Selling or serving alcohol

The position of those Muslims who sell or serve alcohol in their workplaces, or who have anything to do with gambling is that they are committing major sins.Allah ta ala says:

“O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansaab (stone altars for sacrifices to idols etc) and Al-Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.

Shaytaan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salaah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?”

[al-Maa’idah 5:90-91]

When Allah forbids a thing, He also forbids helping others to do it in any way whatsoever. Allah says

“Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment”

[al-Maa’idah 5:2]

Everything that leads to something haraam is also haraam.

It is not permissible for a Muslim to be present in a place where Allah is disobeyed,. He is obliged to denounce this evil and change it and remove it; if he cannot then he must leave that place. The basic principle is that the Muslim should shun sinful places and keep away from them, and not help the people there to disobey Allaah. Staying in such places goes against the command to the Muslim to change evil wherever he sees it, and it goes against the command to shun places of evil and sin.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And it has already been revealed to you in the Book (this Qur’aan) that when you hear the Verses of Allah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them.”

[al-Nisa’ 4:140]

It is obligatory to avoid keeping company with sinners if they openly commit evil, because the one who does not avoid them is approving of their actions, and approving of kufr is kufr. Allah says: “(but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them” so everyone who sits in a sinful gathering and does not denounce them, shares the burden of sin equally with them.

He should denounce them if they speak of sin and commit sin. If he is not able to denounce them then he should get up and leave, so that he will not be one of those mentioned in this verse.

It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah be pleased with him) caught some people who were drinking alcohol, and it was said to him that one of those who were present was fasting. He had him beaten in order to discipline him, and he recited this verse: “certainly in that case you would be like them” i.e., approving of sin is also sin.

End quote from Tafseer al-Qurtubi (5/418)

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Denouncing sin in one's heart is obligatory for every one, which means hating and despising the evil, and separating from those who commit sin if one isunable to denounce it with one's hand or tongue (i.e., by taking action or speaking out).

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):“O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaytaan (Satan). And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaytaan (Satan), then, verily, he commands Al-Fahshaa’ [i.e. to commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse)], and Al-Munkar [disbelief and polytheism (i.e. to do evil and wicked deeds; and to speak or to do what is forbidden in Islam)]”[al-Noor 24:21]

Owning or woking in buisnesses that help others to disobey Allah and approving of, and assisting them in their sin, will come under the ruling of one who approves of sin.The Muslim should not be deceived by the salary he gets, for on the Day of Resurrection he will be asked about his wealth, from where he acquired it and on what he spent it.

The most precious thing that a Muslim has is his religion, so he must guard it and not be one of those who sold their religion for a small piece of the dunya which will soon pass away.

“And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).

And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah willaccomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things”

[al-Talaaq 65:2-3]

the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allah, Allah will compensate him with something better than it.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

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Selling or handling pork products

He is working in a store and is afraid that they will ask him to carry pork to the trucks
I am a Muslim man working in a western country. I work in a firm that distributes food products to different shops and markets. We move the products from the firm to the trucks to be distributed. Food products such as vegetables, fruits, milk and meat. Sometimes we are asked to move the pork meat to the trucks. So we have to collect it and carry it to the trucks. My question is: what is the ruling on my work? Knowing that the other job opportunities in restaurants offer different dishes that contain pork meat.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to sell pork or to receive payment for carrying it, or to help with it in any way, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of alcohol, dead meat, pork and idols.”

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment”

[al-Maa’idah 5:2]

The same applies to everything that is proven to be haraam: it is not permissible to help with it, such as serving alcohol or dead meat, or the meat of domestic donkeys, in restaurants or elsewhere.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maitah (the dead animals — cattle — beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah, or has been slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns — and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal — unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death)”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3]

What the Muslim has to do is fear Allaah and look for halaal income, and avoid haraam income. Every body that is nourished by haraam things, the Fire is more befitting for it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every body that is nourished by haraam things, the Fire is more befitting for it.” Narrated by al-Tabaraani and Abu Nu’aym from Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ (no. 4519).

The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked about working in restaurants where alcohol and pork are served.

They replied: It is haraam to work and earn money by helping in the consumption of haraam things such as alcohol and pork, and the payment received for that is also haraam, because this is cooperating in sin and transgression, which Allaah has forbidden as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “do not help one another in sin and transgression”. We advise you to keep away from working in this restaurant and similar places, because that will mean avoiding helping with something that Allaah has forbidden.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (13/49).

To sum up: there is nothing wrong with you working in this store, so long as you do not help with anything haraam by selling it, collecting it, carrying it or any other kind of help.

And Allaah knows best.
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