Can I Work as a Female Pediatric Nurse?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I’m a Muslim woman who wants to go into the health field. Would it be considered sinful for me to become a pediatric nurse practitioner? They sometimes treat people up to 21 years old. What is the ruling here?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health.
It is permissible for you to work in healthcare as a pediatric nurse practitioner even though you might have to treat people up to the age of 21 years old.
Work with Due Diligence
Working as a nurse, one will be exposed to the private areas of others and mature people, as you mention. So, as a rule of necessity, only that area should be exposed, which is necessary to look and treat and work with diligence and support of other staff. As this is part of the job, it would be permissible as a necessity. Necessity permits prohibited acts.
Turn One’s Work Into Serving Others
Certainly, in health care, one can turn one’s work into service to others, taking their duas and a form of worship. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Actions are according to intentions.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
No matter how ordinary, any act can be transformed into a rewardable act when performed for the sake of Allah Most High. Read about the importance of intentions when working.
Related:
How Do I Make My Nursing Career as Worship?
Can a Girl Get a Higher Education?
Can I Work as a Nurse in Hospice Care?
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
