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Fatwa CenterWorking in a field that involves committing prohibitions except in case of necessity
Question
Shaykh I'm from Kashmir. As you know it's a disputed land having very few opportunities of jobs with which a person can run a family because here we don't have industries etc. Everything is messed up here. We have jobs here but they provide peanuts which is not sufficient to suffice your cellphone bill let alone run a family. Our youth move on to gulf and West in search of reliable job but naturally not everybody can do it, which gave rise to rampant unemployment because the state has been declared bankrupt by the CM of J&K. In these conditions, can a Muslim work in sectors like banks, tourism because they ask for minimum qualification and provide good wages? If not, then what is the alternative?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and messenger.
It is impermissible to work in a Riba-based bank, or in a field that is not free from committing prohibitions or cooperating in committing them. This ruling, however, is not applicable in the case of necessity. Allaah says (what means): {…while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you, excepting that to which you are compelled.} [Quran 6:119] Allaah also says (what means): {But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful.}[Quran 2:173]
The case of necessity is that in which the person believes that, if he does or does not do a certain thing, he will most likely be exposed to death, undergo an unbearable hardship because of it, or will not be able to achieve the minimum level of the life of the poor. For example, if one is himself about to die, or those whom he is obliged to support are about to die, and he cannot find a way to feed himself or feed them without this kind of work. The same thing applies to anything the person is obliged to afford, like clothing, medicine, rent and the like, which people cannot do without it.
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