Is it allowed for a non-Muslim to take care of Muslim children, i.e. friend who is non-Muslim or housemaid who is non-Muslim? Also, is it allowed for a non-Muslim to look after Muslim children when there is an older Muslim lady in the house at the same time, who might be in another room from them?

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.

The texts of the Sharee'ah as well as the vast experience prove that a caretaker has lasting effects on a child. The Prophet said: “Every child is born on the Fitrah (natural predisposition upon which Allah created mankind – i.e. Islam) and then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.” [Al-Bukhari]

From past bad experiences, we see the dangers of having non-Muslims as caretakers for Muslim children. Hence, the Muslim jurists have stipulated that the nursemaid should be a Muslim and trustworthy. If a child is Muslim, we should not take its care as a light matter; we could do great harm to the child and commit sin if we do so. Then we would feel sorrow as a result of having made a mistake.

Allah knows best.