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In the serenity of the early morning hours as the last remnants of night fade away to behold a bright new dawn, Zohra Sarwari starts her day by first offering the Fajr, or dawn, prayer. Then it’s off to work, which is only a short commute to her home office. Residing in Indiana, Sarwari is an author, speaker and life/business coach as well as a stay-at-home mother to three children.
While her computer warms up, Sarwari tends to the needs of her children, which include changing their clothes, preparing breakfast and setting out the day’s lesson plan as she also home-schools the three.
 Photo by Lynn's Photography
"Basically, I work throughout the entire day and have three employees who work alongside me," she says.
The bulk of her daily workload includes running her own Web site, www.zohrasarwari.com, where she offers her services as an expert life/business coach to interested clients.
She also uploads videos and manages the Web site to ensure that visitors can find it easily when searching online.
In addition to a plate that is already full, Sarwari is also studying to attain a bachelor’s of arts in Islam.
It is often a fine juggling act for Sarwari as well as all working moms, whether they are Muslim or otherwise, to raise a family while also pursuing a career.
However, Sarwari offers great insight as to why she works so hard. "I believe, on Judgment DaAy, that I will be asked about my youth and how I spent my time. I work hard now because I am young and healthy.I say get off the lazy couch and just do it."
Working mothers increase
More and more Muslim women are opting to join the workforce, whether they physically have to go to an office or decide to ‘cyber-commute’ from the comfort of their own homes.
"Working Muslim mothers are very common in my community," says Linda Kay Jitmoud, who is a Kentucky novelist and stay-at-home mom to six sons. "Most of the ones I know are teachers, doctors and accountants."
Up until about 10 years ago, Jitmoud herself was a full-time schoolteacher. "I found it very difficult to manage both a job and family life. I taught my sons how to cook and clean at a very young age, and my husband also pitches in."
However, as her children have grown, so have the dynamics of the challenges she faces in raising them. "Older kids get bored easily and don’t want to stay at home. There are driving lessons, college applications and being available for their problems."
After leaving the teaching field, Jitmoud set her sights on her true passion, which is writing. On a good day, she can be found busily working on her latest novel for at least a few hours of the day. But at night, she really sets to work as her family sleeps, often staying up until well after midnight with her fingers quickly clattering away on the keyboard.
Culturally speaking
Many Muslim women are bound by the cultures they were either born into or have married into when it comes to deciding whether or not they work outside of the home.
In many cultures, women who work outside of the home bear the social stigma of being ‘too modern’ or ‘chasing after the West,’ which is a sharp contrast to how working women, in general, are embraced in the United States.
"The American culture is very acceptable of working women - in some circles, staying at home with children is looked upon as a bad thing," says Maryland resident Julie Samia Mair, who is a freelance writer, administrative assistant for an Islamic school and stay-at-home mom to twin daughters.
Other cultures strongly oppose Muslim women working outside of the home. Some believe Islam frowns upon free-mixing between men and women, and because many jobs involve free-mixing
between the genders, some prefer to work from home to fulfill their career goals.
However, many Muslim women still choose to work outside of the home, as it provides them with more financial security and enables them to interact with other adults, which is a less isolating than working from home.
Mair knows firsthand what it’s like to be a part of the United States workforce, but she decided to walk away from it to pursue other goals in life.
"When I decided to quit my job as a researcher to stay home with our girls, my husband was worried about our finances. I told him that Allah (SWT) would help us because my staying home with our girls was what was best for them. A few months after I left my job, my husband got an unexpected salary increase," she says. "I often remind myself of the hadith that speaks about our provision already being determined before we are born. So whether I stay home or not, I will receive the same provision. I decided that I would no longer worry about finances so much and do what we think is best for the girls. Allah (SWT) has made this possible. He is the best of Providers."
Division of labor
When a Muslim woman decides to enter the workforce, many argue that something has to give within the household.
A woman can only juggle so many ‘balls’ in the air before dropping them all, they say. For many Muslim women, their husbands have stepped up to the plate and offered much needed assistance, which falls in accordance with the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to create harmony between spouses.
When it comes to the division of labor within the home, the younger generation of Muslim mothers has a far easier time of it then previous generations.
"I think Muslim women today have an easier time going to work because their husbands are more likely to offer help around the house," Jitmoud says. "My own father did very little housework and did not even know how to cook, whereas my husband and sons have taken housework in a whole new direction."
Cooking, cleaning and putting the children to bed are just a few of the things Mair’s husband does to take some of the burden off of her shoulders.
"My husband cooks dinner every night and takes the lead when getting our girls ready for bed while also reading to them each night," she says. "My husband is a huge help with the girls and around the house — I am truly blessed."
Why they work
Some Muslim women have no choice but to go to work with the ever-spiraling rate of inflation as price hikes for both food and fuel continually increase on a regular basis.
One paycheck is no longer enough to support a family living in the United States, especially in the current down-turned economy.
However, there are some Muslim mothers who go back to work not for monetary reasons but simply to be productive and contributing members of their communities.
"There was a time when my teaching career was everything, but that was a mistake. Family life is more important and, while I may get very involved in writing a book, I pace myself so that I can work around my family’s schedule," Jitmoud says.
Another reason Muslim women choose to work is for the sake of Islam and the Ummah. "I work because I want to, for the sake of Allah. I want to perform acts of Da’wah to reach people by inspiring and motivating them. I love what I do, and working from my home office I always have my kids around me," Sarwari says.
Many Muslim mothers would rather do without certain things rather than sacrifice their family life.
Mair makes a lot less than she used to going to the office every day, but she would not have it any other way.
"Being home with my girls is my No. 1 priority. I am thankful that my husband makes enough money so that I can stay at home, even though we have had to do with less without my higher income. I also like being busy and would fill my time with other activities if I were not doing what I am doing now."
"Our house isn’t as clean as we would like it, but we do the best we can," she says. "I can’t do it all 100 percent, so I settle for less than I would otherwise like and don’t stress
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