Answered by: Muftiyah Habiba Akhtar
Question:
As an auditor, once or twice a year I am assigned by my employer to carry out stock takes at random clients which basically involves making sure the client has stated the correct inventory amount on their financial statements by observing the client count some of the inventory they have at their store in front of the auditor. Sometimes the stock take involves alcohol especially if the client is in a restaurant or hotel.
1) Is this permissible and would the money earned from an assignment of this sort involving alcohol be halal?
2) Sometimes observing the stock take of alcohol involves going into the wine cellar or bar at the client site which obviously has an overwhelming stench of alcohol in the air.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Working with alcohol and dealing with impermissible things at work depends on the nature of the work. If the work is such that most of the time is worked where you are not dealing with impermissible products, then the job is permissible and the earning is halal (1)
Your dealing with alcohol is secondary as you are not selling or personally serving the alcohol and therefore the view will be similar to Imam Abu Hanifah’s view of the one who transports wine for a dhimmi that it is permissible and the earning is permissible. (2)
Hence, it will be permissible to do such work where you account for alcohol however it is better to find work that is more suitable to the shariah. The earnings will be halal as the nature of the job itself is not haram but one should be precautious when earning.
It will be advisable to work in such environments where there’s no doubt about the purity of your earnings.
Till you can find a more suitable job, you may continue to work in your current occupation.
The shariah encourages ‘Ease’ upon the Ummah as Allah SWT states in the Qur’an:
“Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship” (3)
The ease of the Shariah doesn’t wish to rid you of an earning however, it is also in compliance with the shariah of protecting the religion to earn lawfully which one should strive towards.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Muftiyah Habiba Akhtar
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
(1)
) قَالَ فِي الْخَانِيَّةِ: وَلَوْ آجَرَ نَفْسَهُ لِيَعْمَلَ فِي الْكَنِيسَةِ وَيُعَمِّرَهَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ لِأَنَّهُ لَا مَعْصِيَةَ فِي عَيْنِ الْعَمَلِ
Raddul Mukhtar, Vol 6, page 391, HM Saeed
(2)
إذا استأجر رجلا ليحمل له خمرا فله الأجر في قول أبي حنيفة رحمه الله تعالى وقال أبو يوسف ومحمد – رحمهما الله تعالى – لا أجر له وإذا استأجر ذمي مسلما ليحمل له خمرا ولم يقل ليشرب أو قال ليشرب جازت له الإجارة في قول أبي حنيفة رحمه الله تعالى خلافا لهما…وإذا استأجر الذمي مسلما ليحمل له ميتة أودما يجوز عندهم جميعا
Fatawa Hindiyyah, Vol 4 page 449, Maktab Rehmania
(3)
(شَهۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِیۤ أُنزِلَ فِیهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدࣰى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَیِّنَـٰتࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهۡرَ فَلۡیَصُمۡهُۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِیضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرࣲ فَعِدَّةࣱ مِّنۡ أَیَّامٍ أُخَرَۗ یُرِیدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلۡیُسۡرَ وَلَا یُرِیدُ بِكُمُ ٱلۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُكۡمِلُوا۟ ٱلۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ)
[Surah Al-Baqarah 185]