Fatwa ID: 08687
Answered by: Alimah Humairah Badshah
Question:
I’m reaching out for advice regarding the permissibility of a job opportunity with an assurance company. The company helps businesses comply with standards in quality, safety, and ethical practices. My role would be in the technology area, focusing on tasks like maintaining systems and automating processes, without involvement in financial transactions.
Could you kindly advise if working in such a position would be considered halal? I would be grateful for your guidance to ensure my work aligns with Islamic principles.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
In most cases, where the business in question isn’t solely to do with insurance, alcohol-selling or other haram practices, working on software maintenance and automation would be completely permissible. Only when the business has a haram purpose would working for them be put into question.
In general, it is not permissible to be hired to perform sins, nor is it permissible to sell things which are inherently used for sin, like alcohol or musical instruments. However, if one is selling something which could be used in either a permissible or impermissible way, like grapes which can used be to make wine or wood which can be used to make instruments, it is permissible to sell them even if one knows that the goods will likely be used for sin. This applies to anything which is not forbidden in and of itself.
Therefore, renting out the building to someone who will worship other than Allah (عز و جل) inside of it is permissible. This also applies to being hired to do work: for example, it is permissible to be hired to build or repair a church or likewise, because there is no sin in the work itself. Similarly it is permissible to be hired to write poetry and lyrics even if one knows they will be used for sinful music, as the act of writing poetry is not forbidden.
In your specific case, the act of software maintenance is not inherently forbidden. As for the automation side, its permissibility would depend on the nature of the automated task. Only if your additions to the software are specifically for the purpose of committing haram acts would it be impermissible. Additionally, if the software could be used for haram but it has any possible halal uses, then it would be permissible to work on it even if the halal use is not the main purpose. As you are not involved in financial transactions, it seems that your work would be permissible.
References:
كْرَهُ بَيْعُ السِّلَاحِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَغْيِ وَفِي عَسَاكِرِهِمْ؛ لِأَنَّهُ إعَانَةٌ لَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ، وَلَا يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ مَا يُتَّخَذُ مِنْهُ السِّلَاحُ كَالْحَدِيدِ وَنَحْوِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَصِيرُ سِلَاحًا إلَّا بِالْعَمَلِ وَنَظِيرُهُ أَنَّهُ يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ الْمَزَامِيرِ، وَلَا يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ مَا يُتَّخَذُ مِنْهُ الْمِزْمَارُ، وَهُوَ الْخَشَبُ وَالْقَصَبُ، وَكَذَا بَيْعُ الْخَمْرِ بَاطِلٌ، وَلَا يَبْطُلُ بَيْعُ مَا يُتَّخَذُ مِنْهُ، وَهُوَ الْعِنَبُ كَذَا هَذَا وَاَللَّهُ عز و جل أَعْلَمُ.
Badaai’ Al-Sanaai’ (Daar Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyyah, https://shamela.ws) v.7 p.132
