Follow-up question regarding Fatwa#: 30539.
(1) From the time the first question was sent until now, the brother found employment in a field and location his parents would accept and was not sure if that changed the Fatwa given earlier. Because the highlighted portions of Fatwa# 30539 related to interest, he assumed the matter of accrued interest was the controlling factor in the fatwa telling him to take the job overseas so this is the reason for the follow-up question.
The main points of the new job are as follows:
- It is in a location that family accepts.
- It is in a field the family accepts.
- It has a salary of 1/4 or less then the overseas job.
- It would, in a best case scenario, allow the brother to make the minimum monthly loan payment which would only cover the monthly accrued interest but not provide enough money to allow him to make payments that would reduce the principal balance or for that matter any extra money at all to pay for things like gas, car, phone, etc. (this is assuming he receives no promotions or pay raises, which as of yet, there is zero indication that this would happen, it’s merely hypothetical).
- At this payment rate, he might be able to have the loan forgiven after 20 years of such payments OR, if the lender does not agree to forgive the loan after 20 years, he would probably be in debt until he dies which again, assumes he receives no promotions, etc. (the overseas job pay, however, even if it remained the same indefinitely, would allow him to pay off his loans in 5-10 years).
- The job is not haraam as far as he understands except possibly for the fact that the job would definitely be in a mixed sex environment (the overseas job would not be in a mixed sex environment).
(2) Would the brother still receive sin if he didn’t leave this year but instead next year in order to give his parents more time to absorb the reality of his leaving?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
It is pleasing to hear that the brother has a found a job. However, since this is not sufficient to pay off his debt and sustain his personal needs, he should continue his efforts towards securing the overseas job. In the meantime, he may continue with the current job and move to the next job as soon as possible. Since he is trying his best to draw a balance between making his parents understand and trying to pay off his interest amount, there is hope that Allah will forgive him for any undue delays in securing the new job.
We make du’a that Allah simplify matters for the brother and help him in his quest.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Nabeel Valli
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net