Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Is my job halal?

As salaam alaikum,

I am an instructional designer, at an elearning firm, and my current job responsibilities include developing e-learning insurance and finance courses (please note that these courses are not prepared from an islamic point of view). The target audience is insurance agents and/or prospective agents. The development process includes research,

compilation of information and designing. I would like to know whether this job is halal?.

If it isn`t halal, then please tell me what I should do with whatever amount I have earned through this job?

Eagerly looking forward to your response.

Wa salaam,

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Elearning jon Insurance Halal or Haram

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Neither e-learning, nor developing, researching, compiling, and designing courses for learning insurance or finance are declared haraam or forbidden in Shariah, thus none can say with conviction that the job that you are currently doing or its earning is from the ‘haraam’ or forbidden.

If a believer researches, compiles information and design courses in the fields of conventional insurance and finance with the intention to make it known or make others beware of the evil of the concept of ‘riba’ or interest which these fields invariably entail, he would indeed be doing a good deed and will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah for his intentions and his efforts.

But because what you design and teach would teach others the art of dealing in conventional insurance or finance, which presumably would involve the transactions of ‘riba’ or interest which are specifically declared as ‘haraam’ by Allah and His Messenger (saws); the absolute maximum one can say is that you might be an accomplice in facilitating what has been clearly declared as forbidden in Shariah.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.267 Narrated by An Numan bin Bashir

The Prophet (saws) said "Both the ‘halaal’ (legal) and the ‘haraam’ (illegal) things are obvious, and in between them are (suspicious) doubtful matters. So whoever forsakes those doubtful things lest he may commit a sin, will definitely avoid what is clearly illegal; and whoever indulges in these (suspicious) doubtful things bravely, is likely to commit what is clearly illegal. Sins are Allah's Hima (i.e. private pasture) and whoever pastures (his sheep) near it, is likely to get in it at any moment."

In our humble opinion it would be purest and safest if you could find yourself an alternate assignment which would not involve you in assisting or facilitating something which has been clearly described as ‘haraam’ or forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (saws); that way you would have absolutely peace of mind and not even come near the suspicious or dubious matters regarding the lawful and the unlawful.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan