What sort of careers are Islamic women allowed to take up? Any career would be alright, which does not interfere with the purpose of their creation as women. You are held mainly responsible, and this is how you are made, differently from men. To give birth to children, the future generation of mankind, look after them and bring them up in a way as the future of mankind is brighter and better than before. At least it is as good as your present, not worse.
This is a very great responsibility and a very grave responsibility on the shoulders of the ladies. If they are drawn much more to other hollow attractions and activities of life, which begins to tell on their main function, and which begins to divert their attention from the main purpose for which they are created, then to that extent, humanity as such would begin to suffer. And you may leave such generations behind you as would be in a worse state of human relationship, because they will not be well brought up, well taught. So any profession which begins to interfere with this primary function of ladies would be to that much discouraged.
To that degree it should be discouraged. But that is not a general rule. Some ladies have such professions that are very important for the lady folk itself. For instance, lady doctors. Their profession also perhaps interferes to some degree with the primary purpose of creation, yet it helps the women folk in general and that in itself is a very useful occupation. So I am all out for ladies to become lady doctors, particularly specializing in the diseases of ladies, so that they don’t have to go to men.
But otherwise there are certain professions which draw them out to a life pattern where they are ill suited. Like this young girl asked about being an advocate. If you are an advocate of a solicitor type, where you have more office work and no appearances in the court, that could be acceptable to a degree. But if you become an advocate, appearing in the courts, meeting the criminals and this and that, it would be bad for you, for your own character, for your own safety as well, and for your own personality as well, and also it will affect your home life.
So that I shouldn’t advise like her grandfather didn’t. But every occupation, every profession has to be judged on merit. The guiding principle I have told you, that you should think within you, what is the main purpose of your creation in a way which is different from men. Allah could make us exactly the same, but he has made us different, because our functions are different. And the concomitant responsibilities of those functions are also different. So whatever we do in life, we should not let this main purpose of our creation be interfered with.
