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Is it permissible for a husband to work illegally (without official registration) when he receives financial aid from the state, which stipulates that he not work legally, knowing that this aid is insufficient to meet the family's needs, and that the illegal work will be by agreement between the husband and the employer?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A Muslim is obligated to respect the laws of the countries in which they reside, as long as these laws do not contradict Islamic Sharia, in accordance with Allah's saying: "O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts," and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Muslims are bound by their stipulations." Based on this, it is not permissible for your husband to agree with his employer to work without being legally registered in order to receive aid, as this involves violating conditions and consuming people's wealth unjustly, according to Allah's saying: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly." An exception to this is a state of extreme necessity where there is a fear of perishing or facing severe hardship. In such cases, necessities permit prohibitions to the extent that removes the necessity, as stated in Allah's saying: "And He has already explained to you what He has forbidden to you, except for that to which you are compelled." A Muslim in those lands is advised to be a good role model, abstaining from lying and deception.

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

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