Unlawful Haram Money
“There will come a time where people will not care regarding what they take; from Halāl or Harām.” [1]
What is interesting is that when the Qur’ān spoke of Zinā (fornication), it elaborated on its consequences and denounced it with the harshest of expressions. The same can be said about the consumption of alcohol, theft, backstabbing, false accusations and so on. However, when the Qur’ān approached the topic of finances, specifically the using of interest, the language of the Qur’ān changes to an entirely new tone:
فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ
“…But if you do not desist, then take a notice of war from Allāh and His Messenger…” [2]
Commenting on this, Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said:
يُقَالُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لِآكِلِ الرِّبَا: خُذْ سِلَاحَكَ لِلْحَرْبِ
“On the day of reckoning, it will be said to the user of interest, “Take your weaponry in preparation for war.” [3]
How humiliating, but such is the seriousness of finances in the eyes of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). It’s important to clarify a matter at this point: what is meant by ‘prohibited wealth’? Is it exclusive to the obvious, i.e. sources via the trade of alcohol, drugs, gambling, theft and interest? In reality, this concept is far wider than that, as it encompasses:
- Earnings that are sourced from impermissible avenues, like the selling of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc.;
- An impermissible product, like pork and alcohol, even if purchased from Halāl wealth;
- The permissible product, like fruits, vegetables, beef etc, when purchased from Harām
In fact, the concept of ‘prohibited wealth’ is so far-reaching that the scholars have even discussed the ruling of an employee praying voluntary units without the permission of his employer. For the obligatory prayer, there is no problem in this. But for the Rawātib (the Sunnah prayers that are associated with the obligatory ones), scholars have two opinions: one party argues that no permission is required due to their emphasised status, whilst the other argues that permission is in fact required. As for nonspecific voluntary units of prayer, Imam Ahmad’s Fatwā is that one shouldn’t engage in them if they will minimise the employer’s benefit in any way. [4]
Unlawful Haram Money
There are a few possibilities here:
If the wealth of the other person is more than 50% haram, it is not permitted to transact with them or accept their gifts;
If their wealth is less than 50% haram, it is permitted;
If you know that the very item you received was acquired in a purely haram way (such as with 100% haram money), it would not be permitted to accept such an item;
When in doubt, or uncertain, we assume that the other person’s wealth is mostly halal, even if they are non-Muslims, and we can deal with them. However, whenever there is genuine reasons to doubt, it would be more cautious to avoid dealing with the person. At the same time, it is obligatory for us to have a good opinion of all, even non-Muslims, and we cannot spy on others or assume the worst of them. [Based on texts from Ibn Abidin, the Fatawa al-Hindiyya, and Ahsan al-Fatawa.]
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