Does not know whether something is lawful or forbidden

4-1-2009 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalamu Alaykum. If someone is to tell you that a particular thing is Haram, but prior to this person telling you this, you were unaware of whether it was haram or not, should you go out and research it further or just keep doing things as you did before, even though you may be doing something "haram". Jazakallah

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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.

 

It is not permissible for a Muslim (male or female) to undertake doing something until he/she knows whether it is Lawful or forbidden because the knowledge of what is forbidden and what is allowed is among the individual obligations.

However, if a Muslim does not know whether something is Lawful or forbidden, then he/she is obliged to ask the scholars. If the person who informed him/her that the matter which he/she asked about is forbidden was one of the scholars, then he/she is obliged to act according to what the scholar said. Allaah Says (what means): {…so ask the people of the message if you do not know.}[Quran 16:43]

Allaah Knows best.