Title: Are My Earnings Halal, And Is My Job Legitimate In Light Of Islam

Question: I reside in Manchester UK, and I work for a retail giant (Tesco) where my job involves SERVING Alcohol and Tobacco products. Many of my friends argued that my earnings are haram, while my job is not selling Alcohol and Tobacco on my behalf but this is the company which requires me to SERVE them to the customers who want to buy them on the company's behalf. I don't consume Alcohol and Tobacco myself but I have to serve these products to customers as If I don't, I will lose my job and my entire family will suffer. Kindly, guide me in this regard. I worked for the company for years, and changing employment is not easy and guaranteed.

Answer ID: 49614Posted on: Sep 1, 2020

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

(Fatwa: 139/114/D=01/1435) It is not much serious to sell tobacco and its other products to the customer, but selling alcohol is serious; as the hadith which deals with alcohol curses those who are involved in it and it includes those carry and offer alcohol. So, though you are offering the alcohol on behalf of the company you bear the blunt of the curse; therefore you should make efforts to get out of the situation. If you sell products other than alcohol as well to the customers, then your income may not be considered haram but it will not be considered purely halal. You should try to avoid offering alcohol, though you have to look for another job.