Q:

I am a law student from Bangladesh. I recently got to know that as a Muslim, one should follow the Shareeah law. But some of the laws of our country have dissimilarities with Shareeah law. Such as the punishment of rape is imprisonment, adultery with consent is legal, punishment of theft is compensation or jail-time, interest based contracts, works are legal. As it’s not a Muslim country, these dissimilarities are common. My question is that, will it be permissible for me to work as a judge in such court? will it be haram? There are no Shareeah court in our country, so the Muslims have to come to these courts, and i have the intention to deliver justice to these people. Is this somehow permissible?  What is the view of Islam in this matter?

May ALLAH bless you. 

A:

The legal profession is a valuable area for a person with a noble intention to pursue. Since ordinary citizens cannot be expected to protect their fundamental rights when they are violated except through recourse to trained legal professionals, to pursue this field of studies falls under the category of Fard Kifayah (collective duty). This implies that if no one pursues this field of study and because of that the interests of the community are not protected, then the entire community is deemed to be at fault in the sight of Allah.

As Imam Ghazzali has rightly stated in his Ihya, all fields of studies that are considered beneficial and essential for the survival of the community fall under the category of Fard Kifayah, and Muslims should, therefore, take such studies seriously as a call of religious duty.

As there is definitely a genuine shortage of Muslim lawyers who are truly conscious of their responsibilities to Islam and the Muslim community, it is undoubtedly a highly recommended field to consider for a career for a young person like you.

Moreover, it is worth mentioning that if you are pursuing this study with the sincere intention of being able to serve Allah by standing for truth and justice, then it is indeed the noblest act, meriting great rewards from Allah both in this world and the next. Upholding the cause of truth and justice is one of the highest objectives of Islam, which as a community, we are mandated to do.

Almighty Allah Knows best.