Jurisprudence and Islamic Rulings -Part 7

Chapter 2

Transactions

Employment for a Salary:
Prohibited Jobs

42950: Ruling on teaching man-made laws

Question:

What is the ruling on teaching man-made laws? What is the ruling on taking a salary for that?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Teaching man-made laws or studying them in order to explain their falseness and to distinguish what is right from what is wrong, and to demonstrate the superiority of Islamic sharee'ah and to show that it is complete and encompasses everything that is in people's interests with regard to their worship and their interactions with one another is permissible, and may be obligatory if circumstances call for it, in order to demonstrate what is true and what is false and to explain that to the ummah and make them aware of that so that they will adhere to their religion, and will not be deceived by the specious arguments of the deviants and those who promote the rule of man-made laws. It is permissible to take payment for this kind of work.

But with regard to teaching man-made laws because one likes them and wants to promote them, and prefers them to Islamic laws, and opposes Islamic laws, this is a challenge against Allaah and His Messenger, and is blatant kufr and a deviation from the straight path. Taking payment for this is haraam and is evil upon evil. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound and we seek refuge in Him from misguidance.

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 23/497. See also question no. 12874. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

42579: Fatwa from the Standing Committee on the "Business and "Hibbat al-Jazeerah" companies and pyramid marketing schemes

Question:

The Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas has received many questions about pyramid marketing companies such as the "Business" and "Hibbat al-Jazeerah" companies, whose work may be summed up as being the attempt to convince a person to buy a product on the basis that he will also convince others to buy; they in turn will convince others, and so on. The more levels of participants there are, the more the first person will gain in commission, reaching thousands of riyals. Every participant convinces others to join in return for a large commission, if he is successful in getting new customers to join his list of members. This is what is called pyramid marketing or network marketing.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

The Committee replied: This kind of dealing is haraam, because the purpose of this dealing is to earn commission, not to buy the product. The commission may reach tens of thousands, whilst the product is not worth more than a few hundred. Any smart person who is offered a choice between the two will choose the commission. Hence these companies rely on marketing and advertising of their product which emphasizes the size of the large commission which the participant can earn, and offers the incentive of a large profit in return for a small sum, which is the price of the product. The product marketed by such companies is merely a screen or a means of earning these commissions and profits. Because this commission is really the point of the transaction, it is haraam according to sharee'ah for several reasons:

1 _ It involves riba of two types, riba al-fadl (involving exchange of goods of the same type but of different quantity) and riba al-nasi'ah (involving deferred payment of a larger amount than would be paid if it were paid immediately). The participant pays a small amount of money in order to gain a lot of money, in other words he pays cash for cash of a different amount and with deferred payment. This is the kind of riba that is forbidden according to the texts and to scholarly consensus. The product which the company sells to the agent is simply a screen for this transaction; it is not what the participant is seeking and it makes no difference to the ruling.

2 _ It is a kind of gharar (ambiguous transaction) that is forbidden in sharee'ah, because the participant does not know whether he will be successful in finding the number of purchasers (participants) required or not. No matter how long pyramid or network marketing lasts, it must inevitably reach an end, and when a person joins the pyramid he does not know whether he will be in a higher level and thus make a profit, or in the lower levels and thus make a loss. The fact of the matter is that most of the members of the pyramid lose out, except for the few at the top. So what usually happens is loss, which is the case of all ambiguous transactions. One of two things may happen, and it is usually the one that is most feared. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade ambiguous transactions, as was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh.

3 _ These transactions involve consuming people's wealth unlawfully, because these contracts benefit no one but the companies and some participants whom the company encourages with the aim of tricking others. This is what is forbidden in the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran], where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly"

[al-Nisa' 4:29]

4 _ This transaction involves cheating, deceiving and tricking people, by showing the product as if that is the purpose of this transaction, when that is not the case, and by enticing them with the idea of large commission which people do not usually earn. This is the kind of deceit that is forbidden in sharee'ah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever deceives us is not one of us." Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The two parties to a transaction have the choice, so long as they have not parted. If they are sincere and open in their dealings, the transaction will be blessed for them, but if they lie and conceal anything, the blessing of their transaction will be erased." Agreed upon.

With regard to the view that this transaction is a kind of brokerage, this is not true. Brokerage is a transaction whereby the broker receives payment in return for selling the product, whereas in network marketing the participant pays a fee in order to market the product. Brokerage means marketing the product in a real sense, unlike network marketing where the real aim is to market the transaction, not the product, so the participant markets to others who will market to others who will market to others and so on, unlike brokerage in which the broker markets the product to those who really want the product. The difference between the two is quite clear.

With regard to the view that the transaction is a kind of gift, this is also not true. Even if we accept that, not every gift is permissible according to sharee'ah. A gift given in return for a loan is riba. Hence `Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam said to Abu Burdah (may Allaah be pleased with them both): "You are in a land where riba is widespread among them. If you have some right over a man and he gives you a load of straw or a load of barley or a load of fodder, this is riba." Narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh.

Gifts are subject to the rulings on the reason for which they are given. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, concerning the zakaat-collector who came and said: "This is for you and this is what was given to me as a gift": "Why don't you sit in the house of your father and mother and see whether you are given any gifts or not?" Agreed upon.

These commissions are only paid for the purpose of joining the network marketing scheme, no matter what names are given to them, whether they are called gifts or anything else. That does not change their nature or the ruling on them in the slightest.

It is worth mentioning that there are companies that have appeared in the market which follow the practices of network marketing or pyramid marketing, such as "Smartest Way", "Gold Quest" and "Seven Diamonds". The ruling on these companies is no different from the ruling on the companies mentioned above, even though the products they offer may vary.

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas. Fatwa no. 22935, dated 14/3/1425 AH. (www.islam-qa.com) 

41105: Ruling on working in a company that promotes satellite channels

Question:

I am sending this message to you because I am so anxious about this problem, namely the place where I work. It is a satellite TV company, one of whose channels is the Iqra' religious channel which broadcasts religious programming, but there are also other channels such as music channels and Arabic movies. What should I do? Praise be to Allaah, I am a religiously-committed and bearded young man and I follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). My work is in the switchboard of the company; I answer the phones and transfer calls to the employees, and vice versa. At the same time I am looking for other work, but I cannot find anything. In my heart I am worried because of this work. Every time I hear the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "The slave's feet will not move on the Day of Resurrection until he has been asked about four things," including his wealth, I get worried because of that. I hope that you will advise me.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We ask Allaah to guide you towards that which is best for your religious commitment and worldly affairs, and we ask Allaah to grant you a goodly (halaal) provision and to bless it for you.

Your work in this company is not permissible, and it is haraam earnings, because this company facilitates channels that promote immorality, deviation and misguidance.

Allaah has forbidden us to commit sin and do haraam things directly, and He has also forbidden us to help others in doing so. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Say (O Muhammad): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are AlFawaahish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge"

[al-`Araaf 7:33]

"Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (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]

Anyone who thinks about these immoral channels will be amazed by the audacity of these people in spreading immorality and opposition to sharee'ah and decent morals. For every deviation, temptation or misguidance caused by these channels to any individual, those who produce and work for these channels have a share of the sin.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"That they may bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and also of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge. Evil indeed is that which they shall bear!"

[al-Nahl 16:25]

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "… whoever calls to misguidance will have a burden of sin like that of those who follow him, without that detracting from their sins in the slightest." Narrated by Muslim, 2674.

Our advice to you is to leave this job, and look for other work that is halaal and good. Be patient in bearing the problems that you will encounter, for the reward of Allaah is precious. What matters is not the work, rather what matters is that the work should be halaal. Beware of nourishing your body on haraam food (earned through haraam work), and remember that no soul will die until it has received its provision in full and lived the time span decreed for it. Read the following hadeeth well and think about it:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There is nothing that will bring you closer to Paradise but I have enjoined it upon you, and there is nothing that will bring you closer to Hell but I have forbidden it to you. The Holy Spirit (i.e. Jibreel) inspired to me that no soul will die until it has been given its provision in full. Fear Allaah and be moderate in seeking a living, and do not let the fact that it is slow in coming make you seek it by disobeying Allaah, for that which is with Allaah cannot be attained except by obeying Him." See al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 2866.

Remember that Allaah has commanded us to eat from that which is good and permissible (al-tayyibaat) and He has told us that haraam wealth is one of the things that prevent du'aa's from being answered.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah is Good and does not accept anything but that which is good. Allaah has issued the same command to the believers as He issued to the Messengers, when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

[al-Baqarah 2:172]."

Then he mentioned a man who has traveled for a long time and is disheveled and dusty, and stretches forth his hands towards heaven, saying, "O Lord, O Lord," but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, his clothing is haraam and his nourishment is haraam, so how could he receive a response? Narrated by Muslim, 1015.

So seek the help of Allaah and seek reward from Allaah. We ask Allaah to give you strength and guidance.

And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

40651: Is it permissible to sell haraam things like pork to non-Muslims?

Question:

I work in a seaport and serve ships that are passing through. Most of these ships are foreign and the people working on them are non-Muslims. The company owner sells pork to these ships sometimes, then he distributes the profits of these sales to us employees and we accept it on the basis that selling pork to non-Muslims is not haraam, and there is no text in the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran] or Sunnah that says that it is haraam to sell it to non-Muslims. And we cannot compare alcohol to pork because pork existed at the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and if he had wanted to forbid it and curse it he would have done so as he did with alcohol. But there are some people who made us doubt whether this money is halaal. Is it halaal or haraam?
If we do not participate in the sale, will it not matter if we take these profits if the company owner gives them to us like an act of charity? Do we have the right to accept charity when we know its origin? Is there any hadeeth in which the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated clearly and unequivocally that it is haraam to sell pork to non-Muslims? Because pork is not haraam for the People of the Book.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

It is not permissible for anyone to issue fatwas concerning the religion of Allaah without knowledge. It is essential to understand the seriousness of doing that, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Say (O Muhammad): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are AlFawaahish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge"

[al-`Araaf 7:33]

So it is not permissible for anyone to say, this is halaal and that is haraam, if he has no sound evidence to that effect. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: `This is lawful and this is forbidden,' so as to invent lies against Allaah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allaah will never prosper"

[al-Nahl 16:116]

Secondly:

Selling pork is haraam whether it is sold to a Muslim or to a kaafir. The evidence for that is as follows:

1 _ Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Say (O Muhammad): I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of salcohol (pork); for that surely, is impure or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering"

[al-An'aam 6:145]

And the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us an important principle when he said: "When Allaah forbids a thing, He (also) forbids its price." Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3488; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Ghaayat al-Maraam, 318.

