Question:
Assalamualaikum wbt,
I want to ask regarding the issue of the relationship with a maid. What is the best guideline for a situation where a maid lives in the house of her employer together with children of 2-5 years old of age, when the wife of the employer went to work (eg: on call or night shift)? Is it permissible for her male employer to stay on the upper level of the house together with the children while the maid stayed on the first floor?
Hope for an explanation from Dato’ Mufti. Jazakallah khayr.
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wbt,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the many countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
First and foremost, one must ensure that the maid’s room and the employer’s room must be far from each other and maintain the covering of awrah and the limitations of the interactions between them. Islam emphasizes the covering of awrah between the maid and employer for they are ajnabi.
Furthermore, although she is a maid, we have to celebrate her rights and be compassionate towards her. So true are the advice of the Prophet PBUH in a hadith from Abu Dzar al-Ghifari RA:
نَعَمْ، هُمْ إِخْوَانُكُمْ، جَعَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَحْتَ أَيْدِيكُمْ، فَمَنْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ أَخَاهُ تَحْتَ يَدِهِ، فَلْيُطْعِمْهُ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ، وَلْيُلْبِسْهُ مِمَّا يَلْبَسُ، وَلاَ يُكَلِّفُهُ مِنَ العَمَلِ مَا يَغْلِبُهُ، فَإِنْ كَلَّفَهُ مَا يَغْلِبُهُ فَلْيُعِنْهُ عَلَيْهِ
"Yes, they (slaves or servants) are your brothers, and Allah has put them under your command. So, the one under whose hand Allah has put his brother, should feed him of what he eats, and give him dresses of what he wears, and should not ask him to do a thing beyond his capacity. And if at all he asks him to do a hard task, he should help him therein."
Sahih al-Bukhari (6050)
It is also important to note that for the husband, he should distance himself from the maid especially when his wife is absent. We would like to avoid the sin of neglecting the limitations of interactions between opposite genders. Moreover, all people involved in the situation should always maintain their prayer, patience and family relationships.
Wallahua’lam.