Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalam-o-alaikum.

I hope you are absolutely fine.

I am confused on a point.

Suppose, if someone asks me to do his task i.e. if someone asks me to arrange Audited Balance Sheets of his company through a Chartered Accountant. I get a higher amount from that person and arrange his Balance Sheets on comparatively lower cost and keep the remaining balance with me as my commission without informing both of those parties, whould it be Halal for me?

Please inform me soon.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Income lawful or not

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

If one is employed at a Chartered Accountancy firm, and the reason one gets the task of auditing or balancing the accounts of a client are because one uses the name of that Accountancy firm…..then indeed the income derived from the client should rightfully and lawfully be billed to the company.  To make the client believe that his audit task is done by the Accountancy Firm when it is done on a freelance basis, or to use the name of the Accountancy Firm without their prior permission, and then to keep this income for oneself would indeed be unlawful for a believer who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day.

But if one, without using the name or the stationary of the Accountancy Firm, audits or balances the accounts of a company as a freelance accountant, and informs their client accordingly….then indeed their income derived for their task would be lawful for them.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan