Status of Earnings While Living Illegally in the USA... I came to the USA with my family for greener pastures... Somebody has sponsored me but my case is pending since x months. I may be coming back to Pakistan, as there is little hope of the case being successful. I am in the USA since 13 months with family and staying with my elder brother who also has a family. My question is that I am doing an illegal job to earn money out of which I contribute a little bit to my brother and the rest we spend and since we are coming back, we are doing some shopping like clothes for my children etc. Is this haraam income? My conscience tells me it is. I would really like your comments about this. I left Pakistan where I have not earned a single penny in haraam and survived in my salary and was doing a part time job for extra income. Here in USA I had to do an illegal job since my case has taken so long. I have been praying to Allah to give me Halaal ... here in the USA. Even though I have told you that my conscience tells me it is wrong but I desperately want your comments. I have been thinking of writing this email to you since Jan this year but somehow it got delayed. I want to lead a Halaal life and want to give the same to my children and wife. Please feel free to advise me accordingly. If need be I can call you from here. Reply Before I can answer your specific question, it is essential to understand that the allowance ( hillat , i.e. being halaal ) or prohibition ( hurmat , i.e. being haraam ) of an earning, actually depends on the kind of work done in return for it. If the payment is received in return for any such work, which has been prohibited by the Shari`ah , then the earning shall be termed as prohibited or haraam . For instance, if a payment (as in the case of bribery) entails depriving another person of his legal and moral right, it shall fall under the category of haraam or prohibited income. Keeping this explanation in perspective, it should be clear that the prohibition or allowance of one's earnings is not related to the legal status of his stay in any country, it is related to the kind of work that he has to do in return of such earnings. Nevertheless, even though living in any country illegally does not effect the status of one's earnings (regarding the prohibition or allowance of that earnings, in the context of the Shari`ah ), yet a Muslim, besides earning and living on halaal income, is also a law-abiding person. Showing disregard to any law cannot, in any way, be morally justified. It actually implies showing disregard to the collective values of the whole community. In my opinion, therefore, a Muslim can show disregard to a particular, law only when that law hinders him from living his life according to the injunctions of the Shari`ah . I would, therefore, highly approve of your decision of returning to Pakistan, not because of the status of your present income, but because of the mere reason that your stay in the United States of America is not legal and, therefore, not justified from a socio-moral perspective. I would also like to take this opportunity of suggesting to all my Muslim brethren living outside their countries, that whether they like it or not, they are naturally thought to represent their particular religious and social community. People, all over the world, have a tendency of generalizing the specifics. Thus, the behavior of an individual does not only lead people to draw impressions about the particular individual in question, but also about the community that the individual represents. Wrong action on our part can easily lead people to draw a bad impression about Islam and subsequently hinder them from considering its message with a positive frame of mind. We should therefore carefully consider all the consequences of an action before we take that action, as these actions may entail much more far-reaching consequences than they may appear to entail. I hope this helps. In case any aspect of your question remains unanswered or inadequately answered, please feel free in writing back to me at your own convenience. May Allah guide us all to the path of His liking and grant us the true understanding of His book. Regards The Learner