Is My Income Haram If the Job Leads Me to Sin?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

I have been working in a mixed school for one year now. I have been teaching kids aged 6-13 years old. And I also have female colleagues. And I have to be honest, sometimes I have been tempted by my colleagues, which in turn has made me think some nasty thoughts, which have led to masturbation.

So my questions are:

Is my money halal or haram because I was working in a mixed environment?

Answer

Your Job Is Halal

Don’t worry. Your job is halal, and so is the money you have earned from it. You can keep all the income, and you do not have to give it away.

There is nothing haram about working in a school, even if females work there. The nature of the job is permissible. [Maydani, al Lubab]

The only way your job would be haram is if you had to do something explicitly haram as part of your job. Examples of this would be touching members of the opposite gender or being alone with a female in a place where no one else could enter without asking permission.

This leads to problems, and one should do his best to avoid them. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “None of you should ever be alone with a woman unless she is a mahram (someone who he can never marry due to them being family members).” [Bukhari] In those situations, the Devil slowly tempts them into sin.

Repenting From Your Sins

As for the sins, you have committed, the solution is to repent from them and ask Allah Most High to give you a way out of falling into them again. They are unrelated to the job, despite your being led to them by being in that environment.

Try fasting or getting married if your situation allows it. It will help you a lot. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Young Men! Whoever is financially able to do so, let him get married. It makes one lower his gaze more [than being single does] and better protects one’s private parts. Whoever cannot, he needs to fast because it is a shield.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

The basis of this is that having a halal outlet for your physical urges is preferable because it is a sunna and has many other benefits. If one’s financial situation does not allow it, fasting helps curb those urges, so one is less at risk.

Working In a Mixed Environment

If you feel more comfortable working in an environment where you have to be in contact with members of the opposite gender, that’s up to you. But, as long as the interaction with them is modest, and you’re not expected to contravene any of the rules of the Shari’a, you are permitted to work there.

I pray that helps. May Allah facilitate all that is good for you in this life and the next.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.