International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue VIII, August 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Legal and Illegal Earning in Islam: A Literature Review

Aminu Yakubu¹, Haruna Yawale², Yakubu Isa Abdulbari³, Muhammad Salihu Abubakar^4
1Centre for Islamic Management Development (ISDEV), University Sains Malaysia
²Department of Islamic Studies, College for Legal Studies, Yola, Nigeria
³Department of Arabic language Education, College of Continuing Education, Adamawa State, Nigeria
⁴Department of Islamic Studies Education, College of Continuing Education, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract: – Wealth is one of the immeasurable blessings of Allah (SWT) that He bestowed human being with. There are various provisions for achieving the wealth. In human life earning plays an important role in making life meaningful. Theaim of this paper is to discuss on how Islam encourages and prescribe Muslim legal earning and forbid Muslim illegal earning. Based on the literature findings this paper intends to see the Islamic rulings pertaining legal and illegal income earning. It is very common now to see a Muslim who are able to differentiate between legal and illegal earning. However, it is a shocking phenomenon and a sad fact that a large number of Muslims now do not differentiate between the legal and illegal earnings. Some people are involved in earning money and seeking employments in undesirable occupations (Khan & Halal, 2010).This paper used a basic qualitative research design. All data are analyzed by using secondary data especially from the Qur`an as well as Hadith and related literature. The findings of this paper show that there is a prohibition of illegal earning in Islam as well as the encouragement of Islam to legal earning and a punishment for a person who engage himself on illegal earning.

Keywords: Islamic, Earning, Rulings

I. INTRODUCTION

We live in a world where everything needs money. The significance of wealth is increasing in the life of mankind. Everyone is looking after money to sustain life. However, among the integral principles of Shari’ah in earning income is the prohibition of illegal earning. It is compulsory in Shari’ah to use the legal ways of earning money and avoiding the illegal ways as Allah said in surah (Albaqara, 2: 173).The verse clear stated that Muslim permitted only to eat good that was provided for him.
Nevertheless, earning income for a living is a common instinct for mankind on the earth. Human is ordered to earn for a living as a way and means of life in order to comply accordingly with the purpose of his creation and his existence on the earth. Furthermore mankind is permitted to work and to seek the bounty of Allah for the living. Therefore the earning should not be only in the boundary of a rational manner or someone’s wish. Mankind is naturally greedy and having the tendency of earning by any means. The Quran and Hadith had traced for Muslims some ethics and guidance throughout their life to avoid falling into the illegal means of earnings.