Prohibition of Employing Non-Muslim Servants in the Arabian Peninsula

Authored by: Dr. Muhammad Ziaur Rahman A‘zami (رحمه الله)

❖ Ruling on Employing a Disbeliever for Services in the Arabian Peninsula:​

It is not permissible for a Muslim to employ a disbeliever (kāfir) as a servant, driver, or for any other service in the Arabian Peninsula, because:

❖ Prophetic Directive:​

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed that polytheists (mushrikīn) be expelled from the Arabian Peninsula.


This is based on explicit Hadiths where the Prophet ﷺ commanded the removal of polytheists from the region, affirming the sanctity of the Arabian Peninsula as a land reserved for pure monotheism (Tawḥīd).

❖ Implication of Hiring Non-Muslims:​

• Hiring disbelievers in this sacred region entails:
  
  • Bringing those whom Allah has distanced near.
  • Entrusting them with responsibilities and secrets despite being deemed untrustworthy (khā’in) in shar‘i perspective.
  • Violating the spiritual purity and integrity of the Islamic heartland.

❖ Consequences and Harms:​

✿ Employing non-Muslims leads to numerous negative consequences, including:

• Moral and religious influence on the household and children.
• Potential compromise of Islamic values and practices.
• Facilitating undesirable behaviors and undermining Islamic ethics in society.

Fatwa Reference:
Issued by al-Lajnah al-Dā’imah (The Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Ifta), Fatwa No. 9607.

هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