Fatwa ID: 09225
Answered by Muftiyah Humairah Badshah
Question:
Background: I am a qualified doctor specialising in psychiatry who is also trying to study the Qur’an with translation and deepen my Islamic knowledge, but due to upcoming exams my psychiatry studies often take priority.
Question: In this situation, how should I Islamically understand whether studying psychiatry with the intention of serving people and reducing suffering for the sake of Allah counts as sawab and an act of worship or merely a worldly pursuit, whether it is correct for my professional studies to take precedence over structured Islamic learning at this stage or whether seeking Islamic knowledge should remain the primary focus even if it affects my academic progress, and whether, if a husband earns, it is more ideal for a wife to focus on ibadah and raising children rather than pursuing a medical career?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The merit of certain actions over others depends on many factors, including the sincerity of your intention, whether your community has dire necessity or general need for any particular service, and whether any course of action involves any negative consequences.[1] In general, studying Islam and gaining religious knowledge is an important duty and a beneficial and rewarding act which should generally be prioritized over non-necessary actions.[2]
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” [Sunan Ibn Majah 224] [2]
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The best of you is he who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2909] [2]
‘Uqbah b. ‘Amir al-Juhani (﵁) said: “When we were in the Suffah, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked: ‘Which of you would like to go out every morning to Buthan or Al-‘Aqiq and bring two large humped and fat she-camels without being guilty of sin and severing ties of relationship?’ They [the people] said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we would all like that.’ He [ﷺ] said: ‘If any one of you goes out in the morning to the mosque and learns two verses of the Book of Allah, the Exalted, it is better for him than two she-camels, and three verses are better for him than three she-camels, and so on than their numbers in camels.’” [Sunan Abi Dawud 1456] [2]
As for the actions of women specifically, all people regardless of gender should prioritise ibaadah over career goals and other facets of worldly life once their needs are secured. Therefore, if your material needs are being fulfilled by your husband (as is his duty), then it would be best for you to prioritise acts of ibaadah.[2] Note that ibadah can come in a wide variety of forms so long as your intention is correct and sincere, including raising children, helping others, learning religious knowledge and performing acts of worship.[3]
The Messenger of Allah said (ﷺ): “When a man dies all his good deeds come to an end except three: Ongoing charity [Sadaqah Jariyah], beneficial knowledge and a righteous child who prays for him.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i 3651] [3]
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Muftiyah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
اَلۡأُمُوۡرُ بِمُقَاصِدِهَا
…
الشَرَح : أَي إِنَّ اۡلحُكُمَ الَّذِي يَتَرَتَّبُ عَلَى فِعۡلِ الۡمُكَلَّفِ يُنۡظَرُ فِيِهِ إِلَى مَقْصَدِهِ فَعَلَى حَسۡبِهِ يَتَرَتَّبُ الۡحُكۡمُ تَمَلُّكًا وَعَدَمَهُ ، ثَوَاباً وَعَدَمَهُ، عِقَابًا وَعَدَمَهُ، مُؤَاخَذَةً وَعَدَمَهَا ، ضَمَانًا وَعَدَمَهُ
Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah (Daar Al-Tirmidy ed.) p.12
اَلضَّرَرُ يُزَالُ
Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah (Daar Al-Tirmidy ed.) p.31
دَرْءُ الْمَفَاسِدِ أَوْلَى مِنْ جَلْبِ الْمَنَافِعِ
Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah (Daar Al-Tirmidy ed.) p.34
اَلۡمَشَقَّةُ تَجۡلِبُ التَّيۡسِيۡر
Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah (Daar Al-Tirmidy ed.) p.40
اَلْحَاجَةُ تُنَزَّلُ مَنْزِلَةُ الضَّرُوْرَةِ ، عَامَّةً كَانَتْ أَوْ خَاصَّةً فِيْ إِبَاحَةِ الْمَحْظُوْر
Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah (Daar Al-Tirmidy ed.) p.45
إِذَا تَعَارَضَ الْمَانِعُ وَالْمُقْتَضَي يُقَدِّمُ الْمَانِع
Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah (Daar Al-Tirmidy ed.) p.34
[2]
حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا كَثِيرُ بْنُ شِنْظِيرٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ “ طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ وَوَاضِعُ الْعِلْمِ عِنْدَ غَيْرِ أَهْلِهِ كَمُقَلِّدِ الْخَنَازِيرِ الْجَوْهَرَ وَاللُّؤْلُؤَ وَالذَّهَبَ ” .
Sunan Ibn Majah (https://sunnah.com) b.0, no.0 (224)
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ زِيَادٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ ” . وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَلِيٍّ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ .
Jami` at-Tirmidhi (https://sunnah.com) b.45, no.35 (2909)
حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ الْمَهْرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُلَىِّ بْنِ رَبَاحٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ، قَالَ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَنَحْنُ فِي الصُّفَّةِ فَقَالَ ” أَيُّكُمْ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَغْدُوَ إِلَى بُطْحَانَ أَوِ الْعَقِيقِ فَيَأْخُذَ نَاقَتَيْنِ كَوْمَاوَيْنِ زَهْرَاوَيْنِ بِغَيْرِ إِثْمٍ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلاَ قَطْعِ رَحِمٍ ” . قَالُوا كُلُّنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ . قَالَ ” فَلأَنْ يَغْدُوَ أَحَدُكُمْ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَيَتَعَلَّمَ آيَتَيْنِ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ نَاقَتَيْنِ وَإِنْ ثَلاَثٌ فَثَلاَثٌ مِثْلُ أَعْدَادِهِنَّ مِنَ الإِبِلِ ” .
Sunan Abi Dawud (https://sunnah.com) b.8, no.41 (1456)
[3]
أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْعَلاَءُ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ إِذَا مَاتَ الإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَمَلُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ ثَلاَثَةٍ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ وَعِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ وَوَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ ”.
Sunan an-Nasa’i (https://sunnah.com) b.30, no.41 (3651)