Is Earning From a Side Job Allowed During Mandatory Training?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Will it be sinful or impermissible to earn from freelancing or a side job during mandatory training if it is contractually disallowed but not enforced?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Yes. If you are hired by an employer as a dedicated employee (i.e., not a contractor) it is impermissible to do any work in that same field unless your employer permits you to do so. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

This is because, as a dedicated employee, you are contractually and Islamically obliged to act in the best interest of your employer. Therefore, doing side jobs or working for competitors conflicts with that principle. [Ibid.]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

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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 in Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen. There he completed the memorization of the Qur’an and his study of the Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz, al-Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, al-Shaykh Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others. Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.