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Ruling on working as a security guard for a building in which there is an insurance company

06-06-2012

Question 176564

I work as a security in the city of London.The building that i work it belongs to a landlord, therefore this landlord rents the space of this building to any company that is wishing to rent the place.the landlord as an owner provides a management team for this building to run the building, and this includes electricians, maintenance, security and other people that are needed to run this building. Because of the area located most of the companies that rent the space of this building are insurance companies. is it allowed to work as a security guard for this building considering that the rent is being paid by the insurance companies, and my wages are being provided by this rent which is paid from the insurance companies even though i do not deal directly with the insurance companies?.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Working in commercial insurance companies is haraam, even if the work is as a security guard, because that comes under the heading of cooperating in sin and transgression. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment”

[al-Maa’idah 5:2]. 

See also the answer to question no. 40336 

With regard to working as a security guard for a building or marketplace in which there is an insurance company, what appears to be the case is that it is permissible, because the insurance company in this case is only part of the building, and the basic principle is that there may be overlooked with regard to that which is part of something that which may not be overlooked otherwise. 

So it does not matter that part of your salary may come from the money that the building owner gets from the insurance company, because your salary is in return for your work, which is permissible, as stated above. 

And Allah knows best.

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Working for an insurance company
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