Can Muslims Attend Universities With Anti-Islamic Content?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Is it permissible to attend a Western university if some departments teach content that disrespects Islam, even if I study in a different department, such as economics or science?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Suppose an educational institution hired you to teach in a field/sector that is permissible in Islam. In that case, you are not accountable for the sinful teachings of other teachers in other departments.
Quranic Principle
This is based on the Quranic principle found in the following verse:
Allah Most High said,
“Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment.” [Quran; 5:2]
From this principle, scholars dictate that it is strictly prohibited (haram) to directly assist others in performing a sinful action. However, they made a distinction between that and indirect assistance in sin. [‘Ali Qari, Risala I‘ana ala al-Haram]
Summary
It doesn’t appear to be the case that your teaching at an educational facility that allows for sinful content to be taught is even indirect assistance in sin.
Your role as a teacher of a permissible subject has no connection (not even indirect) with the content of other teachers, even though these classes are all being housed in the same institution.
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.
There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.
Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
