Would Becoming a Female Doctor be Sinful Despite the High Ratio of Female Doctors?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I have heard from many places that society needs female doctors to assist women. But here in the US, I saw that women doctors are more than men doctors (50-55% women). So am I still allowed to become a doctor, even if it is not needed?
I have entered this field of study now, and there is only one year left of my studies. Would I be sinful if I practiced my profession without any need? If I would be avoiding male patients, they would eventually go to other female doctors, because female doctors, mostly non-Muslims, are more.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question. It is good to know you are now in your final year of medicine. May Allah Most High make it easy and you pass your final exams and registration, Amin.
Despite the ratio of female doctors being higher, there is more need for doctors, male and female, than in any other profession in any country and the world over. So continue and complete your studies. It is all about having a noble intention and serving others, which was the feature of our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and those who followed Him.
Learn Sciences of the Religion and World
Ibn Abi Hatim (Allah have mercy on him) reported that Imam Shafi’i (Allah have mercy on him) said, “Verily, knowledge is only two types: knowledge of the religion and knowledge of the world. The knowledge of religion is to achieve juristic understanding (fiqh), and the knowledge of the world is medicine. Do not settle in a land in which there is no scholar to inform you about your religion nor a doctor to inform you about your body.” [Ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi, Adab al-Shafi‘i wa Manaqibuh]
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction, in sha’ Allah.
Related:
- Life as a Muslim Medic & Dentist
- Medical Archives
- Provision and Work: A Reader by SeekersGuidance
- The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained. [Lecture Series]
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
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.
