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Is it permissible to dispose of money obtained from a government job that involves no actual work, and is it permissible to give it to a needy family or donate it to a mosque?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The permissibility of a continuous salary after obtaining another job is determined by three situations:

1. If the situation is legal: The salary is permissible (halal) because it is a gift from the state, and you are free to dispose of it. 2. If the situation is illegal: The salary is impermissible (haram) because it involves deception of the law. 3. If you are assigned a task and abandon it for private work: The salary is impermissible (haram) until you perform the work assigned to you by the state, because it constitutes a breach of contract, a betrayal of trust, and consuming wealth unlawfully, based on the Almighty's saying: "O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts," and "Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due," and "And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly."

You must perform your work to absolve yourself. If you are unable or unwilling, then resign or request unpaid leave. In the event that taking the money is impermissible, it must be returned to the state treasury, or spent on public Muslim interests, or given in charity to the poor.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy