Believes he must hire a female barber in his shop for men
16-3-2005 | IslamWeb
Question:
Can I bring female working for me in my barber shop cutting hair for men? So I live in small town in US and I can't find any male can cut hair plus I will be against the law if I keep say no for every woman ask for work. Also I can't get any barber male from out of the country that take all most 4-years for paper work and not sure if will be ok. Please I need help.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
It is not permissible to get a female hairdresser to work in a men's hair salon, as this is contradicting the verses and narrations of the Prophet 
about lowering the gaze, forbidden mixing, and the prohibition of touching a marriageable woman. Allaah says (which means): {Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things) and protect their private parts. That is purer for them. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what they do). And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things) and protect their private parts.}[24:30-31].
The Prophet said: "Beware of entering upon marriageable women." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The Prophet further said: "No man should stay with a lady in seclusion except in the presence of a Mahram (unmarriageable relative)." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] There is no doubt that there is contravention and transgression to the above-mentioned texts for a woman to work in a men's hair salon; and this causes much temptation and great evil, and an invitation to fornication and adultery, so it is not permissible at all. It is not a valid excuse to say that refusing to employ a woman is in contradiction to the common rules of that country. Rather, we advise you to set up another business than hairdressing because hairdressing salons even in Muslim countries, may carry out some prohibitions like shaving the beard, or cutting hair in a way that resembles the non-Muslims, or cutting a part of the head while leaving another part and so forth; and all this is forbidden.
Allaah knows best.