Works in a law office and has doubts
21-1-2010 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalamu Aleikum
I need your advice in regards to resigning from my job, which is a secretary/ translator in a Lawyer's office here in Doha. My problem with the job is almost four. Firstly I and my colleagues are not allowed to leave for the daily prayers in the nearby mosque, so we keep on praying together (3 persons) in the office. Secondly, office hours don't give me chance for attending islamic lectures or memorizing the Qura'an except on Thursday (afternoon) & Friday. Thirdly, I am about to get enrolled in a distance-learning Quraanic studies' programme at the Knowledge Intl. University, in which I shall need more time to attend the compulsory interactive lectures in particulars times. Fourthly and most important I suspect that the lawyers' office revenue is completely halal and for that reason I suspect the salary I am gaining from the lawyers' office is halal, because I usually type for them defence memos to be presented to a court on behalf of an accused person, whom were convicted in a first instance court/ appeal court, then they try to disapprove in it all the accusations against the accused by all means, among which they can ask the accused person to change his statements made earlier or to claim that they were made under threat or pressure, or they ask the court to be lenient in its decision, so that the accused would get a reduced sentence, at a time when the court is supposed to punish him severely for his unforgivable crime.
I look forward for your advice and pray to Allah to increase your iman and knowledge for the service your providing for fellow Muslims. Abuabdurahman
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 performance of the prayer in the mosque is one of the clear ways of guidance and one of the reasons of rectifying one’s heart. However, if you did not condition on the employer to let you go to the mosque for prayer during working hours, then he is not obliged to give you permission to go. According to the view that the congregational prayer in the mosque is an obligation, you should leave this job because of this if you do not need it.
As for the issue of the work coinciding with seeking knowledge, then if your work is necessary to spend on yourself or on your children, then your job comes in priority over seeking optional knowledge, but you may use your free time for this purpose. However, if you do not need the work, or that a mall job is enough for you, with which you can continue seeking knowledge, then this is better.
As regards the ruling on working in a solicitors’ office, then if it becomes clear to you that the office defends some clients in things they do not have right to, or that they lie (about them), or use false tricks and guide the clients to this, then it is not permissible to work for them, and the wages that you take from them in return for writing the memos containing these matters is ill-gotten money. in this case, you should estimate this ill-gotten money and get rid of it by spending it in charity.
Also, you should advise the employer to abide by the Sharee’ah rulings in his dealings. For more benefit on the religious conditions for working as a solicitor [in the field of law], please refer to Fatwa 82728.
However, if they do not take your advice, you should leave this job and look for another lawful job.