Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
A man in Islam should go out and work to support his household. If, however, he cannot because of health challenges, he may mutually agree to take on the duties of a household husband.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
As you should know, men are the maintainers of women, so you should be the family’s primary breadwinner.
“Men shall take full care of women with the bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on the latter and with what they may spend out of their possessions.” (An-Nisaa’ 4:34)
So, you owe yourself to go out and work to support your household.
If, however, you are prevented from it because of health challenges, you may mutually agree to take on the duties of a household husband.
If you have no such challenges, it is undesirable and unbecoming of a self-respecting man. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘it is a major sin for a man to neglect maintaining his family.”
He also said: “A person going out to earn a lawful source of livelihood to maintain his family is rewarded like someone going out in jihad.”
Islam teaches the faithful to work for a living. The Prophet used to kiss a worker’s hands, saying: “These are the hands loved by Allah and His Messenger.”
To stress the great value of work in Islam, Allah orders the faithful to disperse in the land seeking the bounty of Allah even on Friday after the Prayer: “When the Prayer is over, disperse in the land seeking the bounty of Allah.” (Al-Jumuah 62:10)
In conclusion, you should not choose the option of being a househusband if you have a choice. However, you may do so as a temporary option while awaiting a job or, God forbid if you are suffering from health challenges that prevent you from going out to work.
May Allah guide us to think and act in ways that would preserve our self-esteem and dignity and thus earn His goodly pleasure!
Almighty Allah knows best.