Is My Job Halal If I Study Music as My Subject for My Degree?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Is it permissible to take the UGC NET exam and receive an additional allowance from my job after repenting for studying prohibited subjects in my degree?

I knew that music is prohibited in Islam, but I thought it was permissible since it was a mandatory part of my postgraduate degree. Later, I asked a local scholar whether I could pursue a lawful job with this certificate. He advised me that I should repent and that there would be no issue in seeking a lawful job with this qualification. Given this, is it permissible for me to take the UGC NET exam and receive the additional allowance from my job?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

May Allah Most High reward you for your concern about earning a lawful livelihood and seeking clarity in your religious matters.

You have taken the correct step by repenting for any past mistakes. Islam encourages moving forward sincerely and engaging in lawful means of earning a livelihood. Therefore, it is permissible for you to take the UGC NET exam and receive the additional allowance from your job. Continue to seek beneficial knowledge, uphold integrity in your work, and ask Allah Most High for guidance and blessings.

Allah (Most High) says,

“Say, (O Prophet,) that Allah says, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” [Quran, 39:53]

The Ruling on Using a Degree That Contained Prohibited Content

If you studied subjects that contained impermissible elements, you should sincerely repent (tawba), and repentance suffices in sha Allah.

Tawba consists of:

• Regret – Feeling sorrow for engaging in the prohibited act.
• Immediate Cessation – Avoiding similar actions in the future.
• Firm Resolve – Resolving never to return to such practices. [Nawawi, Riyad al-Salihin]

Your degree remains valid for use in seeking lawful employment. The presence of unlawful content in some parts of a degree does not invalidate the entire qualification, provided that the job you seek is lawful. Allah knows best.

Taking the UGC NET Exam

The UGC NET exam is a standard qualification test for academic and research positions. If the job you intend to pursue is inherently lawful, then taking the exam is permissible. Your past studies, for which you have repented, do not prevent you from moving forward in a lawful career.

Receiving an Additional Allowance from Your Job

If the additional allowance from your job is given as part of your employment benefits for obtaining further qualifications, then it is permissible to accept. As long as your work itself is lawful and you fulfill its requirements ethically, there is no issue in receiving such financial benefits.

And Allah (Most High) knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.