2 _ It was narrated from Jaabir ibn `Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say when he was in Makkah at the time of the Conquest: "Allaah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of alcohol, dead meat, pork and idols." It was said: "O Messenger of Allaah, what do you think of the fat of dead animals, for ships are caulked with it and animal skins are daubed with it, and the people use it to light their lamps?" He said: "No, it is haraam." Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "May Allaah curse the Jews, for when Allaah forbade them animal fat, they melted it down and sold it, and consumed its price."

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1212; Muslim, 1581.

Al-Nawawi said:

With regard to dead meat, alcohol and pork, the Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is haraam to sell all of these.

Al-Qaadi said: This hadeeth indicates that whatever we are forbidden to eat or make use of, we are also forbidden to sell, and it is not permissible to consume its price, as in the case of the animal fat mentioned in this hadeeth.

Sharh Muslim, 11/8

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said, after quoting the ahaadeeth about the prohibition on alcohol:

The conclusion we may draw from all these ahaadeeth is that whatever Allaah has forbidden us to make use of, it is also haraam to sell it and consume its price, as is stated clearly in the hadeeth: "When Allaah forbids a thing, He (also) forbids its price." This is a general, comprehensive phrase which applies to everything which is intended to be used in haraam ways. These fall into two categories:

(i) Things which are to be used and will remain as they are, such as idols. The purpose for which they are used is shirk or association of others with Allaah, which is the greatest of all sins. We may add to that books of shirk, witchcraft, innovation (bid'ah) and misguidance, forbidden images, forbidden means of entertainment and also buying slave women who will serve as singers.

(ii) Things which are to be used and which will be used up. If in the majority of cases a thing is used for haraam purposes, then it is haraam to sell it. For example, it is haraam to sell pork, alcohol and dead meat even though they may _ on rare occasions _ be used for a permissible purpose, such as eating dead meat for those who are in extreme need, or using alcohol to stop oneself choking or to putt out a fire, or using pig hairs for beading, or making use of the hair and skin of a pig _ according to those who approve of that. But because these are not the reason for which these things are produced, and the usual use for pigs and dead meat is to eat them, and the usual use for alcohol is to drink it, so no attention should be paid to these reasons, and it is haraam to sell these things.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) indicated this when it was said to him: "What do you think of the fat of dead animals, for ships are caulked with it and animal skins are daubed with it, and the people use it to light their lamps?" He said: "No, it is haraam."

Jaami' al-`Uloom wa'l-Hukam, 1/415, 416

The Standing Committee was asked: Is it permissible to deal in alcohol and pork if one is not selling them to a Muslim? They replied: It is not permissible to deal in foods and other things that Allaah has forbidden, such as alcohol and pork, even if one is selling them to kaafirs, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When Allaah forbids a thing, He also forbids its price." And because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed alcohol, the one who drinks it, the one who sells it, the one who buys it, the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried, the one who consumes its price, the one who squeezes (the grapes, etc) and the one for whom it is squeezed. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 13/49.

Thirdly:

With regard to the questioner saying, "selling pork to non-Muslims is not haraam, and there is no text in the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran] or Sunnah that says that it is haraam to sell it to non-Muslims", this is not correct. We have quoted above evidence from the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran] and Sunnah, and have stated that the scholars are agreed that it is haraam to sell pork. The general meaning of the evidence indicates that it is haraam to sell it to Muslims and kaafirs alike, because the evidence indicates that the prohibition on selling it is general in application, and no differentiation is made between Muslims and others.

Indeed, if we were to say that what is meant by the prohibition on selling it is selling it to kaafirs, that would not be far-fetched, because the basic assumption concerning the Muslim is that he would never buy pork: what would he do with it when he knows that Allaah has forbidden it?

Similarly, the questioner's saying that "pork existed at the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and if he had wanted to forbid it and curse it he would have done so as he did with alcohol" is also not correct, because it is not essential for a thing to be forbidden that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) should have cursed the one who does it. Rather it is sufficient that he forbade it or stated that it is haraam, as he forbade the sale of pork.

Fourthly:

With regard to your taking this money, now that you know that it is haraam, it is more befiiting for you to refuse to take it, especially since your taking it is like giving approval to what the company owner is doing. You have to advise him, denounce what he is doing and exhort him to give up these haraam actions. Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better than it.

With regard to the money that you took before you found out that it is haraam, there is no sin on you, in sha Allah. Allaah says in the verses in which He forbids riba (usury, interest) (interpretation of the meaning):

"So whosoever receives an admonition from his Lord and stops eating Ribaa, shall not be punished for the past; his case is for Allaah (to judge)"

[al-Baqarah 2:275]

See also questions no. 2429, 8196.

We ask Allaah to granted you a halaal and blessed provision. And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

(www.islam-qa.com) 

26964: Prohibition against spying on others

Question:

I work for a company and my boss has asked me to tell him what the employees are saying about him personally, despite the fact that some of what they are saying is true. Is the money that I receive in return for this spying halaal or haraam?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible for you to do this haraam action, because it involves nameemah (malicious gossip) and spying, and the reward you receive for this is haraam earnings.

You should note that nameemah is a major sin. Nameemah means telling some people what others have said about them in order to cause trouble among them. This is the most common definition of nameemah. Ibn Hajar al-Haythami narrated it in his book al-Zawaajir `an Iqtiraaf al-Kabaa'ir, then he said: "It says in al-Ihya': it is not limited to that, rather it refers to disclosure of anything that may hurt or offend somebody if it is disclosed, whether it is the person who is spoken about who is offended, or the person who hears the gossip, or a third party, whether it is disclosed verbally, in writing or by means of a hint or a gesture, and whether what is transmitted is an action, a word, a fault or a shortcoming in the person who is being talked about, or in someone else. The definition of nameemah is uncovering secrets and disclosing that which it is not appropriate to disclose. Hence we should keep silent and refrain from telling everything that we see of people's situations, unless speaking of it will bring some benefit to a Muslim or ward off some harm. For example, if you see a person taking someone else's property, you have to bear witness to that, in contrast to if you see someone hiding his own money, in which case speaking of it would be nameemah and disclosing a person's secrets. If what is spoken of is a fault or shortcoming in the person of whom one speaks, then this is gheebah (backbiting) and nameemah (malicious gossip)."

(al-Zawaajir, no. 252: al-Nameemah)

It was narrated that al-Haafiz al-Mundhiri said: "The ummah is unanimously agreed that nameemah is forbidden and that it is one of the greatest sins in the sight of Allaah."

From this we know that your passing on to your boss what your colleagues say is a kind of disclosing secrets and creating mischief and falling into this major sin, in addition to it being spying, which is haraam.

There are many texts which condemn nameemah and spying and seeking out people's faults, which will deter the Muslim from committing these haraam actions:

1 _ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No person who spreads nameemah will enter Paradise." According to another report, "No eavesdropper (qattaat)…" Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6056; Muslim, 105.

A qattaat is someone who spreads nameemah. It was said that the one who spreads nameemah is the person who is with a group who are speaking, then he spreads gossip about them, and that the qattaat is the one who listens to them without them realizing, then he spreads gossip about them.

2 _ In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that Ibn `Abbaas said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) out of one of the gardens of Madeenah, and he heard the sounds of two people who were being tormented in their graves. He said, `They are being punished, not for something that was difficult to avoid, but it is nevertheless a major sin. One of them did not protect himself from urine (i.e., take measures to avoid contaminating himself or his clothes) and the other used to walk about spreading nameemah.'"

(al-Bukhaari, 216; Muslim, 292).

3 _ It is also narrated in al-Saheehayn from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the falsest of speech. Do not eavesdrop; do not spy on one another; do not envy one another; do not forsake one another; do not hate one another. Be, O slaves of Allaah, brothers."

Al-Bukhaari, 5144; Muslim, 2563.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Some of the scholars said that tahassus [`eavesdropping'] means listening to other people's conversations, and tajassus [`spying'] means seeking out their faults. Or it was suggested that tajassus means looking for secrets. The word is mostly used in the sense of evil. The jaasoos (spy) is the one who seeks out secrets for evil purposes and the naamoos is the one who seeks out secrets for good purposes. And it was said that tajassus means looking for information for someone else, and tahassus means looking for information for oneself. This was the view of Tha'lab. And it was said that they mean one and the same, which is seeking out information about people's circumstances."

4 _ al-Bukhaari (7042) narrated from Ibn `Abbaas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever speaks of a dream that he did not actually see will be ordered [on the Day of Judgement] to tie two grains of barley together, and he will never be able to do so. Whoever listens in on other people's conversations when they do not like that will have molten lead poured into his ears on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever makes an image will be punished and will be ordered to breath life into it, and he will not be able to do so."

5 _ Ahmad (19277) and Abu Dawood (4880) narrated that Abu Barzah al-Aslami said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `O you who have spoken the words of faith but faith has not truly entered your hearts! Do not backbite about the Muslims, and do not seek out their faults. For whoever seeks out their faults, Allaah will seek out his faults, and if Allaah seeks out a person's faults He will expose him even in his own house.'" Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 4083.

We do not think that a believer would read these great ahaadeeth and then volunteer to spy on his fellow-Muslims, or seek out their faults, or spread nameemah among them. We think that you are one of those who will benefit from this and pay attention, in sha Allaah. Hence we say that you must refuse to do this task, no matter what encouragement or threats you may receive, whilst also advising your colleagues to stop gossiping about their boss and telling them off for doing so.

You should also advise your boss to stop spying on his employees and not be suspicious about them, because that will corrupt them and make them lose trust, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If you seek out people's faults you will corrupt them or almost corrupt them."

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4888; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 4088.

