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:

Could you please guide us about the nature (Halal or Haram) of source of income if one does not know about its source. For example, if the employees of an organization don't not know where their salaries come from? may be it is involved in some interest based business. So what will be the status of salaries (Halal) or Haram.

(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:

Source of salaries lawful

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Some amongst the companions of the Prophet (saws) were employed by non-muslims and Jews who used to deal in ‘Riba’…..thus as long as the business itself is lawful and the nature of the work one does is lawful in its essence, the believing employee will not be held accountable for the source of the funds he is compensated from by his employers.

If one is employed in a business which is absolutely unlawful in its essence (like a conventional interest based bank, or a gambling house, or a prostitution den, or a brewery, etc.), then indeed the income of the employee will be unlawful.

But if one is employed in a business which is lawful in its essence, but the owners of the business are involved in something of the unlawful…..the income of the believing employee itself will be deemed lawful; and the burden of sin of the unlawful part of the income will be borne by the owners of the business alone.

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