somewhere else,would enjoythe grace of Allah,andwhoever attracts
theblessingsofAllah,wouldnotbetormentedbyAllah'sanger'.Umm-
e-Salamah said: 'O Rasul al-Allah (Messenger (SA)of Allah)!May my
parentshesacrificedforyou,pleasestateotherrewardsforwomen'.The
Prophet(SA)ofAllahstated:'Whenawomanbecomes pregnant,Allah
rewardsherasmuchasHewouldtosomeonewhogoesforjihad(holy
war)withallhiswealthandlife.Thenwhenshedeliversherbaby,acall
wouldreachherstating'allyoursinsareforgiven;startanewlifeagain.'
Each time she feeds her baby with her milk, Allah gives her reward
equal to that of freeing a slave for each feeding'."
Housewives, even not busy with their housework, should find
somethingto do.Theycan readbooks,can dueresearchonsomething
useful,andacidtotheirknowledgeandskillstheycanwritearticles,and
even books. They can engage in drawing, painting,tailoring, knitting,
sewing.andsoforth.Asaresulttheycanhelptheirfamilieseconomic-
allyaswellascontributingtotheirsocietybymakingtheirachievements
available to the public.
Workingpreventsthedevelopmentof manymentaldisorders.Imam
Ali(AS)stated:'Allahlikesa piousperson whoishonestlyengagedin
doingajob'."' Whilesomewomenworkathome,thereareotherswho
preferan outsidejob. This preference maybe eitherforeconomical or
otherreasons.Inthisease,thebestjobsareculturaloccupationsornurs-
ing.Nurseries,primaryandhighschoolsaresuitableplacesforwomen
to train and teach female students. Hospitals are also suitable places
wherewomencanserveasnursesanddoctors.Such jobsareagreeable
tothefemalenature;andalso, therewould rarely,ifatall,be theneed
forthemtomixwithorcomeacrossthemenwhoarenotmahram(near
relatives with whom marriage is prohibited).
Thefollowingare recommendationsto thoseladieswho intendtoor
who are working outside their homes.
(a)Consultyourhusbandbeforetakingupajob.Itisyourhusband's
righttograntorrefuseyoupermissiontowork.Startingtoworkwithout
yourhusband'spermissionwillbedetrimentaltotheserenityandloving
atmosphereof your family. Men are alsoadvisednot to be adamantly
negativewith regardto theirwives' workingoutsidethehouse, unless
the job concerned is considered unsuitable to them.