We will conclude with a few points about the attitude of the Muslim towards nameemah or malicious gossip when it is passed on to him.

Ibn Hajar al-Haythami said in his book al-Zawaajir `an Iqtiraaf al-Kabaa'ir:

"The person who hears some malicious gossip, such as being told `So and so said this about you' or `he did this to you,' must do six things:

1 _ He should not believe it, because the one who spreads nameemah is a faasiq (evildoer) according to scholarly consensus, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"If a Faasiq (liar — evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done"

[al-Hujuraat 49:6]

2 _ He should tell him not to repeat this evil action, which is evil in both religious and worldly terms.

3 _ He should hate him for the sake of Allaah if he shows no sign of repenting.

4 _ He should not think badly of the one of whom it was said, because he does not know whether that person really said it or did it.

5 _ What he has been told should not make him spy on others or look for their faults for the purpose of verifying what was said, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not…"

[al-Hujuraat 49:12]

6 _ He should not approve for himself that which he has told the other person not to do, so he should not pass on the malicious gossip and say, `So and so told me this,' otherwise he will also be gossiping and backbiting, and he will be doing that which he told someone else not to do.

`Umar ibn `Abd al-`Azeez (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to someone who passed on some malicious gossip to him: "If you wish, we can look into the matter. If you are lying, you will be one of the people mentioned in the verse `If a Faasiq (liar — evil person) comes to you with any news' [al-Hujuraat 49:6 _ interpretation of the meaning]; and if you are telling the truth, you will be one of the people mentioned in the verse, `A slanderer, going about with calumnies' [al-Qalam 68:11 _ interpretation of the meaning]. Or if you wish, we will forgive you." He said, "Forgive me, O Ameer al-Mu'mineen, I will never do it again."

The caliph Sulaymaan ibn `Abd al-Malik rebuked someone who had spread nameemah about him, in the presence of al-Zuhri. The man denied that and Sulaymaan said to him, "The one who told me about it is one who does not tell lies." Al-Zuhri said: "The one who spreads nameemah (malicious gossip) cannot be truthful." Sulaymaan said, "You are right," and he let the man go in peace.

Al-Hasan said: "The one who tells malicious gossip to you will tell malicious gossip about you. This indicates that the person who spreads malicious gossip should be hated and not believed or trusted. How can he not be hated when he persists in lying, backbiting, slandering, betraying, deceiving, envying, spreading mischief among the people and cheating? He is one of those who try to sever the ties which Allaah has commanded must be upheld and who spread mischief on earth. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

`The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress men and rebel in the earth without justification; for such there will be a painful torment'

[al-Shoora 42:42]

- and the one who spreads malicious gossip is one of them."

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

(www.islam-qa.com) 

40472: Ruling on fixing TVs and VCRs

Question:

I fix TVs and VCRs, and also install satellite dishes. Is there any sin on me if the owner of these machines uses them to listen to songs and watch movies etc? Please advise me, may Allaah reward you with good.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression"

[al-Maa'idah 5:2]

What you are doing by fixing TVs, VCRs and satellite dishes which are then used by their owners to listen to and watch haraam things is a kind of helping in sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever calls people to right guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow him, without it detracting from his reward in the slightest. And whoever calls people to misguidance will have a burden of sin like that of those who followed him without that detracting from their sin in the slightest." Narrated by Muslim, 2674.

So it is not permissible for you to do this work and it is better for you to look for other work. Remember that Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

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

3. And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine"

[al-Talaaq 65:2-3]

The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas was asked: I work as an electronic engineer and my work involves fixing radios, TVs and VCRs, and similar equipment. I hope that you can advise me as to whether I should continue in this work, knowing that if I leave this job I will miss out on a lot of experience in my field that I have been learning all my life, and I may be adversely affected by leaving it.

They replied:

The evidence of sharee'ah from the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran] and Sunnah indicates that the Muslim must be keen to seek a good income, so you should look for a job from which your income will be good (i.e., halaal).

With regard to your income from the job you mention, it is not good (halaal), because these machines are usually used for haraam things. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 14/420. See also question no. 39744. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

44922: Editing a book containing pictures

Question:

We are a new company wich is dealing about design. About more than 1 month ago we get a contract with a bank to edit a training book for it employees. The problem is that before we edit this book we thought that we will be able to edit a book without pictures, but the bank ask us to edit a book with pictures. We know that pictures is haram, so I asked to my brother that we can not edit such book, but my friend reply me that we can not stop our contract cause if we stop it the bank will lead us to the justice court and we may have very serious problems. So we continue our contract with this bank till we finished to edit this book, now the book is being printing and we will soon receive the paymenent of the bank for our work. So our dear sheikh here is another problem too, I just read that dealing with company wich are dealing with ribaa is haram, and the bank for wich we edited the book is a pure ribaa bank. So we will soon receive the payment of this bank, is this money haram ? If this money is haram, can I take back my personnal money I invest to buy the ink for the printer and to buy the orther things wich had a connection with this project. Can I pay the employee and the rent of the computer that we use for this project and all other equipements and electricity and bill phones ? Can we use the money of this bank to pay the taxes (like automotive insurances and so on …) and to pay back debts? For the money wich will left what we will do with it ? can I give it to poor people or to build Islamic center or to use it for other dawah purpose ?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

If what is meant by your words "pictures are haraam" is photographs, this matter has been discussed previously in the answers to questions no. 13633, 10668 and 7918.

Drawing pictures of animate beings by hand is haraam. See question no. 39806.

You do not say anything in your question about the content of this book. If the book is an advertisement for the activities of the riba-based bank, then printing it is haraam because that involves helping the bank to deal in riba. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression"

[al-Maa'idah 5:2]

So it is not permissible to accept any payment at all, and you should donate all income from this project to charity.

But if the content of the book is permissible and by printing the book you are not helping the bank in its haraam activities or doing advertising for them, then take out of the money enough to purify it, i.e., the payment for printing haraam pictures. We ask Allaah to compensate you with something better, for whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better than that. And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

49829: Ruling on working for a company that maintains the Central Bank building

Question:

I am an engineer, I graduated nearly two years ago, and I looked for suitable work but I could not find anything. Praise be to Allaah, I am well off and live with my father, but I hoped that Allaah would enable me to find work so that he will stop worrying about me sitting and not working or doing anything useful.

Now I have found the opportunity to work in a private company that maintains and operates the Central Bank, on an annual contract and with a decent salary. Is the ruling on working for this company the same as the ruling on working in banks? I hope you can answer my question… What if I tell the company that I do not want to work in the bank and ask them to transfer me elsewhere _ will the same ruling apply? Please note that I have not found work until now.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible for you to work in the Central Bank either directly or by working for a company that maintains and operates the bank's equipment, because this involves cooperating in sin and transgression.

This central bank is responsible for all the banks and for deciding their interest rates (riba) and enforcing their regulations and promulgating laws and systems that go against the laws of Allaah.

If you work for a maintenance and operation company there is no reason why you should not maintain and operate companies that deal with things that are permissible according to the rulings of sharee'ah, even if your company has other branches that deal with things that are not permissible. What is important for you is not to accept work in this field; you should look for another field where you can operate and maintain things that are permissible according to sharee'ah.

On this site you will find many fatwas concerning the ruling on working for riba-based banks and for organizations that guard riba-based banks or operate programs for them. We have quoted in these fatwas the comments of the scholars stating that such jobs are haraam, and this applies completely _ if not more emphatically _ to companies that take care of these banks.

See also the answers to questions no. 21113, 21166, 28771.

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

50074: Is it permissible for him to sell gifts that have to do with kaafir festivals?

Question:

There is a factory that makes glass gifts, such as perfume bottles and candlesticks and exports them to other countries. I have been offered a position with responsibility for exports, but the factory will ask me to make some gifts that are just for Christian holidays (Christmas) such as crosses and images. Is this work permissible? I fear Allaah now that I have been blessed with some knowledge and have memorized His Book.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible for any Muslim to join in the festivals of the kuffaar, whether by attending the festivities or enabling them to hold their celebrations, or selling any goods or products that have to do with these festivals.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote to the Minister for Trade, saying:

From Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem to His Excellency the Minister for Trade, may Allaah preserve him. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings.

We have been told that last year, some traders imported gifts for Christmas and the Christian New Year, including Christmas trees, and that some citizens bought these and gave them as gifts to Christian foreigners in our country, joining them in this festival.

This is an evil action which they should not have done. Undoubtedly you know that this is not permissible, and you are aware of what the scholars have said about there being scholarly consensus on the prohibiton on joining the kuffaar, mushrikeen and people of the Book in their festivals.

We hope that you will issue a ban on these gifts that have been brought into our country and other things that come under the same ruling and are things that are unique to their celebrations. Fataawa al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem, 3/105.

Shaykh `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:

Some Muslims join the Christians in their celebrations. What is your advice?

He replied:

It is not permissible for any Muslim man or woman to join the Christians, Jews or others kaafirs in their festivals, rather that must be avoided, because "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us against imitating them and adopting their ways. So the believer, man or woman, must beware of that; it is not permissible to help them in doing that in any way, because these festivals are against sharee'ah, so it is prohibited to take part in them or to cooperate with the people who are celebrating it, or help them in any way, whether by helping them to serve tea or coffee or in other ways such as providing vessels etc, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (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]

Joining in with the kuffaar on their holidays is a kind of cooperating in sin and transgression.

Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/405

In a statement issued by the scholars of the Standing Committee concerning joining in celebrations of the Millennium, they said:

… It is not permissible for a Muslim to cooperate with the kuffaar in any way with regard to their festivals, such as announcing and publicizing their festivals, including the Millennium mentioned above, or promoting them by any means, whether that is via the media or by setting up clock to "count down" to the Millennium, or making clothes or other items that commemorate the occasion, or printing greeting cards or stationery marking this occasion, or offering special discounts or prizes on these occasions, or holding sporting events or producing special logos for them etc.

