Answered by: Maulana Burhaan Rahman
Question:
I live in Australia. Can I work in a supermarket as a staff which sells halal and haram groceries /bread drinks as well pork and meat? Although for pork and meat there’s a different section. My job is to fill up the shelves and help the customers to pay. As filling up the shelves if I’m not sure which one is haram and if the customer buys pork and meat and I’m helping them to pay the bill, will it be sinful?
Or working in such a store as a manager will be permissible?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Firstly, any work that requires you to carry out, encourage, or safeguard haram is prohibited. If this Haram act is one of the primary sins, the situation becomes even more severe in terms of sin.
Examples can be working in a pub/bar, selling haram movies that contain sexual content, promoting alcohol/whiskey etc. A Muslim is to understand this.
Allah (SWT) mentions in the Qur’an:
وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah for indeed, Allah is severe in punishment”. [Surah Ma’idah verse 2]
Whereas if you are working in a supermarket as you mentioned, e.g. working at Tesco or most big retailers where you may be required to handle Haram products in such parts of your job because the majority of your employment involves Halal products it is fine.
This is because you are not promoting, or protecting/encouraging any Haram acts or commodities as stated in the verse. We are from the West and living here, it is very hard to find a job which is black and white and 100% Halal. But we must exert ourselves to always look for the best jobs for our livelihood according to our ability.
Allah (SWT) mentions in the Qur’an:
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ
Fear Allah (SWT) as much as you can [Surah Taghaabun verse 16]
Obviously, finding a job that has not a single trace of Halal in it is the best.
Our beloved prophet (SAW) has mentioned
دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبك
“Leave that which doubts you for that which has no doubt to you”. [Tirmidhi hadeeth no: 2442]
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Maulana Burhaan Rahman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham