Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Allah has prescribed rulings in Islam that are based on wisdom. The rulings are aimed at setting individuals and societies straight. The one who goes against these rulings exposes himself to punishment in the Hereafter and he may be punished in this world before that.
We are not going to discuss the greatness of Allah’s wisdom in His laws, rather we have to introduce our answer in this way because of the sister’s question, asking for the ruling on her studies or her work. She is living among the kuffaar, in their country, and they are causing trouble for her because of her religious commitment. How much pressure is this Muslim woman and many others like her living with? When will fathers and mothers pay attention and wake up from their heedlessness, and leave those lands which have caused many to lose their religion and identity? You will find that there are many wise people who regret paying too much attention to accumulating money at the expense of their religion and honour.
Secondly:
Staying in kaafir countries is haraam for the one who is unable to practice his religion openly or who is afraid that he may be led astray from his religion. See the answer to question no. 27211 .
Thirdly:
Your studying in that country is undoubtedly in a mixed environment, and there is no doubt that you are seeing sins and immorality in those places, which pains the heart of the chaste Muslim. If studying in a Muslim country is in a mixed environment it is not permissible, so how can it be permissible in a kaafir country?
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said:
For a woman to study shar’i knowledge and other fields which a woman needs to know or which will help her to know matters of her religion is something that is prescribed, so long as it will not result in anything that is not allowed in sharee’ah. But if it will result in something that is forbidden in sharee’ah, such as mixing with non-mahram men or not observing hijab, then it is not permissible, because these are haraam things, and because that will lead to corruption. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal al-Shaykh, Shaykh Saalih al-fawzan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (12/170, 171).
They also said:
Mixing between men and women in schools and elsewhere is a great evil and leads to great corruption in religious and worldly terms. It is not permissible for a woman to study or work in a place where men and women mix, and it is not permissible for her guardian to allow her to do so. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal al-Shaykh, Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (12/156)
Fourthly:
Your working in the seniors’ home is also haraam, because it involves mixing with men; and because it involves making food using pork, which Allah has stated is haraam, and it is also haraam according to the Sunnah and scholarly consensus; and because it involves serving wine which is also haraam according to the Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly consensus.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
It is not permissible for a woman to work with men who are not her mahrams, because of the evils that result from her presence with them. She has to seek provision through ways that do not involve anything haraam. If a person fears Allah, He will make things easy for him. The Committee has issued a fatwa concerning that, the text of which is as follows:
As for the mixing of women with men in factories and offices, in non-Muslim countries, it is not permissible. But they have something that is worse than that, which is disbelief in Allah, so it is no surprise that such evils occur among them. As for women mixing with men in Muslim countries, at the time when they are Muslim, that is also haraam. The authorities in the places where this mixing occurs must take steps to put the women in one place and the men in another, because of the moral corruption that results from mixing, as is obvious to anyone who has the slightest insight. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allah ibn Qa’ood
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (12/232, 233)
For more information on women’s work and the conditions of it being permissible, please see the answer to question no. 22397.
In the answer to question no. 6666 you will find important advice to do with women working in mixed environments.
See also the answer to question no. 26788, which is similar to your question.
And Allah knows best.
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