Based on this, it is not permissible for you to participate in making anything that has to do with the festivals of the kuffaar; you should leave this job for the sake of Allaah, and Allaah will compensate you with something better than it in sha Allaah.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

36524: He cannot find any work except renovating churches

Question:

I am a civil engineer who has recently graduated. I have tried hard to look for work but I could not find anything, until I found a job three months ago in the office of one of my Christian professors. The project in hand involves doing research in order to restore ancient churches.
My God! What should I do? For the first opportunity in my life, should I stay home or go to work? I worked with him for three months then I left after I got fed up with him and the work. I continued to try hard to look for work and I found another job, but they let me go after three months without giving any real reason. Please tell me whether I made a mistake by leaving the first job after Allaah had blessed me with it, or was it a test for me from Allaah?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

You should praise Allaah for saving you from this calamity at a time of respite (i.e., in this world when you still have an opportunity to repent), because this work of renovating churches is one of the worst types of work, because it is helping in one of the greatest evils, namely disbelief in Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

The Standing Committee was asked about the Muslim who works in construction: is it permissible for him to build a church? He replied:

It is not permissible for a Muslim who believes in Allaah and the Last Day to build a church or any place of worship that is not based on Islam with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because that is one of the most serious forms of helping kufr and manifesting its symbols. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression"

[al-Maa'idah 5:2]

And Allaah is the Source of help.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 14/482.

The Committee also issued a fatwa stating that it is haraam to work as a guard or watchman for a church, because that is helping in sin.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah.

So praise Allaah and ask Him for a good and halaal provision. Remember that whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better than that.

"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"

[al-Talaaq 65:2-3 _ interpretation of the meaning]

Try to look for permissible work, and ask Allaah to give you strength, and do not give up.

Do not forget that no soul dies until it has had its full provision, sooner or later.

We ask Allaah to bestow His favour and generosity upon you and to make you independent of means by His bounty.

And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

31781: Working for a company that cheats, and the ruling on working in a company in which some things are permissible and some are haraam

Question:

He works for a company which mixes haraam things with halaal things, and sells some stolen goods and cheats. Is his income halaal? If he leaves this job, any other job will also involve some things that are forbidden according to sharee'ah, so what should he do? Should he continue in his job or give it up and let his children go hungry when he cannot find any means of taking care of them?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

If your work involves helping them in any way with any kind of cheating or stealing, then it is not permissible, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression" [al-Maa'idah 5:2]

But if your work has nothing to do with the haraam things, and the company also has some other departments that do not deal with haraam things, then it is permissible for you to work in the departments that deal with permissible things, subject to the condition mentioned above, which is that there should be no helping anyone to do anything haraam.

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

It is not permissible to work in riba-based institutions even as a driver or guard, because taking up employment with a riba-based institution implies that one approves of it. A person who hates something could never agree to work in its interests, so if he works in its interests, that means he approves of it, and the one who approves of something haraam has a share of its sin.

But if he is directly involved in recording, sending and depositing, etc., then he is undoubtedly involved directly with the haraam thing. It was proven from the hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who pays it, the two who witness it and the one who writes it down, and he said: "They are all the same." Fataawa Islamiyyah, 2/401.

What you have to do is to denounce those who are in charge of the haraam departments, and advise them to give up these dealings. You also have to advise the purchasers, if you can, and tell them of the faults present in the products that they are buying.

With regard to the issue of there being no other work, this is a whisper (waswasah) from the Shaytaan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"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"

[al-Talaaq 65:2-3]

There are many kinds of permissible work. So you have to put your trust in Allaah and avoid that which is haraam.

With regard to the idea of your children dying of starvation, we ask you: is it better for them to die of starvation _ assuming that they do die _ or for you to enter Hell for their sake??

Moreover, Allaah is the One Who has created them, and He is the One Who has guaranteed to provide for them, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And in the heaven is your provision, and that which you are promised"

[al-Dhaariyaat 51:22]

"And kill not your children for fear of poverty. We shall provide for them as well as for you. Surely, the killing of them is a great sin"

[al-Isra' 17:31]

Allaah has decreed the provision of each person before he emerges from his mother's womb, so do not fear that Allaah may reduce your rizq (provision), rather fear your own self that is inclined to evil and tempts you to commit sin. Remember the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "There is no flesh that is nourished from haraam sources, but the Fire is more suited to it." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 614; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

There follow some stories from the life of the Rightly-Guided Caliph `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on him):

Some apples were brought to `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Azeez for the bayt al-maal (treasury) of the Muslims, and a small son of his took an apple. He snatched it back from him by force and the child ran to his mother, crying. She sent someone to the marketplace to buy him an apple. When `Umar went back home, he noticed the smell of apples and said, "O Faatimah, have you taken anything from this wealth?" She said, "No," and told him that she had bought an apple for her son with her own money. `Umar said: "By Allaah, when I snatched it from him it was as if I was snatching it from my own heart, but I would not like to condemn myself before Allaah for the sake of an apple from the wealth of the Muslims."

Manaaqib `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Azeez by Ibn al-Jawzi, p. 190.

`Umar ibn `Abd al-`Azeez entered upon his daughters after `Isha prayer to greet them, and when they realized he was there, they put their hands over their mouths and moved away from him. He said to their guardian, "What is the matter with them?" She said: "They did not have anything to eat for dinner apart from lentils and onions, and they don't want you to smell that from their mouths." So `Umar wept then he said to his daughters, "O my daughters, what will it benefit you if you live a life of luxury but your father ends up in Hell?" Then they wept loudly. `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Azeez by Dr. al-Burunu, 142.

`Umar ibn `Abd al-`Azeez was rebuked, when he was dying, of leaving his children poor. He sent for them and there were over a dozen males. He looked at them and his eyes filled with tears, then he said: "O my sons, you father has been given the choice between two things, either you will be rich and your father will enter the Fire, or you will be poor and your father will enter Paradise. If you are poor and your father enters Paradise, that is dearer to him than your being rich and your father entering Hell. Get up, may Allaah protect you."

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

34597: Ruling on repairing machines that are usually used for haraam purposes

Question:

Is repairing TVs, tape recorders, VCRs and receivers halaal or haraam?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

These machines may be used for permissible purposes, or they may be used for haraam purposes, which is what usually happens, such as watching pictures of women who are clothed yet naked, or listening to music.

Hence it is not permissible to repair them unless that is done for one whom it is known or is thought most likely will use them for permissible purposes. But if it is known or is thought most likely that a person will use them for haraam purposes, it is not permissible to help him to fix his machine. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"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 Standing Committee For Issuing Fatwas was asked the following question:

I work as an electronic engineer, and part of my work is fixing radios, TVs, VCRs and the like. I hope that you can advise me as to whether I should continue in this work, knowing that if I do not do this work I will miss out on a lot of experience and the profession for which I have been studying all my life, and I may suffer a lot of harm because of not doing this.

They replied:

The evidence of sharee'ah, from the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran] and Sunnah, indicates that the Muslim must strive to find a good source of income. So you have to look for work where your income will be good (i.e., halaal). As for earning a living from the work that you mention, this is not good, because these machines are usually used for haraam purposes.

From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 14/420.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

34672: Opening an internet café in which there is no supervision of users

Question:

What is the ruling on working or investing in internet cafes, knowing that some of the visitors to these places go to websites that are forbidden according to sharee'ah… and all that I can do is to hang up a sign in front of each internet user reminding them that these sites are haraam, and where each user is in a separate booth to guard his privacy, and I cannot watch all of them all the time? Will I be guilty of sin or is the user himself the only one who will be responsible for his bad actions?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to work or invest in internet cafes unless they are free of evils, which includes not allowing the visitors to go to haraam websites, by denying them access to such sites, or by throwing them out if they insist on using them. That is because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (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]

"Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of Dawood (David) and `Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). That was because they disobeyed (Allaah and the Messengers) and were ever transgressing beyond bounds.

They used not to forbid one another from Al-Munkar (wrong, evildoing, sins, polytheism, disbelief) which they committed. Vile indeed was what they used to do"

[al-Maa'idah 5:78, 79]

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever calls others to right guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow him, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest, and whoever calls others to misguidance will have a burden of sin like that of those who follow him without that detracting from their sins in the slightest." Narrated by Muslim, 2674.

And he said: "Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand (by taking action); if he cannot then with his tongue (by speaking out); and if he cannot then with his heart (by hating it and feeling that it is wrong), but this is the weakest of faith."

Narrated by Muslim, 49.

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

"Denouncing in one's heart is obligatory upon everyone, which means hating and despising the evil and separating from those who do it if one is unable to change it with one's hand or tongue, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

`And when you (Muhammad) see those who engage in a false conversation about Our Verses (of the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran]) by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn to another topic. And if Shaytaan (Satan) causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not you in the company of those people who are the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)' [al-An'aam 6:68]."

From al-Durar al-Saniyyah fi'l-Ajwibah al-Najdiyyah, 16/142.

If it is not possible to control this café and prevent evil from taking place therein, then it is not permissible to open such a place, so as to avoid falling into sin.

If you give up this work seeking to draw closer to Allaah and to keep away from dubious matters, then receive the glad tidings of the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, He will compensate him with something better than that."

We ask Allaah to give you strength and to bless you, and to compensate you with something better.

And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

38877: He wants to work in a company that produces programs for riba-based banks

Question:

I am a communications engineer and I have been offered a job in a communications company in the field of network security. This is a field in which I can serve Islam, but in the field of network security it is inevitable that I will deal with programs for riba-based transactions, and the company does projects for a number of banks etc. Is it permissible for me to work there?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to help with riba in any way, whether that is writing it down, witnessing it, working as a security guard, programming, looking after equipment or any other kind of help, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Help you one another in AlBirr and AtTaqwa (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]

If you can avoid that, then your work is permissible, otherwise you should look for another job that is permissible. Be certain that provision comes from Allaah, and that it is acquired by obeying Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

"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 will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things"

[al-Talaaq 65:2-3]

It is known that many companies deal with riba, and that whoever specializes in a field such as yours will encounter some difficulty in looking for permissible work. But that cannot compare with the great sin that is borne by the one who helps others to commit a sin for which Allaah threatens those who do it with war.

