Is Working as a University Consultant Permissible?

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr

Question 

Is working as a university consultant (advising students on universities, programs, and fees) permissible, specifically advising a female student who is considering studying abroad? Does the consultant bear responsibility if she goes on to study abroad as a result?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah reward you for ensuring that your income is shari’a-compliant.

Working as a university consultant is permissible, provided that the courses you recommend are shari’a-compliant.

The consultant is not responsible for unrelated or incidental matters that may arise from their advice. Allah says, ‘And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another’. [Quran, 35:18]

Your advice and the potential of a female student’s travel arrangements that contravene shari’a are mutually exclusive. The responsibility for whether and how she travels, and with whom, sits with her and her guardians.

Your actions do not fall under the ambit of, ‘Do not assist one another in sin and transgression.’ [Quran, 5:2]

May Allah continue to use you as a means of goodness. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Whoever guides others to goodness will receive a reward like that of the one who does it.” [Tirmidhi]

I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.

[Shaykh] Muhammad Carr
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Muhammad Carr has dedicated his life to studying and transmitting our beautiful deen. His studies have taken him around the globe, where he has benefitted from many luminaries. Under the guidance of his teachers – Shaykh Taha Karan, Shaykh Yaseen Abbas, Shaykh Muadh Ali and many others – Shaykh Muhammad has grown to appreciate the beauty and benefits of diverse scholarship. He completed his memorization of the Qur’an at Dar al-Ulum Zakariyyah in September 1997 and received an Alimiyya Degree in 2006 from DUAI (Darul Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah). He is also affiliated with Masjid Auwal in Bo Kaap, Cape Town (the oldest mosque in South Africa), where he serves as a co-imam, and Dar Al-Safa, where he has taught since 2018. As a teacher, he imparts the wisdom of our heritage and tradition by opening the door for students. As an imam, he has the unique opportunity to serve his community in daily life. 

In addition to his roles as a teacher and imam, Shaykh Muhammad Carr has contributed significantly to the administrative and advisory aspects of Islamic institutions. Since 2023, he has served as the Administrative Director at The Imam Kurani Institute, contributing to the institution’s growth and development. He continues to pursue traditional Islamic Sciences, possessing a keen interest in Islamic Contract Law and Finance. Shaykh Muhammad has been a Shari’ah Board Member for Islamic Asset Management & Insurance Companies since 2001, aligning financial practices with Islamic principles.