Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterUnknowingly earned money from an unlawful job
Question
Assalamu alaikom, I would like to inquire about whether the money that I own now is halal or haram from the Islamic perspective?The story ,in short, is that I used to work in a Chinese restaurant in the past and my main job was taking customer's orders through the phone.The problem is that the restaurant's menu contained dishes with pork in them besides other non- pork dishes.At that time,I was completely ignorant about the fact that working in a place that sells pork is haram and did not even give it a second thought.I quit that job a while ago ,but now a few years later I worry that the money I have in my account is haram ? I bought so many things with it while being ignorant ,so what is the ruling on these things as well ? I have given some of it to charity but my intention was to clean it because it was being held in an interest based account at that time.Please advice me on what should I do with this money? Should I get rid of it completely? Another issue is that my mom took a loan from this money and is now slowly paying me back.Is the money she is returning considered haram as well or is it considered a different money because it's from another source? Thank you and jazakum Allahu khairan for the help you are providing.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The view we adopt here in Islamweb, which is also the view of some outstanding contemporary scholars 
is that whoever gained money from a forbidden job while he did not know that it was forbidden, then he is not obliged to get rid of the money that he earned previously after he repents, as Allaah Says about the people who deal with Riba (interest and or usury) (what means): {…but if you repent, you shall have your capital sums. Deal not unjustly (by asking more than your capital sums), and you shall not be dealt with unjustly (by receiving less than your capital sums).}[Quran 2:279] Allaah did not order them to give back the Riba which they had taken previously. Allaah also Says about the people who deal with Riba (what means): {So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past.}[Quran 2:275]; which means that he shall not be punished for the transactions he made in the past.
Moreover, on the day of the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet said: “Everything pertaining to the Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era of ignorance) is under my feet (disdained) and is completely abolished, and the Riba (i.e. interest and/or usury) of Jaahiliyyah is abolished, and the first Riba which I abolish is the Riba of Al-‘Abbaas (the Prophet’s uncle)…” [Muslim] However, the Prophet did not order them (the companions) to give back the Riba which they had taken in the time of Jaahiliyyah, but he forgave what was past.
Therefore, you are not obliged to get rid of the money that you earned from your job that you mentioned in the question since you mentioned that you did not know that it was forbidden.
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 122185, and concerning the ruling on a child asking a parent to give him back his debt, refer to Fatwa 118657.
Allaah Knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