So fear Allaah and beware of His punishment. Make sure your food is halaal, for every body that is nourished from haraam sources, the Fire is more fitting for it. (Hadeeth narrated by al-Tabaraani and by Abu Na'eem in al-Hilyah; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', no. 4519.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 

33645: Ruling on a man working in a hairdressing salon for women

Question:

We have some relatives, among whom is a man and his wife who worked in a hairdressing salon. Then the wife stopped working but the man continued to work as a hairdresser for women, and he invites them to come for lunch at their house. Is it permissible for us to eat at their house, and is his work haraam?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

If the work of the relatives you mention is as described, then his work is haraam and his earnings are haraam. The one who does such work has to look for another job, and keep away from haraam things. There are many means of earning a living, praise be to Allaah.

"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"

[al-Talaaq 65:2-3 _ interpretation of the meaning]

It is better for the Muslim to protect himself and to keep away from places of temptation, so as to protect his honour and his religious commitment. Allaah will give him a way out.

It is not permissible for the relatives and friends who visit them to eat their food or to drink anything they offer, if they do not have any other source of income apart from this work.

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah li'l-Buhooth wa'l-Ifta', 14/36.

(www.islam-qa.com) 

6418: He falsified information on his university certificate and got hired on the basis of that certificate

Question:

Someone used a forged university certificate to help him get a job. Another person used a genuine certificate but some of the details were false. A third person forged a paper required for the job, such as a certificate of experience. They worked and understood the job fully. What should these people do now that they have repented? Please note that some of the jobs are in the government sector and some are in the private sector.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah. We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen (may Allaah preserve him), who answered as follows:

Everything that is based on falsehood is false. These people have to repeat the exams for the certificates on which their employment is based. But if it is the case that the final certificate did not involve any deceit, although they cheated in the stages that came before it, then I hope that this will be OK.

Question: But the certificate is given on the basis of all subjects studied during the years of study.

Answer: Then it is not permissible until he repeats the exams in a proper fashion.

Question: But practically speaking, if he goes to the university and tells them, I want to repeat the exams, they will tell him that the system does not permit that.

Answer: Then let him resign from his job, then he can work at the level of the certificate where no deceit is involved, such as a high school certificate, for example.

Question: But he may say, I understand the work fully and my experience in the job qualifies me to work, even without the certificate.

Answer: Then let him approach his superiors in the department in which he works, and tell them what the situation is. If they give him permission to continue on the basis of his good performance, then I hope that that will be OK. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

26788: Woman working in a home for the elderly

Question:

Is it permissible for a women to work in a home for the elderly that is mixed, men and women together, where the workers have to wash the people, both men and women, and change their diapers, or she may have to give them forbidden drinks and meals containing pork? Can a Muslim woman work in this place if she avoids giving the people alcohol and haraam meats? Also please note that she is not allowed to wear anything but a scarf on her head and a knee-length shirt over trousers, on grounds of necessity. Some people have told the women that doing this kind of work is better than being dependent on the social agencies that offer help to families whose head is out of work.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

With regard to offering alcohol and pork to the residents of the home for the elderly, this is undoubtedly haraam, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed ten types of people with regard to alcohol, including the one who carries it and the one who pours it. It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed ten types of people with regard to wine: the one who presses (the grapes), the one for whom it is pressed, the one who drinks it, the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried, the one who pours it, the one who sells it and consumes its price, the one who buys it and the one for whom it is bought." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1295; Abu Dawood, 3674). So it is not permissible to carry it or serve it and to be paid for that. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When Allaah forbids people to eat something, He also forbids its price to them [i.e., they are not allowed to sell it]."

(Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani _ may Allaah have mercy on him) in Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 2978).

It is also well known that alcohol and pork are forbidden in the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran].

There remain two further issues of concern:

The first is that the Muslim woman who works in this home is not wearing complete shar'i hijaab.

The second is that washing the elderly people and changing their diapers will lead to seeing and touching their `awrahs. This is permissible in cases of necessity, but I do not think they will appoint men to take care of men and women to take care of women; usually they bring all the people together in one place and both women and men work with both sexes.

So my advice is that a Muslim woman, in particular, should not work in this place. This work is also not desirable because it involves dealing with impure things. Accepting help from the social institution, even though it involves the humiliation of the Muslim taking aid from the kaafirs, is still easier to bear that this work which involves going against sharee'ah.

We ask Allaah to cause Islam and the Muslims to prevail. And Allaah is the Source of help.

Islam Q&A Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

21113: Working in a riba-based bank without directly dealing with riba and depositing money in such a bank

Question:

I work in a bank in a particular country, in a department that does not deal with riba-based transactions, but the central bank does deal with interest and it is a government foundation. What is the ruling on working in this bank? I hope you can advise me

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Your working in this bank is haraam, even if you are in a department which does not deal with riba-based transactions. It is sufficient to note that the "central bank" is the head bank and working in the other departments complements the work of the sections that do deal with riba; the bank is formed from all the departments and all the institutions connected to it are engaged in riba.

The scholars have stated that it is not permissible to work even as a guard or driver for such institutions, so how about working as a teller or clerk?

Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It is not permissible to work in a riba-based institution even if a person is working as a driver or guard, because that means that he is working for the riba-based institution, which implies that he approves of it. For whoever disapproves of a thing would not work to support it, so if he is working for it that implies that he approves of it, and the one who approves of something that is haraam is also guilty of sin.

But if he is directly involved in recording transactions, writing, sending and depositing etc, then he is undoubtedly dealing directly with something haraam. It was proven in the hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who pays it, the two who witness it and the one who writes it down. He said: "They are all the same." Fataawa Islamiyyah. 2/401

The Standing Committee was asked about a man who worked as a night guard for one of the banks, and he had nothing to do with the bank's transactions _ should he continue with this job or leave?

They replied:

It is not permissible for a Muslim to work as a guard for banks that deal with riba, because this is a kind of cooperating in sin and transgression, and Allaah has forbidden that as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

"but do not help one another in sin and transgression"

[al-Maa'idah 5:2]

Most of the banks deal with riba, so you have to look for a halaal means of earning a living, not this way.

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 2/401, 402

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

14102: Working in an alcohol factory

Question:

An inquirer from Gambia is asking, what is the ruling on a Muslim who sells alcohol or drugs, can we call him a Muslim or not? What is the ruling on a Muslim who works in an alcohol factory, does he have to give up his job if he cannot find any other job?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Selling alcohol and other intoxicants is a grave evil, and working in alcohol factories is haraam and is an evil, because 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" [al-Maa'idah 5:2]

Undoubtedly selling alcohol, drugs and cigarettes constitutes cooperating in sin and transgression, and working in alcohol factories also constitutes cooperating in sin and transgression. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"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 Allaah and from As Salaah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?" [al-Maa'idah 5:90]

It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed alcohol, the one who drinks it, the one who pours it, the one who extracts the juice, the one for whom it is extracted, the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried, the one who sells it, the one who buys it and the one who consumes its price.

And it was also narrated in a saheeh report that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has made a covenant that whoever dies drinking alcohol, He will give him to drink of the mud of khibaal." He was asked, "O Messenger of Allaah, what is the mud of khibaal?" He said, "The juice of the people of Hell" or "the sweat of the people of Hell."

With regard to the ruling, the one who does this is a sinner and an evildoer by so doing; he is lacking in faith and on the Day of Resurrection he will be subject to the will of Allaah. If He wills, He will forgive him and if He wills, He will punish him, if he dies before he repents. This is according to the Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills" [al-Nisaa' 4:48]

This ruling applies if he does not regard that as being permissible. If he does regard it as being permissible then he is a kaafir by doing so, and if he dies he should not be washed or the funeral (janaazah) prayer offered for him, according to all the scholars, because by doing that he is disbelieving in Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

The same ruling applies to one who regards as permissible zina (adultery), sodomy, riba (usury) and other things which are unanimously agreed to be haraam, such as disobeying one's parents, severing ties of kinship or killing a soul unlawfully.

But if a person does that or some of that knowing that it is haraam, and knowing that he is disobeying Allaah, then he is not a kaafir; rather he is an evildoer who will be subject to the will of Allaah in the Hereafter if he does not repent before he dies, as stated above concerning the ruling on one who drinks alcohol. And Allaah is the Source of strength. Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 4, p. 433 (www.islam-qa.com) 

11349: He has been offered a job in a bank that deals in riba (interest)

Question:

I am working in a software development house. Recently I was offered by the company to go to XXX for on a one year contract. I showed my willingness to them. But after few days I was told that I will have to work for XXX Bank. I know its Haram to work for an interest based organization like a bank. Someone told me that in XXX there are some banks that do Islamic banking. I dont have much information about the bank. I have submitted some queries at some places but so far I havent received any reply. Can you please advise me whether I should work for XXX Bank or not as most probably they would be dealing with Interest based banking and I will be helping them in their job.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Yes, it is as you say. The bank you mention does deal in riba (interest). We advise you to keep away from working there. We ask Allaah to give you strength and to help us and you adhere steadfastly to His religion.

Shaykh Sa'd al-Humayd. (www.islam-qa.com) 

8196: Taking payment for shaving beards is haraam

Question:

Some owners of salons and barber-shops shave some people's beards. What is the ruling on the money which they take for that work?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Shaving and cutting the beard is haraam and is an obvious evil. It is not permissible for the Muslim to do this or to help others to do it. Taking money for that is haraam and is ill-gotten gains. Whoever does that must repent to Allaah from it and not go back to doing it. He must give away in charity whatever he has earned from that, if he already knew about the ruling of Allaah which forbids shaving the beard. But if he was ignorant of that ruling, then there is no blame on him with regard to what is past, and he has to beware of doing it again in the future, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"So whosoever receives an admonition from his Lord and stops eating Ribaa, shall not be punished for the past; his case is for Allaah (to judge); but whoever returns (to Ribaa), such are the dwellers of the Fire — they will abide therein [al-Baqarah 2:275]

In al-Saheehayn it is narrated from Ibn `Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Cut the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen." In Saheeh al-Bukhaari it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Cut the moustache and leave the beard alone; be different from the mushrikeen." And in Saheeh Muslim it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Trim the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the Magians (Zoroastrians)." It is obligatory upon every Muslim man to obey the command of Allaah to leave his beard alone and let it grow, and to cut and trim the moustache. The Muslim should not be deceived by the large numbers of people who go against this Sunnah and openly disobey their Lord.

