What is the ruling on working as a lawyer?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on working as a lawyer? Is it forbidden? Please advise us, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The ruling on working as a lawyer is determined by the type of that legal work. If the intention behind the legal work is to defend the truth and attack the people of falsehood, then there is nothing wrong with it; indeed, it may be obligatory, because defending the truth is obligatory, and whatever is necessary to complete an obligatory act is itself obligatory.
As for when the work as a lawyer is for the sake of a person prevailing in his argument and consuming the money he earns from this work, without regard to whether it is in accordance with the truth or contrary to it, then this is forbidden and not permissible. A person should look into his matter: if he wants to defend the truth and protect the domain of the truth, let him work in that. But if he wants nothing but to take the money he takes for his legal work and strives to ensure that his argument is the decisive one, even if it is false, then that is forbidden.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The ruling on working as a lawyer is determined by the type of that legal work. If the intention behind the legal work is to defend the truth and attack the people of falsehood, then there is nothing wrong with it; indeed, it may be obligatory, because defending the truth is obligatory, and whatever is necessary to complete an obligatory act is itself obligatory.
As for when the work as a lawyer is for the sake of a person prevailing in his argument and consuming the money he earns from this work, without regard to whether it is in accordance with the truth or contrary to it, then this is forbidden and not permissible. A person should look into his matter: if he wants to defend the truth and protect the domain of the truth, let him work in that. But if he wants nothing but to take the money he takes for his legal work and strives to ensure that his argument is the decisive one, even if it is false, then that is forbidden.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.