a religion other than Islam. A Muslim is not permitted to do this; he must hold fast to his faith, take pride in it, and never relinquish it for any worldly gain. Allah—exalted is He—has made no allowance for uttering words of disbelief except in the case of coercion that saves one’s life, as He says: “Whoever disbelieves in Allah after having believed—except for the one who is compelled while his heart is tranquil with faith—but whoever willingly opens his breast to disbelief, upon them rests the wrath of Allah, and for them is a tremendous punishment. That is because they preferred the life of this world over the Hereafter” (an-Nahl 16:106-107).

You have publicly professed a religion other than Islam and affiliated yourself with it for the sake of worldly advantage, yet you were nowhere near the level of coercion that would excuse you. Your duty is to repent to Allah, to hasten to revoke this false affiliation, and to have your employment documents state your true religion—Islam—while repenting to Allah, regretting what has passed, and resolving never to return to such an act. Perhaps Allah will accept repentance from us and from you.

Furthermore, the responsible authorities in Muslim societies and governments must not place Muslims under such pressure that they prefer followers of unbelieving religions to Muslims in hiring and appointments. This may well be a plot by the enemies of Islam to turn people—especially the uninformed—away from their faith, as happened to this questioner. Muslim officials and governments must be alert to this and must not drive Muslims into the predicament faced by this man. May Allah grant success to all.

Question: What is the ruling concerning the salaries or other monies he has earned in this manner?