We ask Allaah to help the Muslims to do all that is pleasing to Him, and to help them to obey Him and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). May He bless those who have gone against the command of Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with sincere repentance to their Lord and make them hasten to obey Him and comply with His commands and the commands of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for He is the All-Hearing, Ever-Responsive.

Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 8, p. 372 (www.islam-qa.com) 

10398: A taxi driver takes some people to haraam places

Question:

My question to you is that i am a student living in australia i also drive cabs part time i want to ask you brother that some times we have to leave passengers to bars,clubs,pubs,and some times to brothels and some times we have to pick them up also when we get a job from there is it haraam to do so? because we do not tell them to go there and we cannot refuse to take them if they ask us to take them there because of the taxi cab laws as you would know people catch cabs in the western world when they are going to drink or come back from home.what should the muslim cab drivers do so in this situation?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Undoubtedly this is considered to be co-operating in sin and transgression. We advise you not to take these people to brothels, places or corruption and bars. You will find other people. This applies whether you are taking them from these places or to them. Whoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty towards Him (taqwa), Allaah will grant him a way out, so look for other passengers from other places. If it so happens that you take on these passengers and you did not know that this is where they were headed, then we do not say that the fare is haraam for you, because it is compensation for your efforts, or for the use of your car.

Shaykh `Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen.

If you think that you are obliged to so something haraam in your work, then look for other work. We ask Allaah to make your provision halaal. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

11789: Should he fix a computer in which there are naked pictures?

Question:

He says: we work in a computer workshop fixing equipment. A machine was brought to us to be fixed, and we discovered that it is full of naked pictures. Should we refuse to fix it, or should we fix the computer, erase the pictures and advise the person?

Answer:

We put this question to our Shaykh, Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthyameen (may Allaah preserve him), who answered as follows: I think you should tell the person, we will not fix it _ because if you fix it and erase the pictures, he will only put new ones in it. So do not fix it. And Allaah knows best.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthyameen

(www.islam-qa.com) 

11517: Making a program which will be used for halaal and haraam

Question:

I want to design a web-site for a company, or make a computer program for them. I know that some of the things that this company does are halaal, and some are haraam. Is it permissible for me to do this, knowing that I myself will not be directly involved in doing the haraam things? All I will be doing is preparing the program or designing the web-site, which they will use in their work.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who replied as follows:

If most of the work which this company does is haraam, then it is not permissible for him to do that. If most of what they do is permitted, then it is permissible for him to do it. If they (haraam and halaal elements) are the same, then he should not do it, on the assumption that what is haraam will outweigh what is halaal. And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

(www.islam-qa.com) 

7489: He has been an attractive job offer in the field of developing new kinds of pig meat

Question:

I am offered a job in a company with very good benefits. My part is to do research with pig embryos in the company's laboratory. The ultimate objective of my research is to improve the production and genetic quality of pigs (i.e. more pigs with good meat characteristics) to the market for human food consumption. In other words, the source of my salary comes from the consumption of pig meat (pork) which is haram. My question is: Is this money halal and I can take the job, or should I decline it? I apreciate your quick response to give my word. Jazakumu Allahu Khairun.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

The meat of pigs is haraam for the Muslim because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Say (O Muhammad): `I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of swine (pork); for that surely, is impure or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But whosoever is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits; (for him) certainly, your Lord is OftForgiving, Most Merciful.'" [al-An'aam 6:145]

Buying it and selling it are also forbidden.

It was reported from Jaabir ibn `Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say during the year of the Conquest [of Makkah] when he was in Makkah: "Allaah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of alcohol, dead meat, pork and idols." It was said: "O Messenger of Allaah, what about the fat of dead animals, which is daubed on ships and animal skins, and which people use in their lamps?" He said, "No, it is haraam." Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "May Allaah curse the Jews, for when Allaah forbade the fat (of dead animals) for them, they melted it then they sold it and consumed its price." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2121; Muslim, 1581).

When Allaah forbids a thing, He forbids its price. Similarly, the means to something haraam is also haraam; the means comes under the same rulings as the end. It is not permissible for a Muslim to help evildoers in their evil. He is obliged as much as possible to come between them and their evil, and try to prevent them from doing that, not to improve the haraam thing and help to develop it.

Would you like to be the means of improving and making haraam things attractive and encouraging people to do them, so that you are helping to spread them further? I think you would reply: I do not want for myself anything that my Creator would not be pleased with, I will not work for falsehood, no matter what they pay me. Provision is in the hand of Allaah, so you must look for other, permissible, work. We ask Allaah to give you sufficient from what He has permitted so there will be no need of that which He has forbidden. May He make us independent by His bounty so that we will have no need of anything else.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

7432: Ruling on growing tobacco

Question:

What is the ruling in Islam on growing tobacco and on the money which the fellaheen earn from selling it?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to grow tobacco, or to sell it or use it, because it is haraam for several reasons, because it is very harmful to the health, because it is filthy and evil (khabeeth), and because there is no benefit in it. Muslims have to give it up and keep away from it, and not grow it or deal in it, because when Allaah forbids a thing, He forbids its price. And Allaah knows best.

From Fataawaa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 13/62.

(www.islam-qa.com) 

3149: He works in a factory that makes tight and short clothes for women

Question:

He works in a factory that makes tight and short clothes for women. Is it permissible for him to work there, or does he have a share in the burden of sin?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We put the following question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen:

He replied (may Allaah preserve him):

It is haraam for him, because he is cooperating in sin and transgression.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

681: Working in restaurants where wine is served

Question:

What is the ruling on one who works in a restaurant where haraam drinks are sold, but he avoids preparing or carrying these drinks to customers, but he continues to serve the customers if they ask for food and drinks which are not haraam? Taking into account the fact that I pass by people who are drinking them and I see those who are serving them, as it is one place. What is the ruling on the Muslim who deals in them for the purpose of attracting customers? What is the ruling on serving pork to customers when working in that restaurant, as a service and work for the purpose of earning a living? What is the ruling on the owner of a restaurant who has pork and earns money from it?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: it is haraam to work and earn a living by helping people to consume haraam things such as alcohol and pork. The payment for that is haraam, because this is a kind of cooperating in sin and transgression, and Allaah prohibited that when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

"…but do not help one another in sin and transgression…" [al-Maa'idah 5:2]

We advise you to keep away from working in this and similar restaurants, because this will keep you from helping in anything that Allaah has forbidden.

Secondly: it is forbidden for a Muslim to sell haraam things such as pork and alcohol. It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

"When Allaah forbids a thing, He also forbids its price."

Provision and the attraction of customers are things that are in the hand of Allaah, and they are not to be found in selling haraam things. The Muslim must fear Allaah and follow His commands and heed His prohibitions.

"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" [al-Talaaq 65:2-3 _ interpretation of the meaning]

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

(www.islam-qa.com) 

8797: Working in the army of a country in which there are munkaraat (haraam deeds)

Question:

Please tell me about the ruling on one who works for the army, which is the source of his provision, but the military system and laws oblige him to shave his beard and some of them have to respect others, as the foreigners do. We have to greet others in a manner different from that enjoined upon us by Allaah and His Messenger, we have to salute the flag and we are governed by and have to refer differences amongst ourselves to laws other than those of Allaah (military law). If I fight to defend my country, but it is not under the banner of Laa ilaah ill-Allaah Muhammad Rasool Allaah [There is no god but Allaah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah], and by the will of Allaah I am killed, what is the ruling on me according to the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran] and Sunnah?

Can I fight with an intention that is different to that of the army in whose ranks I am fighting? If I do the things mentioned above so as to avoid any negative consequences, am I sinning by doing that? Can a Muslim work in the army with the intention of learning fighting skills which he cannot learn anywhere else under current circumstances?

Please tell me about obedience to parents in this matter, when points of view differ in a case where the parents do not follow the Qur'aan [Qur'an, Quran] and Sunnah, but they follow the traditions of society and whatever people are agreed upon. They think that religion is just prayer and fasting, and that anything beyond that is extremism. May Allaah help you to do that which pleases Him, correct your mistakes and protect you.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: it is haraam to shave the beard; it is obligatory (waajib) to leave it to grow.

Secondly: it is not permissible to salute the flag.

Thirdly: it is obligatory (waajib) to govern by the sharee'ah of Islam, and to refer to it for judgement. It is not permissible for a Muslim to greet colleagues or superiors with the greeting of the foreigners, because of the reports which state that it is forbidden to imitate them and because this represents exaggerated respect for them.

Fourthly: Whoever fights to make the word of Allaah supreme and to protect the Muslims and their lands from the enemy, is fighting for the sake of Allaah, and if he is killed he is a shaheed (martyr). What counts is the aim and intention. You can have an intention which is different from the intention of the army, such as intending to make the word of Allaah supreme in your jihaad (so long as it is permissible, according to sharee'ah, to fight the group against whom you are fighting), even if others have different intentions, such as fighting for their country.

Fifthly: it is obligatory (waajib) to obey your parents so long as this does not entail disobeying Allaah, because there should be no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience of the Creator.

And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

Fataawaa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 12/22

(www.islam-qa.com) 

3659: Travelling to the land of the kuffaar to seek knowledge, and helping the kuffaar to make software

Question:

I have seen alot of the questions that you have answered and I have come to trust your opinion in complex matters such as which face the Ummah at this time.May Allah bestow His Mercy on you for helping the muslims by your knowledge. (Amen)

My question is whether it is permissible for a muslim to travel in a land of the kuffar for the purpose of gaining worldly knowledge.Also is it allowed for us to help the kuffar in making software,that they may use for military purposes.eventhough they may be a peace with us?Is the money that we get from such jobs halal or haram?Please answer this question for me as I am a student and very disturbed about whether what i am doing is right or wrong.I have talked with of my friends and they say that it is halal because what they do with our software is non of our concern and we are only doing our work and getting paid what we cannot imagine in any muslim country.

Dear shiekh please help me out,May Allah enter you in Paradise for all the good work you are doing.(Amen)

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

If it is worldly knowledge that is beneficial to the Muslims, and it cannot be learned in a Muslim country, then it is OK to go to the kaafir countries, on the condition that the person is religiously committed and knowledgeable enough to be safe from desires and doubts.

It is not permissible for us to help the enemies of Allaah with programs that may cause harm to the Muslims and give the kuffaar more power. 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" [al-Maa'idah 5:2]

This applies whether the harm is something that may happen in the future, which is the situation when there is peace, or is something that may happen immediately, as in the case of kuffaar who are in a state of war with the Muslims. The means of earning a halaal income are many, and whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better.

Written by: Ibn Jibreen. (www.islam-qa.com) 

5237: Working in an institute teaching interest-based financial courses

Question:

What is the Islamic ruling on working as a secretary in an institute that teaches financial courses, i.e., an institute which teaches bank employees only about matters pertaining to bank administration, knowing that the institute's income comes from riba-based banks in exchange for training their employees?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

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" [al-Maa'idah 5:2]. Your working in this institute is clearly helping them to continue engaging in riba, which is something that is forbidden not only in Islam but in all religious laws revealed to other Prophets. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who gives riba, the one who writes it down and the one who witnesses it." He said: "They are all the same." (Narrated by Muslim).

So you have to look for a new job. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "You never give up anything out of fear of Allaah, but Allaah will give you something better than that." (Narrated by Ahmad).

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"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." [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]

And Allaah knows best.

Reference: Masaa'il wa Rasaa'il, Muhammah al-Mahmood al-Najdi, p. 30

(www.islam-qa.com) 

5334: Ruling on working as an accountant in a company calculating the amount of riba, and he may not be able to find any other work

Question:

If an accountant who works in a company, dealing with its budgets etc., refuses to write down or record riba (interest), they will throw him out and jobs are hard to find. Can this in any way be regarded as being forced to do something, or does he have to leave that job?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who replied as follows:

No, that is not a kind of being forced to do something.

Question:

You mean that the threat of being sacked is not a kind of being forced?

Answer:

It is not a kind of being forced, because this is not the only kind of work that Allaah created.

Question:

But from people's experience, a man may look for work for a year or two years, with debts piling up all the time, and never finding any work in all that time. Could this be a reason for adopting a lenient attitude and allowing people to take this kind of work?

Answer:

No, this is not an excuse, because if it were, we could say that the poor man who needs money to build a house or get married would be allowed to deal with riba (and this is not the case). And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

(www.islam-qa.com) 

5008: Working on programs which do the accounts for a company and include riba

Question:

A person is working as a computer programmer, and the computer programs on which he works keep stock of what the company has in its warehouses, how much has been sold, how much is left.

They also keep track of maintenance, sales, employees' salaries, etc. This program also calculates the interest on deposits held by this company, but the ratio of haraam work to permissible work dealt with by the program is very little, no more than 5%. This person works with the entire program and cannot work only on one part and ignore the other part.

Is it permissible for him to work on this program or not?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who replied as follows:

It is not permissible to work for this company unless he puts the condition that he will not have to deal with riba, meaning that he should not record anything having to do with riba.

Question:

This computer program runs calculations by pressing buttons, so the accounts for all budgets are done by pressing buttons. They are not recorded on paper, for example, so that he could record this and not record that. Everything is done by pressing buttons, including those that involve riba. It is not possible to separate between them.

Answer:

To be on the safe side, he should not work there, and Allaah will send his provision. And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

(www.islam-qa.com) 

3481: Salary for work obtained through false certification

Question:

What is the ruling on the salary for work which was obtained through use of false certification of experience, then the person learned to do the job well. At first he was employed on the basis of false certification, but after six months he started to do the job as well as anyone who has the proper qualifications, so what is the ruling on the salary received after he started to do well?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, with whom the following conversation took place:

Shaykh: "I think that he should sit a test, unless he cheated in a matter that has nothing to do with his work."

Question: "Say this is a high-school student who falsified a degree certificate _ four years' study…?"

Shaykh: "What counts here is the last year in which the certificate is granted, so if we think that he cheated at every stage except the last, that is sufficient."

- : "Meaning four years, then he did not cheat in the last semester?"

Shaykh: "Yes, the semester in which he was given the certificate."

- : "But if the whole certificate _ as he says in the question _ was false, i.e., he didn't study at university at all, or he majored in a different subject? For example, a person studied business and produced a false certificate in computers, and he did the work well _ as stated in the question _ he did the work well after that. So he did not cheat in the last semester but he did not study this specialty at all…"

Shaykh: "This is not permissible, but now _ so long as he is doing his work well _ he has to sit a test."

- : "Of course the company has nothing to do with the university. Do you mean that he should leave his job?"

Shaykh: "He should leave his job, or if he is ready now he should sit a test, or if the company does not care whether he is a university graduate or not, he should still sit a test in the relevant subject."

- : "So he should say to the company, `Give me a test'?"

Shaykh: "Yes, he can say, `I want to be sure of my abilities, can you arrange for me to sit a test?'"

- : "And not a university exam."

Shaykh: "If they do not care if he is a university graduate or not."

- : "But they originally set the condition that the job was for a university graduate who has a certificate in computers."

Shaykh: "This means that there are two conditions, that he should be a university graduate and that he should have experience in computers. This means that he has to get a university degree."

- : "So he has to tell them, `I falsified my certificate. Either accept me now that I know the job well, or I shall leave.' In other words, he has to tell them the truth."

Shaykh: "Yes."

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

3478: Muslim working as a doctor in the kaafir army

Question:

What is the ruling on working as a doctor in the army of the kuffaar who are not in a state of war with the Muslims?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, with whom we had a conversation which is summarized below:

Shaykh: "Is this so that he may gain experience, or what?"

- "He is a doctor who is treating their sick, but they are not in a state of war."

Shaykh: "And they are not at war with the Muslims?"

- "It is possible that they may be at war with the Muslims in the future."

Shaykh: "We do not give the future precedence over the present (i.e., we do not count on that or take it into consideration)."

- "This questioner says, `I work in a place where the soldiers are not fighting the Muslims. But it is possible that some of the army may be fighting them in other places, and it is possible that we may be involved in such fighting in the future, but the military bases where I work now are not involved in fighting against the Muslims.'"

Shaykh: "But is this nation (in which this army is) one of those who are fighting the Muslims?"

- "The questioner is working for the American army, he is a Muslim working in America."

Shaykh: "Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): `Allaah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allaah loves those who deal with equity.' [al-Mumtahinah 60:8]."

- "And what if they are not driving us out of our homes, but they are helping others to do so, as mentioned in the next aayah?"

Shaykh: " `It is only as regards those who fought you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allaah forbids you to befriend them…' [al-Mumtahinah 60:9 _ interpretation of the meaning]."

- "So if it is clear to him that these people are helping to drive us out of our homes, for example, would working for them for a salary come under the just and kind treatment mentioned in the aayah?"

Shaykh: "No doubt it does come under that heading."

- "Even if you are working for money and not as a volunteer?"

Shaykh: "Yes, but they are benefitting from it."

- "So how may we sum up your answer?"

Shaykh: "This is not permissible unless the nation in whose army he is working is not fighting the Muslims."

- "And not driving them out of their homes or helping others to do so?"

Shaykh: "Yes."

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

3243: Earnings of one who makes images

Question:

please tell me if it is halal to have a job where the non-muslim customers often come in and ask me to copy and manipulate images for them (i.e pictures of people and animals sometimes)? i am working this job assuming it to be halal until you tell me otherwise (or anyone tells me with daleel). and if you tell me to quit, would i be able to keep the job until i could find a replacement?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah li'l-Buhooth al-`Ilmiyyah wa'l-Iftaa, it says the following:

"Making images of animate beings is haraam and earnings from doing this are haraam."

When Allaah forbids a thing, He also forbids its price. Making images of animate beings is forbidden, as it was reported in the saheeh evidence. Therefore earnings from doing this are unclean and it is not permissible to consume them. An exception is made in the case of images that are necessary, such as photos for ID documents and photos used to track down criminals and so on. It is permissible to make these images and receive payment for doing so. The one who is asking this question could work only with pictures of things that are not animate, or he can try to look for another job. Whoever gives up a thing for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

(www.islam-qa.com) 

4029: Work that involves protecting programs containing objectionable material

Question:

Some computer programs that are in the memory of a computer and then loaded onto disks and the like. Another program may be added to the disks to protect the contents, so that no one can copy the original program. My job has to do with these protection programs, working for companies or program owners. Among the programs I deal with are some that contain music or that belong to followers of bid'ah. If I produce programs to protect this material, as far as I can see, I am reducing the number of copies available, because then no one can make copies and they have to buy original versions. Is my work to protect these programs that contain objectionable material halaal or haraam?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who answered as follows:

"This is not haraam, and indeed it may be waajib (obligatory), because it is reducing the availability of these things."

Question:

On that basis, is it permissible for him to accept payment for this?

Answer:

"Yes."

Question:

"But the owner of the programs could go to someone else to get the protection of these programs."

Answer (paraphrased):

"This has nothing to do with anyone else. It's OK if he does this work of making these protection programs."

Question:

And he can accept payment for it?

Answer:

"He can accept payment for it. And Allaah knows best.."

Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

(www.islam-qa.com) 

3609: Taxi driver taking passengers to forbidden places

Question:

Assalaamu `Alaykum

A brother is a taxi driver and faces some difficulties for which he requires sincere advice.
He says that often times a passenger will get in the vehicle and after a portion of the journey asks him to stop at the liquor store so he can pick up his booze.
Also, some people may require him to take them to very undesirable places such as night clubs or places of that sort. Is it permissible to do a job that requires such things?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah. We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen: one of our brothers in Canada is working as a taxi driver, and says that often, after taking on a passenger and commencing the journey, the passenger asks him to stop near a liquor store so that he can buy something from there. Some passengers also ask him to take them to places such as nightclubs. Is it permissible for him to work in this occupation or to accept these fares?

