1. In general, is the nature of the work in this area permissible – helping clients apply to stay/live in the country?
2. Second, one area of immigration involves ‘partner visas’ – where one partner is applying for permission to stay in the UK with the other (who already holds British citizenship/lives here), on the basis that they are in a relationship.
a) Would income be considered haram in the case above because the clients are unmarried/I know they will continue living together unmarried?
b) Would the income be halal if they were married? Does Islam recognise the legal marriage of non-Muslims e.g. a Hindu married couple, with children who are applying to stay in the country?
الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما ومنه الصدق والصواب
- It is permissible, in principle, to work as a solicitor[1] to help clients apply to stay/live in the country. However, it is not permissible to help a client if the claim is fraudulent[2] and the solicitor believes it to be so.[3] Equally, when the claim of the client is an honest claim, it is not permissible for the solicitor to lie, fabricate or misrepresent the facts to secure a favourable decision.
- It would not be permissible for you to help them with their claim if they were unmarried and intended to continue living together unmarried and made a claim on the basis that they are in a relationship. This would be assisting in sin and the income earned from that would not be halal. However, if they were to make a case on the basis they were engaged and intended to live together after marriage, you could help them in their claim and the income from that would be halal. Islam does recognise the marriage of non-Muslims that has validly been conducted according to their laws and practices. Thus, you could assist a Hindu married couple with children who are applying to stay in the country.
And Allah knows best.
[1] ففي المبسوط للسرخسي: وإذا وكل الرجل بالخصومة في شيء فهو جائز ؛ لأنه يملك المباشرة بنفسه ، فيملك هو صَكَّه إلى غيره ليقوم فيه مقامه ، وقد يحتاج لذلك ، إما لقلة هدايته ، أو لصيانة نفسه عن الابتذال في مجلس الخصومة ، وقد جرى الرسم على التوكيل على أبواب القُضاة من لدن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى يومنا هذا ، من غير نكير منكر ، ولا زجر زاجر. [كتاب الوكالة ، 19/5 ، ط. دار الفكر]
[2] قال الله تعالى: … وَلَا تَكُنْ لِلْخَائِنِينَ خَصِيمًا (105) وَاسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا (106) وَلَا تُجَادِلْ عَنِ الَّذِينَ يَخْتَانُونَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَنْ كَانَ خَوَّانًا أَثِيمًا (107) [النساء: 105-107]
[3] ففي أحكام القرآ ن للجصاص: وهذا يدل على أنه غير جائز لأحد أن يخاصم عن غيره في إثبات حق أو نفيه وهو غير عالم بحقيقة أمره ؛ لأن الله تعالى قد عاتب نبيه على مثله وأمره بالاستغفار منه. [سورة النساء ، 2/392 ، ط. المكتبة التجارية]