Pop-ups En Vogue

QUESTION:

Nowadays, many women are selling things at pop-ups and starting small businesses. My husband often tells me that everyone, except me, is making money.

Alhamdulillah, we are comfortable and I am grateful for what Allah Ta’ala has blessed us with. I spend most of my day looking after my family, cooking and managing our home. His comments sometimes make me feel as though what I do is not enough. I would appreciate advice on how to deal with this without becoming resentful or ungrateful.

ANSWER:

From the outset, the Quraan Majeed explicitly and categorically commands females to remain within the home. Hence, they should not emerge except due to necessity. A necessity refers to such a need that if it is not fulfilled one will be harmed, such as, going out to purchase food items if no other person is available to attend to it.
Now coming to your query, it is not permissible for women to have a pop-up business. Many a times these places have music in the background amongst other vices; it may even be open to both males and females resulting in intermingling of sexes which is absolutely forbidden in Shari’ah.

Furthermore, the marketplace is generally a place of Fitnah and perhaps many roamers are there with evil intentions, hence, a single conversation with the opposite gender is sufficient to destroy an entire home. Also, when male shopkeepers attend to male customers, the transaction is concluded within a few minutes, whereas male customers prolong their conversations and discussions with females (and vice versa), as the Nafs derives enjoyment from such conversations.

Yes, if she is required to earn a livelihood as no one is prepared to support her, then she may sell items from her home. She may also prepare the items which she intends selling and have them dropped off (by some Mahram) at stores that are willing to market it for her. In this way, she will be remaining within her home as required by Shari’ah as well as earning a livelihood. In conclusion, a female should always remain within the confines of her home as required by Shari’ah.

Sadly, the gravest plight today is that a person is willing to destroy his/her Aakhirah in the process of acquiring Dunya, but how many of us have dented our Dunya to earn our Aakhirah?

Also consider the following Hadith:

عن عبد الله رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: إن المرأة عورة فإذا خرجت استشرفها الشيطان وأقرب ما تكون من وجه ربها وهي في قعر بيتها
)مسند البزار #1820)

Hadrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood Radiallahu Anhu reports that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, “A woman should be concealed (from strange men). When she leaves her home, Shaytaan looks at her. The time that she is closest to her Rabb is when she is within the confines of her home.”

Moreover, in your case, as you have stated in your query that you are comfortable and all your needs are being fulfilled, we do not find the need for you to do any business. You should rather spend your time in fulfilling your husband’s rights such as cooking, looking after the errands of the house, making Tarbiyah og your children and making the Ibaadah of Allah Ta’ala. You should also encourage your husband to attend some pious Aalim’s gathering/programmes where his mindset will also be corrected and he will begin to appreciate what Allah Ta’ala has blessed him with, instead of craving more to amass the transitory wealth of this world.

أمرهن رضي الله تعالى عنهن بملازمة البيوت وهو أمر مطلوب من سائر النساء أخرج الترمذي والبزار عن إبن مسعود عن النبي صلى الله تعالى عليه وسلم قال : إن المرأة عورة فإذا خرجت من بيتها أستشرفها الشيطان وأقرب ما تكون من رحمة ربها وهي في قعر بيتها
روح المعاني (إحياء التراث العربي) (22/ 6)
والمعنى : إلزمن يا نساء النبي بيوتكن واثبتن في مساكنكن
روح البيان – إحياء التراث (7/ 131)
والخطاب وإن كان لنساء النبي فقد دخل فيه غيرهن.
تفسير القرطبي (14/ 179)
وَإِنْ كَانَ الْخِطَابُ لِنِسَاءِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَدْ دَخَلَ غَيْرُهُنَّ فِيهِ بِالْمَعْنَى. هَذَا لَوْ لَمْ يَرِدْ دَلِيلٌ يَخُصُّ جَمِيعَ النِّسَاءِ، كَيْفَ وَالشَّرِيعَةُ طَافِحَةٌ بِلُزُومِ النِّسَاءِ بُيُوتَهَنَّ، وَالِانْكِفَافِ عَنِ الْخُرُوجِ مِنْهَا إِلَّا لِضَرُورَةٍ، عَلَى مَا تَقَدَّمَ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعٍ. فَأَمَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمُلَازَمَةِ بُيُوتِهِنَّ، وَخَاطَبَهُنَّ بِذَلِكَ تَشْرِيفًا لَهُنَّ

ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!

ANSWERED BY:

Mufti Abdul Kader Fazlani

Date: 15 Rabi-ul-Aakhir 1448 / 27 September 2026

CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:

Mufti Yacoob Vally Saheb