Is It Permissible to Work in Consulting or IT if Some Clients Are Involved in Unlawful Activities?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

Is it permissible to work in consulting or IT if some clients are involved in unlawful activities?

Answer

I pray you are well.

Yes, it is permissible to work in consulting, IT, or similar fields as long as you are not actively or directly assisting in unlawful activity.

The Governing Principle

The key distinction in Sacred Law is between:

• Indirect association, and
• Direct assistance in sin.

If your role does not involve helping a client carry out something unlawful—whether through planning, execution, facilitation, or enabling—then your work remains permissible.

However, if your work directly contributes to an unlawful activity, then it falls under assisting in sin, which is not permitted.

Practical Application

For example:

• Providing general IT infrastructure, technical maintenance, or neutral consulting services does not automatically make one responsible for everything a client does.
• Designing systems, tools, or strategies that explicitly enable unlawful actions would not be permissible.

The responsibility lies in what you are actually doing, not merely who the client is.

When Doubt Exists

If it is unclear whether your role directly supports something impermissible, then the matter should be examined more closely. This requires looking at:

• The nature of the industry,
• The specific services you provide,
• How your work is used in practice.

In such cases, it is appropriate to ask detailed questions and seek clarity before continuing.

Summary

• If you are not directly helping with something unlawful, the work is permissible.
• If you are directly assisting in sin, it must be avoided.
• When unsure, seek clarification and guidance specific to your situation.

May Allah Most High grant us clarity, integrity, and lawful provision, and guide us to work that is pleasing to Him.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.