‫بسم اهلل الرحمن الرحيم‬
Series of Questions Addressed to Scholar Sheikh Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah,
Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir through his Facebook Page
The Answer to the Question:
The Ruling on Working for the Palestinian Authority as a Police Officer or Any Other
Work
To Abu Yasser
(Translated)
Question:
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakaatuhu
My dear brother, I have a question. I live in the city of Khalil ul Rahman (Hebron) and
everyone knows how we are afflicted with suffering by this Palestinian Authority and how
destructive it is and its reality is well-known. My question has two parts:
First: Is everyone who is associated with its departments considered sinful i.e. is it not
permissible, including to be a traffic policeman?
Second: What is the ruling for the one who works for them (in their headquarters) as
craftsmen, like builder, tillers, and mason, etc?
Wa Alaikum us-Salaam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu
Answer:
Wa Alaikum us-Salaam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,
1. As regards to working as a police officer for the Palestinian Authority, Abu Ya`la reports
a hadith in his Musnad as well as Ibn Hibban in his Sahih and the wording is to Abi
Ya`la, that: Abu Sa`id and Abu Hurayrah both said that: the Messenger of Allah (saw)
said:
ْ‫عه‬
َ َ‫ ََ ُيؤَخِّرَُنَ اىصَّيَبح‬،ْ‫ظٍَرَُنَ ثِخِيَبرٌِِم‬
ْ َ‫ ََي‬،ِ‫« َىيَ ْأ ِت َيهَّ عَيَى اىىَّبشِ زَمَبنٌ يَنُُنُ عََييْنُمْ أُمَرَاءُ ضُ َفٍَبءُ يُ َقذِّمُُنَ شِرَارَ اىىَّبش‬
.»‫طيًّب ََىَب جَب ِثيًب ََىَب خَب ِزوًب‬
ِ ْ‫ فَيَب يَنُُ َوهَّ عَرِيفًب ََىَب شُر‬،ْ‫ك رَِىلَ ِمىْنُم‬
َ ‫ فَ َمىْ َأدْ َر‬،‫َمَُاقِي ِتٍَب‬
“A time will come when you will have idiotic and despotic rulers over you putting
forward the most evil of people and follow them in their choices and they will delay the
Prayer from its fixed times. So if you are in that time, then do not be a corporal, a
policeman, a tax collector or treasurer…” The hadith mentions the unrestricted prohibition
by the Messenger of Allah for being any of these persons when the ruler is idiotic and despotic.
However, al-Tabarani extracted in his [al-Mu`jam] al-Saghir and al-Awsat from the following
narration from Abu Hurayrah: «ْ ‫طيًّب‬
ِ ْ‫ ََىَب شُر‬،‫ ََىَب عَرِيفًب‬،‫„ »فَ َمهْ َأدْ َركَ ِمىْنُمْ رَِىلَ اىسَّمَبنَ فَيَب يَنُُ َوهَّ َىٍُمْ جَبثِيًب‬Whoever
is present at that time, then let him not be a tax collector, treasurer or policeman for
them‟. He said: «ْ‫„ »فَيَب يَنُُ َوهَّ َىٍُم‬and do not be for them‟ which is a restricted prohibition due the
letter ‘lam/‫ ’الالم‬denoting ‘specification’ (lam li’l-ikhtisas). This indicates the prohibition relates to
working for those specific rulers, such as protecting them, or working as a private security
service for them as well as a treasurer for them or any other such security services.
The principle in Usul [al-Fiqh] is that the unrestricted (mutlaq) is understood by the
restricted (muqayyad). Therefore, the prohibition refers to working as an officer or
policeman that involves security and protection of the rulers like guarding the president
and his aides, treasurer to his wealth or a policeman for the state security and such
jobs.
As for regular police departments, it is permitted provided of course that does not involve
oppressing others or taking their rights but investigating the truth of work. This is not only the
case for the police department but for every department. Therefore, it is permitted to work as a
traffic police officer and in similar posts.
2. Regarding other kinds of work such as being employed as a tiller, builder, mason, then,
these are permitted. A contract of employment (ijarah) is permitted whether for a
Muslim or non-Muslim as long as the work is permitted in origin and there is not in an
actual state of war with non-Muslims because such a situation has specific Shar’i
rulings. Ibn Majah relates from Ibn `Abbas that:
ًُ َّ‫ش ْيئًب ىِيُقِيتَ ثًِِ رَضُُهَ اىيًَِّ صَيَّى اىي‬
َ ًِ‫خصَبصَخٌ َفجَيَغَ رَِىلَ عَيِيًّب فَخَرَجَ يَ ْيتَمِصُ عَمَيًب ُيصِيتُ فِي‬
َ َ‫“ َأصَبةَ َوجِيَّ اىيًَِّ صَيَّى اىيًَُّ عََييًِْ ََضَيَّم‬
َ‫ج َُحً فَجَبء‬
ْ َ‫ضجْعَ عَشَ َرحَ ع‬
َ ِ‫خيَّ َريُ ا ْىيٍَُُدُُِّ ِمهْ تَمْ ِري‬
َ َ‫ضجْعَخَ عَشَ َر دَ ْىًُا ُم ّوُ دَ ْىٍُ ِثتَمْ َرحٍ ف‬
َ ًَُ‫جوٍ ِمهْ ا ْى َيٍُُدِ فَبضْتَقَى ى‬
ُ َ‫طتَبوًب ىِر‬
ْ ُ‫عََييًِْ ََضَيَّمَ فَأَتَى ث‬
”َ‫ِثٍَب إِىَى َوجِيِّ اىيًَِّ صَيَّى اىيًَُّ عََييًِْ ََضَيَّم‬
“The Prophet was in need of food and news of that reached `Ali. He went out
seeking work so that he could earn something to give to the Messenger of Allah. He
came to a garden belonging to a Jewish man and he drew seventeen buckets of water
for him, each bucket for a date. The Jew gave him the option to take seventeen of his
`ajwah dates (a high quality of dates) and he brought them to the Prophet of Allah.”
Al-Tirmidhi also narrated something similar and it is an evidence that it is permissible to
seek work in the permissible (mubah) areas with a non-practicing Muslim because it is allowed
to work for a non-Muslim. Thus, working for the authorities in a permissible job is allowed.
Your brother,
Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
29th Rajab 1434 AH
08th June 2013 CE
The link to the answer from the Ameer‟s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=225848690916549