What Is the Ruling of Deceiving at Work Due to Pressure?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

My job is to fill 100 surveys per day by people. I myself fill some of them and send them to my manager to achieve my daily target of 100 as it is very difficult to do so every day. Is this considered cheating or does my income become haram?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

It is not permitted to lie and deceive in order to gain wealth– from your employer or otherwise. Such wealth is unlawful (haram) for you to take, and this has numerous consequences.

Trust in Allah, and you’ll see the blessings flow down into your life.

Allah Most High says, “And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will grant them a way out, and will provide for them in ways unimagined. And whoever places their trust in Allah, then Allah is their sufficiency. Allah’s affair will surely come to pass–and Allah has made a clear decree for everything.” [Quran, 65:2-3]

The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The one who cheats is not of us.” [Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and others]

He also said (peace and blessings be upon him), “The one who does not fulfill trusts has no faith, and the one who does not fulfill commitments has no religion.” [Ahmad, with a sound chain of narrators]

Try to leave the wrong as quickly as possible. If someone leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah replaces that thing with something better. Leave it, and Allah will open to you a door of lawful (halal) sustenance. Taqwa comes first. Then comes the opening. Pious scholars highly recommend reciting Surat al-Waqi‘ah daily when facing this kind of situation.

The Muslim Standard of Excellence in Work and Life

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, may Allah protect him, shares seven principles for making our work an act of worship. These are seven principles understood clearly from the Quran and Prophetic Sunna:

1. Purpose

Make your life, career, and work truly a means to seek Allah Himself.

2. Seeking benefit

Seek Allah in work by seeking true benefit: for yourself and others, both worldly and spiritual benefit.

3. Excellence in work

Strive to work in the best of ways, as excellence is beloved to Allah.

4. Upholding Being True and Trustworthy

These are two qualities central to what it means to be a believer. It isn’t an accident that these are two qualities that the Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him)  was known by even before Revelation: the True (al-Sadiq) and Trustworthy (al-Amin).

5. Upholding Sincere Concern

Seek the good for others, as you seek it for yourself: “None of you believes until they wish for others the good that they wish for themselves,” said the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him). And religion itself was defined by the Blessed Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as being sincere concern: “Religion is sincere concern (nasiha).” This sincere concern applies to one’s employers, fellow workers, one’s customers or clients, and for all God’s creation.

6. Upholding Excellence of Character

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Deal with people on the basis of good character.” [Tirmidhi]

7. Knowing and Upholding Limits, through sound contracts

Without observing the Limits of Law in one’s dealings, one will invariably fall into wrong and wrongdoing; harmed relationships; and grave sin. “The Lawful is clear and the Unlawful is clear,” said the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him). [Agreed upon by Bukhari & Muslim]

Learn the limits of the Law related to your work. Learn about how to have sound and virtuous contracts and dealings. And uphold your commitments with excellence and steadfastness.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalam

[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani