Guidelines on permissible and unlawful work in the West

Praise
be to Allah

Firstly:

The guideline on
permissible work is that it should be in a permissible field and should not
involve helping others to commit unlawful acts.

This includes working in
buying and selling, and rental, of permissible things such as selling food,
medicine, tools and equipment, and the like. It also includes working in
teaching, medicine, engineering, electricity, carpentry, and manufacturing,
and innumerable other permissible types of work.

As for unlawful work, that
includes: working in riba-based banks or commercial insurance companies, or
carrying alcohol, or raising pigs, or writing down contracts of riba, or
equipping places for gambling, or selling things that it is thought most
likely will be used for unlawful purposes, such as selling weapons to
bandits, and other things that are regarded as haraam and sinful, or helping
in it directly or almost directly.

As for helping in it
indirectly, whilst not intending to help in sin and transgression, that is
not unlawful. That includes selling permissible food to a disbeliever, one
who deals in riba, or one who gambles. It cannot be said that by means of
this food one is nourishing them and giving them the strength to commit sin.
If indirectly helping them was forbidden, then people would never find
permissible work except in very rare cases.

Hence the Sahaabah used to
deal with the Jews, buying and selling, renting, and so on, because they
benefitted from such activities.

If the work in and of
itself is permissible, and does not involve directly helping anyone to
commit unlawful acts, it is permissible.

This is the guideline that
we can mention in this regard, with regard to whether work is lawful or
prohibited.

For more information,
please see the answer to question no. 247586.

Based on that, if there is
a bakery that sells permissible types of bread, and other types that are
unlawful because they are contain alcohol, for example, and the worker’s
role is limited to dealing with the permissible bread, and he is not helping
with that which is unlawful in any way, then in the case of extreme need it
is permissible for him to do this job, but he should look for other work,
because seeing the evil deed makes it obligatory for him to object to it,
and he may not be able to do that. So he should leave the place in that
case, because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“And it has already
come down to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah
[recited], they are denied [by them] and ridiculed; so do not sit with them
until they enter into another conversation. Indeed, you would then be like
them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell all
together”

[an-Nisa’ 4:170].

Al-Jassaas said in
Ahkaam al-Qur’an (2/407): This verse indicates that it is obligatory to
express the objection to an evil deed to the one who is doing it, and that
part of objecting to it is expressing displeasure, if it is not possible to
remove it, and to refrain from sitting with the one who is doing it, and to
get up and leave him, until he stops doing that and begins to do something
else. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on working for the
owners of shops selling gold, in which they engage in transactions that are
Islamically unacceptable, whether that is dealing with riba, using haraam
tricks, deceiving customers, and other transactions that are not acceptable
according to sharee‘ah?

He replied: Working for
these people who deal in riba, use deceit, and other haraam things is
haraam, because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“but do not cooperate
in sin and aggression”

[al-Maa’idah 5:2]

“And it has already
come down to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah
[recited], they are denied [by them] and ridiculed; so do not sit with them
until they enter into another conversation. Indeed, you would then be like
them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell all
together”

[an-Nisa’ 4:170].

And because the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: ““Whoever among you sees an
evil action, then let him change it with his hand [by taking action]; if he
cannot, then with his tongue [by speaking out]; and if he cannot, then with
his heart [by hating it].” But the one who works with them is not changing
anything, whether with his hand, his tongue or his heart, so he is
disobeying the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

End quote from Fiqh wa
Fataawa al-Buyoo‘, p. 392

So this friend of yours
should look for another job in which he will be able to avoid seeing evil.

But so long as he does not
go near the pork or help with it in any way, then his salary is lawful,
because it is in return for his work with the permissible bread, but he is
sinning by not objecting the evil, and this is what makes it necessary for
him to look for another job.

Thus you will know that
there is nothing wrong with you eating his food or accepting his gifts, for
his salary is permissible.

Secondly:

Working in commercial
insurance companies is prohibited, because commercial insurance is based on
riba (usury) and gambling, as we have explained in the answers to questions
no. 130761 and 205100.

But with regard to wealth
that is unlawful because of the manner in which it is acquired, it is only
haraam for the one who acquires it; so there is no blame on the one who
takes it from him in a lawful manner, such as gifts, maintenance and the
like. Please see the answers to questions no. 114798
and 246623.

Based on that, there is
nothing wrong with you eating food or accepting anything of the wealth of
the one who works in this unlawful insurance field.

Thirdly:

The ways of earning a
lawful income are many, but the matter may need some research and effort.
Whoever fears Allah, may He be exalted, He will grant him provision and help
him, as He, may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whoever fears
Allah – He will make for him a way out.

And will provide for
him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah – then He
is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has
already set for everything a [decreed] extent”

[al-Talaaq 65:2-3].

So strive to look for
permissible work, that is free of mixing and seeing evil things. Caution in
this regard is something praiseworthy, for whoever strives to avoid dubious
matters will protect his religious commitment from shortcomings and will
protect his honour from slander, and whoever falls into doubtful matters
will soon fall into haraam matters.

The Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said:

“Whoever guards against
the doubtful matters will protect his religious commitment from shortcomings
and will protect his honour from slander, but whoever falls into that which
is doubtful will fall into that which is haraam, like a shepherd who grazes
his flock around prohibited land; he will soon graze in it.” Narrated by
al-Bukhaari (52) and Muslim (1599).

And he said: “Leave that
which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.” Narrated by
at-Tirmidhi (2518) and an-Nasaa’i (5711). At-Tirmidhi said: This is a saheeh
hasan hadith. It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
at-Tirmidhi.

And Allah knows best.