In Hong Kong if a family is there permanently and the head of the family is without work the government requires that he apply for welfare. If approved the government will issue a monthly amount for his family. Is this money Halal? Some people make false claims.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

If a person is benefiting from this allowance in the proper and correct way that the authorities established, then there is no harm in that since these allowances are gifts for people who fulfill some conditions.

However, if the person does not meet such conditions as set by the government but rather cheats and forges documents, or bribes then, that is Haram from two aspects:

-         Firstly: Telling a lie, forging documents, or bribing; all of that is Haram.

-         Secondly: Eating people's money without legal right, this is also Haram.

A third aspect (that is Haram) is also probable: he could be given priority over other people who are more in need than he is and thus cause harm to them.

Allah knows best.