Assalaamu alaykum. I am indebted, and I have a daughter to provide for and my family and so on. I cannot find a halal job. I can find jobs where I do not pay taxes, like in a pizzabar and so on, but I think that even that is considered haram, is it not? My only way to get out of this problem is to cheat on my papers for getting a taxi card so that I can drive a taxi. Basically, my question is: Here in Denmark, they have something called a criminal register, If you have been in jail or were punished, they register it. My register must be clean to get a taxi card, If I delete the registetered crimes on my paper in order to get the card and then start working with a taxi, Will my salary be haram?

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.

First of all, we ask Allaah to help you, guide you to the right path, make a way out to your difficulties, and facilitate your affairs, as Allaah listens to and answers supplications. 

With regard to your statement ‘I cannot find a halaal job’, it is not a correct statement as the ways of getting a lawful job are so many for the one who seeks them, but the devil threatens the person with poverty and beautifies what is forbidden for him. Allaah says (what means): {Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allaah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allaah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.} [Quran 2:268]

As for forging documents by deleting the crimes that you had committed and getting papers that do not include those facts, if this is what you want to do, then this is fraud, deceit and cheating the law whose benefit may be general, so you should not do so.

If you do so, you will be sinful for it, but the salary that you will get by working as a taxi driver will be halaal because it is in return for doing a halaal job, even if the way you got the license is not halaal.

Hence, you should look for a lawful earning to spend on yourself and your daughter and you will get what is decreed for you. Do not seek this by disobeying Allaah.

Abu Nu’aym reported that Abu Umaamah narrated that the Prophet said, “If your provision is delayed, then you should not seek it by disobeying Allaah...”

Allaah says (what means): {And whoever fears Allaah - He will make for him a way out and will provide for him from where he does not expect.} [Quran 2-3]

Our advice to you is to use all the possible material means to find a halaal job, and you should supplicate Allaah earnestly, especially with the supplications highlighted in fatwa 142905.

Allaah knows best.