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Is it permissible to evade paying taxes in Western countries?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If taxes are legitimate, then it is obligatory to pay them, and it is forbidden to evade them through deception, because the rulings of Sharia are binding on Muslims wherever they may be, and Dar al-Harb (abode of war) does not abrogate Sharia rulings. Furthermore, a Muslim must fulfill the permissible contracts and conditions they have committed to, based on the Almighty's saying: "And fulfill the covenant. Indeed, the covenant will be questioned," and His saying: "O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts." A Muslim should also manifest their religion, adhere to it, and remain steadfast upon it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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