Answered by Shaykh Abdul- Rahim Reasat
Question:
Assalamu ‘alaykum.
I am a female. I work with a male dentist. We are almost never alone, and when we are, the door to the clinic is always open to the outside. Is this allowed? And I sometimes do scans on the clients where I have to touch their mouth; sometimes, the client is a male. The door to the clinic is always open.
Is this work permissible for me?
Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
Yes, it is permissible to be in your work environment like that with the male dentist. What is not permissible is for an unrelated male and female to be alone in a place where they cannot be seen, nor can anyone walk in on them without permission. Your work environment does not cross this line. (Khadimi, al Bariqa al Mahmudiyya)
The general rule is that touching the non-mahram members of the opposite gender is not permissible; however, there are exceptions in cases of medical treatment. The condition is that only the bare minimum of contact is made. Stick to this, and your job is permissible. (Zarqa, Sharh Qawa’id al Fiqhiyya)
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani