-conditions for women to work, please refer to Fataawa 82399 and 83607.

We advise you to avoid this voluntary work that involves mixing with men; because being safe in one’s religion is of unrivalled value.

If you do not find a voluntary work that is free from mixing with non-Mahram men, then you should opt for another kind of permissible work away from mixing with men.

If you cannot get a job or training without mixing with men, and you are in need to work or train, then you have to choose the places where there is no seclusion with men and where mixing with them is not suspicious.

In which case, you should be keen on maintaining the Islamic conditions and the limits of dealing with men.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 99826.

Allah knows best.