What is the ruling on working in a shop that sells pork? And the Shaykh’s advice to the questioner not to remain in a land of disbelief.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The Shaykh : Abd al-Nasser, I am speaking to you from America and I have a question.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah from Abd al-Nasser.
The questioner : Shaykh Abd al-Nasser.
The Shaykh : No, no, my name is Muhammad Nasser al-Din.
The questioner : Muhammad Nasser al-Din, Al-Albani, is that not right?
The Shaykh : You want it.
The questioner : I have a question, do you want to answer it for me?
The Shaykh : Go ahead, but you, Abd al-Nasser, do you know that he has died?
The questioner : Yes, may Allah have mercy on him. Okay, the question is: if a person works in a place where pork is sold, may Allah honor you, and he does not touch this pork and does not sell it, but the shop where he works is the one that sells this pork, is the earnings this person makes forbidden or lawful?
The Shaykh : What is the shop, my brother?
The questioner : The shop sells foodstuffs.
The Shaykh : Foodstuffs, among which is pork.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There is no alcohol among them.
The questioner : No
The Shaykh : No alcohol?
The questioner : No
The Shaykh : Are there no other forbidden things?
The questioner : There is... a machine where they gamble.
The Shaykh : Then it is not permissible for a Muslim to enter this place, entering and exiting, let alone to enter and work there as an employee, because Allah says:[Al-An'am 6:68] and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says: Sunan ad-Darimi 9:5 And it is sufficient that a Muslim does not drink alcohol; he must be far away from the places of evil. Therefore, this earnings that this man acquires, who works in that place where pork is sold and gambling is practiced, this earnings is forbidden.
The questioner : Okay, may Allah reward you with all good.
The Shaykh : And where are you speaking from?
The questioner : From America.
The Shaykh : America, in the north or the south? From which country of them?
The questioner : In Boston.
The Shaykh : Boston.
The questioner: Yes, Shaykh
The Shaykh : You are Egyptian, if Allah wills.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You are Egyptian.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : By lineage or by origin?
The questioner : By lineage.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed.
The questioner : From Morocco.
The Shaykh : Your origins are from Morocco and you settled there.
The questioner : I did not settle; I am here to study, meaning I work...
The Shaykh : And what are you studying?
The questioner : I have five brothers here, living here in a house, and praise be to Allah, and I am trying to work in a job that Allah and His Messenger are pleased with.
The Shaykh : But I thought, from your accent which is mixed with foreignness, that you were American.
The questioner : No, I am not American.
The Shaykh : Okay, when you came to America, how old were you?
The questioner : I was twenty-one years old.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, and how many years have passed for you while you were there?
The questioner : One year, meaning now I am twenty-two.
The Shaykh : What is the science you are studying?
The questioner : Aviation, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : You cannot study this in your country, in Algeria, in Morocco?
The questioner : No, it is not possible, this study is not in Morocco.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : Because, I mean, this study does not exist in Morocco, the study of aviation. Shaykh, I studied in Morocco and now I have a year here in America. I studied English, meaning now I am working a bit so that I can cover the expenses of the study.
The Shaykh : Okay, when you want to study aviation, do you want to study at the expense of the Moroccan state or at your own expense?
The questioner : At my own expense...
The Shaykh : I want from all these questions to remind you of something that may be absent from your mind, which is that settling for a few years in lands of disbelief is not permissible. Perhaps you know this?
The questioner : I do not have details on it, but explain it to me, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Well done. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says: Do you understand the meaning of this hadith?
The questioner : Explain it to me, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Perhaps you know that the Arabs in the past used to live in tents in the way of the Bedouins, and they used to light fires in front of the tents. So the Messenger (peace be upon him) addressed the people with what they understand and comprehend, and he said: Meaning, if a Muslim lights a fire in front of his house or in front of his tent, and likewise a polytheist lights a fire in front of his house or tent, the Muslim should be far away from the polytheist, completely far, such that the Muslim does not see the fire of the disbeliever and the disbeliever does not see the fire of the Muslim. Is that clear?
The questioner : Yes, it is clear.
The Shaykh : Okay, likewise the Messenger (peace be upon him) says: Is this clear?
