Question: I hope from your Eminence an answer to my question and guidance for what is best for my worldly life and hereafter.
I am a employee in one of the media organizations which works in the field of journalism. That is: it produces issues and publishes newspapers and magazines specific to it. It also publishes newspapers and magazines for other organizations and it takes a payment for it. As you know, these newspapers have what is lawful and what is unlawful in them. From the examples of the permissible things: spreading local and national news for the citizen and resident to view what has happened in the local and national level. They also produce some purposeful articles for some books, just as they publish cultural information, medical information, [articles on] sports, and other than that from government advertisements and business advertisements. From the unlawful things: is publishing pictures of women, writings on women’s beauty and women’s fashion. Most times it is not with pictures, and they also have news about actors and actresses and other than that. As for the nature of my work, then it is the following:
I work in warehouses and I work to record what comes in and out from ink and rolls into specific records. Then I enter them into the computer and examine them. This is currently my work and after a month or so, I will move to the accounting department by Allah’s will, in financial management on account of my specialty.
O Eminent Mufti, am I sinful for working in this organization and is my salary unlawful? Direct me to what I should do. Am I from those who contribute to evil knowing that I do not have the ability to enter into editing [the material]?
May Allah reward you
Answer: “If what the questioner performs of work does not involve committing an unlawful affair directly or indirectly, then what he earns of wealth in exchange for his actions is lawful wealth. Even though it is more deserving that the questioner search for another job which is not contaminated with an impurity”
May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’
Chairman:
Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah Ala Shaikh
Member:
Abdullah bin Ali ar-Rukbaan
Member:
Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Matlaq
Translated by
Faisal bin Abdul Qaadir bin Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
Translator’s Note:
The Permanent Committee also passed an earlier fatwa on the topic here :
