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Fatwa CenterBecoming a lawyer in a non-Muslim country to help Muslims
Question
May Allaah help you with your works, I am a university Muslim law student in Belgium, as I was converted as student, some questions about my future professional and Muslim life raised: is it Haraam to be a lawyer in a non-Muslim country as you have to defend people for a Kuffar court with Kuffar laws? and if it is Haraam, is it possible to do your stage to become a lawyer, with the idea to help maybe some Muslim brothers when they were working for Allaah knowing that the stage is obligated to defend someone in court? for example: in Belgium some lawmakers of parliament are making laws to obligate Imaams in Belgium to follow special courses, only a Imaam who followed this lessons is allowed to preach in mosques, but constitution of Belgium forbids the government to do this (selecting preachers for any religious community) from Muslim side in Belgium there is almost no reaction against this, in if there is they don't know how to react, is it for example in this case allowed to defend the unconstitutional fact, and so yes, you have to be lawyer to do this well, so is it then allowed to do the stage?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
First of all we congratulate you upon embracing Islam and we ask Allaah to greatly reward you and make you steadfast on this religion until the day you meet Him.
It is not permissible to work as a lawyer in a country governed by man-made laws as it is an obligation on a Muslim to judge and rule according to Allaah's Religion. Allaah says (which means): {Have you not seen those (hypocrites) who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you, [O Muhammad 
], and what was revealed before you? They wish to refer legislation to taught, (false judges) while they were commanded to reject it; and Satan wishes to lead them far astray.}[Qur'an 4:60]. So this is the principle. Nonetheless, since the Muslims in those countries are in need to protect their rights or to get back their rights through these man-made laws as there are no other ways of protecting or getting back their rights, then there is no harm for a Muslim to work as a lawyer to help his Muslim brothers and protect their rights according to some religious conditions among which are the following:
1- To take into consideration the religious rulings in the issue, that it should be on a permissible matter.
2- Not to represent a case that is unfounded and in which the Muslim has no right.
As regards studying man-made laws, if this is for a correct purpose and according to religious requirements, and the Muslim is safe from being afflicted by misconceptions he might encounter, then there is no harm in these studies, Inshaa' Allaah.
Allaah knows best.
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