Is Money From a Friend Lawful if His Income Is Questionable?

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all beings, and may peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).

It’s best that you don’t help your friend in this matter, as he is doing something wrong by violating the terms of service. This may be considered assisting him in sin, as he is clearly breaching the terms of the agreement. [Ibn Abidin, Radd l-Muhtar]

Your own earnings, however, have not entailed doing anything wrong, so they would be permissible, but I highly advise you to disengage and not continue down this path.

Consider what the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, advised regarding doubtful matters: “Whoever avoids doubtful matters has truly protected his religious practice and his reputation.” [Muslim] This is more important than earning something that could be associated with a sin.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

And Allah knows best.

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

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.