The questioner : Yes, it is clear.
The Shaykh : Finally, the third and last hadith, which is from the concise words.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah from Abd al-Nasser.
The questioner : Shaykh Abd al-Nasser.
The Shaykh : No, no, my name is Muhammad Nasser al-Din.
The questioner : Muhammad Nasser al-Din, Al-Albani, is that not right?
The Shaykh : You want it.
The questioner : I have a question, do you want to answer it for me?
The Shaykh : Go ahead, but you, Abd al-Nasser, do you know that he has died?
The questioner : Yes, may Allah have mercy on him. Okay, the question is: if a person works in a place where pork is sold, may Allah honor you, and he does not touch this pork and does not sell it, but the shop where he works is the one that sells this pork, is the earnings this person makes forbidden or lawful?
The Shaykh : What is the shop, my brother?
The questioner : The shop sells foodstuffs.
The Shaykh : Foodstuffs, among which is pork.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There is no alcohol among them.
The questioner : No
The Shaykh : No alcohol?
The questioner : No
The Shaykh : Are there no other forbidden things?
The questioner : There is... a machine where they gamble.
The Shaykh : Then it is not permissible for a Muslim to enter this place, entering and exiting, let alone to enter and work there as an employee, because Allah says:
then do not remain after the reminder with the wrongdoing people.
فلا تقعد بعد الذكرى مع القوم الظّالمينWhoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him not sit at a table in a house where there is alcohol.
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فلا يقعد على مائدة بدار فيها الخمرThe questioner : Okay, may Allah reward you with all good.
The Shaykh : And where are you speaking from?
The questioner : From America.
The Shaykh : America, in the north or the south? From which country of them?
The questioner : In Boston.
The Shaykh : Boston.
The questioner: Yes, Shaykh
The Shaykh : You are Egyptian, if Allah wills.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You are Egyptian.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : By lineage or by origin?
The questioner : By lineage.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed.
The questioner : From Morocco.
The Shaykh : Your origins are from Morocco and you settled there.
The questioner : I did not settle; I am here to study, meaning I work...
The Shaykh : And what are you studying?
The questioner : I have five brothers here, living here in a house, and praise be to Allah, and I am trying to work in a job that Allah and His Messenger are pleased with.
The Shaykh : But I thought, from your accent which is mixed with foreignness, that you were American.
The questioner : No, I am not American.
The Shaykh : Okay, when you came to America, how old were you?
The questioner : I was twenty-one years old.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, and how many years have passed for you while you were there?
The questioner : One year, meaning now I am twenty-two.
The Shaykh : What is the science you are studying?
The questioner : Aviation, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : You cannot study this in your country, in Algeria, in Morocco?
The questioner : No, it is not possible, this study is not in Morocco.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : Because, I mean, this study does not exist in Morocco, the study of aviation. Shaykh, I studied in Morocco and now I have a year here in America. I studied English, meaning now I am working a bit so that I can cover the expenses of the study.
The Shaykh : Okay, when you want to study aviation, do you want to study at the expense of the Moroccan state or at your own expense?
The questioner : At my own expense...
The Shaykh : I want from all these questions to remind you of something that may be absent from your mind, which is that settling for a few years in lands of disbelief is not permissible. Perhaps you know this?
The questioner : I do not have details on it, but explain it to me, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Well done. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says:
The Muslim and the mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) do not see each other's fires.
المسلم والمشرك لا تتراءى نارهماThe questioner : Explain it to me, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Perhaps you know that the Arabs in the past used to live in tents in the way of the Bedouins, and they used to light fires in front of the tents. So the Messenger (peace be upon him) addressed the people with what they understand and comprehend, and he said:
The Muslim and the mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) do not see each other's fires.
المسلم والمشرك لا تتراءى نارهماThe questioner : Yes, it is clear.
The Shaykh : Okay, likewise the Messenger (peace be upon him) says:
I am innocent of every Muslim who resides among the polytheists.
أنا بريء من كلّ مسلم أقام بين ظهراني المشركينThe questioner : Yes, it is clear.
The Shaykh : Finally, the third and last hadith, which is from the concise words.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.