Ruling on the Sale of Forbidden Items
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A young man whom Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has guided. He has a grocery store with his father, and this store contains some of what is wrong, such as selling tobacco and images. He has already advised his father,But his father argues and says: but as long as the government has introduced this, and people are selling this, there is nothing wrong with it. His father is old, and naturally, some elderly people do not accept advice from their children except rarely. What is your guidance? May Allah reward you.
First: We congratulate this young man whom Allah has guided to commit to the religion; for the greatest blessing Allah bestows upon a servant is to guide him and grant him success in adhering to the Shari'ah of Allah. Indeed, this is better for him than all the pleasures of this world.
Second: We advise his father, especially since he is in the last stage of his life, to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to be afraid of Him, and to know that the provision of Allah is not brought about by sins. The provision that comes through sin is provision in which there is no good and no blessing; rather, it is a calamity for its owner. The Sunnah has come with a severe warning against unlawful earnings.So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Indeed, Allah is Pure and does not accept anything but what is pure, and Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers, so Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Mu'minun: 51] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah: 172] , then He mentioned the man who travels a long distance, disheveled and covered in dust,He stretches his hand to the sky: saying: O my Lord! O my Lord! Yet his food is forbidden, his clothing is forbidden, and he is nourished with what is forbidden. So how will he be answered?!) .
Thus said the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (So how will he be answered?) (How) here is a question meaning: it is unlikely,Meaning: it is unlikely that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will answer this man who eats what is forbidden.And it also came in the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: (Whoever earns wealth -Meaning: that is forbidden - if he gives it in charity, it will not be accepted from him, and if he spends it, he will not be blessed in it, and if he leaves it behind, it will be his provision to the Fire) .
And I hope that our brother, the elderly Shaykh, the father of this committed young man, will accept this advice and this gift from us, for we have not presented it to him except for his benefit and the benefit of his children after him.
As for the young man whose father orders him to take charge of the sale in this grocery store which contains what is forbidden,So I say to him: do not obey your father in this. Sit in the store and sell what is permissible, and do not sell what is forbidden; for there is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator.
And as for your father's saying to you: If this is something with which there is no harm, because the government has permitted it and allowed it,So I say: First: the criterion is what is in the Book and the Sunnah, not the action of the government or the action of people;Because Allah said: [An-Nisa: 59] If you dispute, even with those in authority, [An-Nisa: 59] , and this argument will not benefit him on the Day of Resurrection before Allah;Because Allah says: [Al-Qasas: 65] Nor will it benefit others in this world before the sensible among people who believe in Allah; for no believer can accept the action of people or the action of those in authority as an argument against the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So his father has no argument in this.
It is feared that the one who argues with the action of the government is similar to those about whom Allah said: [Al-Baqarah: 166-167] ,And the summary of the answer is four things: First: congratulating this one whom Allah has blessed with commitment.
Second: Advising the father to leave this forbidden work.
Third: That if the son is ordered to remain in this place in this shop, he should sell what is lawful and not sell what is forbidden.
Fourth: That the reference for religious rulings is not to the approval of the government or its lack thereof, or to the action of people or their lack thereof, but rather the reference is to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
First: We congratulate this young man whom Allah has guided to commit to the religion; for the greatest blessing Allah bestows upon a servant is to guide him and grant him success in adhering to the Shari'ah of Allah. Indeed, this is better for him than all the pleasures of this world.
Second: We advise his father, especially since he is in the last stage of his life, to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to be afraid of Him, and to know that the provision of Allah is not brought about by sins. The provision that comes through sin is provision in which there is no good and no blessing; rather, it is a calamity for its owner. The Sunnah has come with a severe warning against unlawful earnings.So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Indeed, Allah is Pure and does not accept anything but what is pure, and Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers, so Allah the Exalted said:
[Allah said], "O messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness. Indeed, I, of what you do, am Knowing.
يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحاً إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌO you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَThus said the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (So how will he be answered?) (How) here is a question meaning: it is unlikely,Meaning: it is unlikely that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will answer this man who eats what is forbidden.And it also came in the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: (Whoever earns wealth -Meaning: that is forbidden - if he gives it in charity, it will not be accepted from him, and if he spends it, he will not be blessed in it, and if he leaves it behind, it will be his provision to the Fire) .
And I hope that our brother, the elderly Shaykh, the father of this committed young man, will accept this advice and this gift from us, for we have not presented it to him except for his benefit and the benefit of his children after him.
As for the young man whose father orders him to take charge of the sale in this grocery store which contains what is forbidden,So I say to him: do not obey your father in this. Sit in the store and sell what is permissible, and do not sell what is forbidden; for there is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator.
And as for your father's saying to you: If this is something with which there is no harm, because the government has permitted it and allowed it,So I say: First: the criterion is what is in the Book and the Sunnah, not the action of the government or the action of people;Because Allah said:
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِrefer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.
فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاًAnd [mention] the Day He will call them and say, "What did you answer the messengers?"
وَيَوْمَ يُنَادِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَا أَجَبْتُمُ الْمُرْسَلِينَIt is feared that the one who argues with the action of the government is similar to those about whom Allah said:
(166) [And they should consider that] when those who have been followed disassociate themselves from those who followed [them], and they [all] see the punishment, and cut off from them are the ties [of relationship], (167) Those who followed will say, "If only we had another turn [at worldly life] so we could disassociate ourselves from them as they have disassociated themselves from us." Thus will Allah show them their deeds as regrets upon them. And they are never to emerge from the Fire.
إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الْأَسْبَابُ * وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّأُوا مِنَّا كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ حَسَرَاتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِSecond: Advising the father to leave this forbidden work.
Third: That if the son is ordered to remain in this place in this shop, he should sell what is lawful and not sell what is forbidden.
Fourth: That the reference for religious rulings is not to the approval of the government or its lack thereof, or to the action of people or their lack thereof, but rather the reference is to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).