عَلَى هَذَا يُخَرَّجُ الِاسْتِئْجَارُ عَلَى الْمَعَاصِي أَنَّهُ لَا يَصِحُّ لِأَنَّهُ اسْتِئْجَارٌ عَلَى مَنْفَعَةٍ غَيْرِ مَقْدُورَةِ الِاسْتِيفَاءِ شَرْعًا كَاسْتِئْجَارِ الْإِنْسَانِ لِلَّعِبِ وَاللَّهْوِ، وَكَاسْتِئْجَارِ الْمُغَنِّيَةِ، وَالنَّائِحَةِ لِلْغِنَاءِ، وَالنَّوْحِ بِخِلَافِ الِاسْتِئْجَارِ لِكِتَابَةِ الْغِنَاءِ وَالنَّوْحِ أَنَّهُ جَائِزٌ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَمْنُوعَ عَنْهُ نَفْسُ الْغِنَاءِ، وَالنَّوْحِ لَا كِتَابَتُهُمَا وَكَذَا لَوْ اسْتَأْجَرَ رَجُلًا لِيَقْتُلَ لَهُ رَجُلًا أَوْ لِيَسْجُنَهُ أَوْ لِيَضْرِبَهُ ظُلْمًا وَكَذَا كُلُّ إجَارَةٍ وَقَعَتْ لِمَظْلَمَةٍ؛ لِأَنَّهُ اسْتِئْجَارٌ لِفِعْلِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ فَلَا يَكُونُ الْمَعْقُودُ عَلَيْهِ مَقْدُورَ الِاسْتِيفَاءِ شَرْعًا
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وَلَوْ اسْتَأْجَرَ ذِمِّيٌّ مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ بِيعَةً لِيُصَلِّيَ فِيهَا لَمْ يَجُزْ؛ لِأَنَّهُ اسْتِئْجَارٌ لِفِعْلِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ
Badaai’ Al-Sanaai’ (Daar Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyyah, https://shamela.ws) v.4 p.189
(وَ) جَازَ (بَيْعُ عَصِيرِ) عِنَبٍ (مِمَّنْ) يُعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ (يَتَّخِذُهُ خَمْرًا) لِأَنَّ الْمَعْصِيَةَ لَا تَقُومُ بِعَيْنِهِ بَلْ بَعْدَ تَغَيُّرِهِ
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ُلْت: وَقَدَّمْنَا ثَمَّةَ مَعْزِيًّا لِلنَّهْرِ أَنَّ مَا قَامَتْ الْمَعْصِيَةُ بِعَيْنِهِ يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُهُ تَحْرِيمًا وَإِلَّا فَتَنْزِيهًا. فَلْيُحْفَظْ تَوْفِيقًا.(وَ) جَازَ تَعْمِيرُ كَنِيسَةٍ وَ (حَمْلُ خَمْرِ ذِمِّيٍّ) بِنَفْسِهِ أَوْ دَابَّتِهِ (بِأَجْرٍ)
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وَعُلِمَ مِنْ هَذَا أَنَّهُ لَا يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ مَا لَمْ تَقُمْ الْمَعْصِيَةُ بِهِ كَبَيْعِ الْجَارِيَةِ الْمُغَنِّيَةِ وَالْكَبْشِ النَّطُوحِ وَالْحَمَامَةِ الطَّيَّارَةِ وَالْعَصِيرِ وَالْخَشَبِ مِمَّنْ يُتَّخَذَ مِنْهُ الْمَعَازِفُ
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(قَوْلُهُ وَجَازَ تَعْمِيرُ كَنِيسَةٍ) قَالَ فِي الْخَانِيَّةِ: وَلَوْ آجَرَ نَفْسَهُ لِيَعْمَلَ فِي الْكَنِيسَةِ وَيُعَمِّرَهَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ لِأَنَّهُ لَا مَعْصِيَةَ فِي عَيْنِ الْعَمَلِ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fitr, https://shamela.ws) v.6 p.391
وَلَهُ أَنَّ الْإِجَارَةَ عَلَى الْحَمْلِ وَهُوَ لَيْسَ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ، وَلَا سَبَبَ لَهَا وَإِنَّمَا تَحْصُلُ الْمَعْصِيَةُ بِفِعْلِ فَاعِلٍ مُخْتَارٍ، وَلَيْسَ الشُّرْبُ مِنْ ضَرُورَاتِ الْحَمْلِ، لِأَنَّ حَمْلَهَا قَدْ يَكُونُ لِلْإِرَاقَةِ أَوْ لِلتَّخْلِيلِ، فَصَارَ كَمَا إذَا اسْتَأْجَرَهُ لِعَصْرِ الْعِنَبِ أَوْ قَطْعِهِ وَالْحَدِيثُ مَحْمُولٌ عَلَى الْحَمْلِ الْمَقْرُونِ بِقَصْدِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ
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(قَوْلُهُ وَجَازَ إجَارَةُ بَيْتٍ إلَخْ) هَذَا عِنْدَهُ أَيْضًا لِأَنَّ الْإِجَارَةَ عَلَى مَنْفَعَةِ الْبَيْتِ، وَلِهَذَا يَجِبُ الْأَجْرُ بِمُجَرَّدِ التَّسْلِيمِ، وَلَا مَعْصِيَةَ فِيهِ وَإِنَّمَا الْمَعْصِيَةُ بِفِعْلِ الْمُسْتَأْجِرِ وَهُوَ مُخْتَارٌ فَيَنْقَطِعُ نِسْبِيَّتُهُ عَنْهُ، فَصَارَ كَبَيْعِ الْجَارِيَةِ مِمَّنْ لَا يَسْتَبْرِئُهَا أَوْ يَأْتِيهَا مِنْ دُبُرٍ وَبَيْعِ الْغُلَامِ مِنْ لُوطِيٍّ وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَوْ آجَرَهُ لِلسُّكْنَى جَازَ وَهُوَ لَا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادَتِهِ فِيهِ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fitr, https://shamela.ws) v.6 p.392
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