The shaykh, may Allaah preserve him, replied as follows:

No, it is not permissible for him to stop at the liquor store for his passenger to buy some, and it is not permissible for him to take anyone to forbidden clubs, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "… Help you one another in al-birr and al-taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression…" [al-Maa'idah 5:2]. And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

(www.islam-qa.com) 

1190: Ruling on shaving another man's beard

Question:

I am a committed Muslim and I have a beard. I own a barber shop for men. This is my profession, and it means that I shave my customers' beards and use dryers to style their hair. What is the Islamic ruling on this?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is forbidden for a Muslim to shave his own beard because of the saheeh reports that indicate that this is forbidden. It is also forbidden for another man to shave a person's beard, because this entails cooperating in sin, which is forbidden in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "… do not help one another in sin and transgression…"

[al-Maa'idah 5:2]

It is permissible for you to comb and style men's hair, and apply oils and perfume to it, but it is not permissible for you to do this for women, except for those who are your mahrams (close relatives to whom marriage is forbidden).

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 5/145

(www.islam-qa.com) 

2834: Working as a systems engineer in a riba-based bank

Question:

Assalam Allaikum,
My husband to be is getting a job in the computer department of a bank in XXXXX as a System engineer. I wanted to know will it be alright to accept this job. I'm very upset if this will be a `Halal' earning or not. Please do reply me.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

If the bank you mention is based on riba (interest, usury), then it is not permitted to work in it, because of the hadeeth narrated by Jaabir, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who gives it, the one who writes it down and the ones who witness it. He said: `They are all the same.'" (Reported by Muslim in his Saheeh, 2995). We ask Allaah to compensate you with something better.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

2216: Should he give up the idea of specializing in Pharmacy for fear of selling haraam products in the future?

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum.

I'm a Biology major student, and am thinking about being a Pharmacist. However, I thought about the limitation in practicing pharmacy as a muslim because a pharmacist sells drugs that might contain alcohol in it or the drug itself (for example, contraceptive pills or others) might be doubtful. In such a situation, I would like to know which will be better for me: continue or quitting? May Allah reward you.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Now is the appropriate time for you to be thinking of your future, for this will lead you to take decisive action from now. If you know for sure that you can avoid selling everything that is forbidden in sharee'ah, then there is nothing wrong with continuing your studies. But if you know that you will not be able to avoid it, or you believe it is more likely that you will be too weak to avoid it, then you should change to another specialty from now, so that you will be able to practice a profession that will be acceptable to Allaah. Alternatively, if you see that there are impediments to practicing your specialty due to the involvement of forbidden items, you could take the initiative and commitment to finding permissible alternatives, whether natural or synthetic, to the forbidden items. The important thing is to ensure you will not put yourself in a position where you are involved in the sale, receiving, or giving of items that are haraam.

Some of the issues having to do with medicine need to be contemplated; for example, if a medicine contains alcohol and would intoxicate a person if a large amount was drunk (i.e. of the medicine itself), then it is haraam; otherwise it is not haraam. Similarly there are questions surrounding the impurities that form the ingredients of some medicines: is the structure of the impure substance changed in totality when it is mixed with the other ingredients, or does it remain the same? Surely you are not unaware that there are medicines taken from the urine of pregnant women, or blood, or from body parts removed from humans, such as placentas, to which the rulings concerning dead meat apply. The rulings governing all of these things need to be investigated, and consequently the rulings regarding their sale; the matter needs to be studied both from the point of view of Islamic Sharee'ah and of chemical analysis.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

(www.islam-qa.com) 

866: Working in a riba-based (interest-based) bank

Question:

Aslamoaliakum.

I have been offered a job at a Bank, and I am not sure whether I should work there or not, because the bank makes money from interest (Riba). Please tell me whether working there is allowed (Jaaiz), or not.

jazaakum-Allah-khair.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

You will find the answer in the hadeeth of Jaabir, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah cursed the one who consumes riba (interest or usury), the one who gives it, the one who writes it down and the one who witnesses it. He said: `All of them are equal in sin.'" (Reported by Muslim, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his Saheeh, no. 1598)

Commenting on this hadeeth, al-Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: This is clearly a prohibition of the writing down or witnessing of a contract between the two parties involved in a riba-based deal. It also includes a prohibition of helping others to commit wrong acts. And Allaah knows best.

It is inevitable that the employee in a riba-based bank will play a part in riba dealings one way or another, even if he is just a security guard. Maybe Allaah will help you, my brother, if you are patient, to find halaal employment. (Interpretation of the meaning) "… And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty)." [al-Talaaq 65:2]

Shaykh al-Barraak (www.islam-qa.com) 

1883: Working in a store which sells pork pizza

Question:

I just completed my master in computer scince and am now looking for a job. My Question is that during my study and now I am working in a pizza store as a delivery person which is owned by a `Qadiani', and he is selling pork pizza. Can I work in his store because most of the pizza orders are pork pizza?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible for you to do work which involves carrying pork and delivering it to the people who are going to eat it. Because by doing so you are taking part and cooperating in sin. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Help you one another in al-birr and al-taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression…" [al-Maa'idah 5:2]
We ask Allaah to help you find acceptable work and a halaal income, for He is the All-Hearing Who answers prayers.

"… And whoever 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…" [al-Talaaq 65:2]

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

1073: Developing Computer Programs for Banks based on Interest

Question:

I am a software developer by profession. My question is whether I could develop software for a bank which deals in ribaa (interest).

Answer:

It is not permitted, because Allah has forbidden it in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
". . . but do not help one another in sin and transgression. . ." [al-Maa'idah 5:2]

There is no doubt that by doing this work you are making it easy for the bank to deal in the haraam matter of ribaa using the programs that you have developed. May Allah help us and you to do the things that will please Him, and keep us away from the things that will earn His wrath. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

1052: Muslim working in law enforcement in a non-Islamic country

Question:

I have a question regarding the permissibility of becoming a law enforcement officer in this country that does no follow sharee `ah. Is it haraam to be enforcing laws that have not been developed by our Creator Allaah and His holy Prophets (upon whom be peace)? Even if it means enforcing laws on non-Muslims?

Partciluarly, is it permissible to enforce a law like punishing someone for speeding on the highway? What about allowing someone to drink alcohol if he is over 21 but not if he is under 21? Even though this is not Islamic, should a Muslim allow such behaviour among non-Muslims? Of course, Muslims will be accountable for these haraam actions in the Hereafter, but is it okay to let non-Muslims do this?

Answer:

Praise be to Allah.

If a Muslim is able, through such work, to fight evil and oppression, or to prevent or reduce it by using the existing laws which may contain something of justice and decency, then it is permissible if his intention is to seek the pleasure of Allah. He may do this work even if it involves preventing only some people - but not all - from getting drunk, for example.

But if it involves enforcing laws that are unjust to people - whether they are Muslim or not - or enforcing something that goes against the Sharee'ah, like preventing people from wearing hijaab or praying, or giving some kind of protection to criminals, and so on, then this is not permitted at all.

The wise and clever Muslim knows from experience to what extent his work is in accordance with the Sharee'ah that is based on the common good and on preventing corruption. And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

782: Selling greeting cards for Christian holidays

Question:

At work - I am a cashier, and there are Christmas cards with shirk on them "Jesus is God - and Loves You" etc...
If a customer brings these to me, and I ring him up and put the money in the register - am I a kaafir?

I hate the shirk, ......., ......, am I a kaafir?

Answer:

Al-hamdu lillaah

As long as you are a true believer, who believes in the oneness of Allah, the Most Gracious, and who has not committed any act that would expel you from the religion of Islam, and as long as you hate ! shirk and (the blasphemy of) Christianity, then you are a Muslim and not a kaafir. However, you must realize that it is unacceptable for a Muslim to aid or abet the kuffaar (non-believers) by any means or medium relating to the celebration of their holiday occasions. This would encompass selling items that are used in their celebrations. Sheikh ul-Islam Ahmad ibn Abdul-Haleem ibn Taymiya (may Allaah have mercy upon him) in his classic and monumental book entitled Iqtidaa' Al-Siraat Al-Mustaqeem Mukhalafat As-haab Al-Jaheem (In Pursuit of the Straight Path by Contradicting the People of the Hellfire) said:

"As for a Muslim selling to them (the non-believers) items that they use to celebrate their holiday occasions, such as food, clothes, perfumes, etc., or offering such items as gifts, is a way of helping them celebrate their "unlawful" holidays. This idea is based on the fundamental principle that states that it is unacceptable (for a Muslim) to sell the kuffaar grapes or juice which they will use to produce wine or alcoholic beverages. By the same token it is also unacceptable (for a Muslim) to sell them weapons that will be used to fight Muslims.

He then presented an argument presented by Abdul-Malik bin Habeeb (among the scholars of Al Malakiyya madh-hab) in which he said "Do!n't you see that it is forbidden for a Muslim to sell Christians any item that benefits or concerns their holidays? Not meat, nor food (eaten with bread), nor clothes, nor should they even be lent an animal (to ride on). They should not be helped in any way that relates to their holidays because this would be considered a form of glorifying their shirk (blasphemy) and supporting them in their apostasy and disbelief…." Al-Iqtidaa' p. 229, 23, Dar Al-Ma'rifah printing, tahqeeq (verified and edited by) Al-Faqiy.

We ask Allaah to help you be firmly established on the truth, and to ward you away from wrong and falsehood, and to provide you with good and righteous means of living.

May the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon our Prophet Muhammad .Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 

164: Not permissible to sell alcohol to non-Muslims

Question:

Assalaam Aleikum,Is it sinful to buy liqor or other Alcoholic drinks to non muslims? As for myself I have never even tested alcohol and would discourage other muslims from doing so.

Answer:

al-hamdu lillaah.

It is not permissible for a Muslim to sell wine (or any other intoxicating substance) to non-Muslims, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"Verily when Allaah forbids something, he forbids its price"

(i.e. forbids earning money from it). The Prophet also cursed ten types of people relating to the issue of wine, among them the one who sells it. In addition, selling it would be assisting and abetting people in sin and transgression, and Allaah the Almighty has said (interpretation of the meaning):

...and do not aid and abet one another in sin and transgression. (al-Maa'ida 5:2)

It is incumbent upon you to advise those who have fallen into this evil among the Muslims, that he should repent to Allah the Most Glorified and desist this practice.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)