Asalamaleykum. Living in a kafir country whose women mostly don’t wear the proper Islamic hijab (modest clothing). Is transporting immodest Muslim or non-Muslim women when there’s no seclusion inside the cab assisting in tabarruj?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad () is His slave and Messenger.

We thank you for your concern in asking about the religious ruling regarding what you need clarification on, and for your eagerness to seek lawful earnings and avoid doubtful matters in your work. May Allah reward you with goodness.

The basic principle regarding transactions is that they are permissible. A person’s involvement in a particular sin does not prevent others from dealing with them in matters that are permissible in Islamic law, so long as there is no direct assistance in the sin itself.

There is no doubt that transporting women who are not properly dressed does not constitute direct assistance in their improper dress. Therefore, such work is permissible, provided that a person feels safe from temptation and that nothing prohibited results from it — such as being alone with one of them in the vehicle, which is considered impermissible seclusion (khalwah) according to some scholars.

If this type of work were to be prohibited for that reason, the Muslim community would face considerable hardship due to the widespread nature of dealing with people who openly commit sins in transactions that are fundamentally permissible, such as buying and selling. Islamic law has come to remove hardship. Allah, the Most High, Says: {And He has not placed upon you in the religion any hardship} [Quran 22:78]

Allah Knows best