What is the ruling on a son whose father has a grocery store that sells cigarettes and images, on the grounds that the state has not prohibited cigarettes? How should he advise his father?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. A young man has been guided by Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and his father has a grocery store. This store contains some of what is wrong, such as selling cigarettes and images. The young man has already advised his father, but his father argues, saying: "As long as the government has allowed this and people are selling it, there is nothing wrong with it." His father is old, and naturally, some elderly people, O Shaykh, accept very little from their children. What is your guidance? May Allah bless you, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : First: We congratulate this young man whom Allah has guided to commit himself, for the greatest blessing Allah bestows upon a servant is to guide him and enable him to adhere to the Shari'ah of Allah. Indeed, this is better for him than all the comforts of this world.
Second: We direct advice to 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. He should know that the provision of Allah is not brought about by sins, and that the provision that comes through sin is provision in which there is no good or blessing; rather, it is a calamity for its owner.
The Sunnah has come with a severe warning against unlawful earnings. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: إن الله طيب لا يقبل إلا طيبًا وإن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المرسلين فقال تعالى : يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحاً إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ وقال تعالى : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ ثم ذكر الرجل يطيل السفر أشعث أغبر يمد يده إلى السماء يا رب يا رب ومطعمه حرام وملبسه حرام وغذي بالحرام فأنى يستجاب لذلك ؟! Indeed, Allah is Pure and accepts nothing but that which is pure. And Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers, saying: "O messengers, eat from the good things and do righteous deeds. Indeed, I am, of what you do, Knowing." And He said: "O you who have believed, eat from the good things We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is Him you worship." Then He mentioned the man who travels a long distance, disheveled and dusty, stretching his hands to the sky, saying, "O my Lord, O my Lord," while 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): Here, "how" is a question meaning improbability, meaning it is unlikely that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will respond to this man who eats what is forbidden. Also, it came in the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: .
I hope 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 selling in this grocery store which contains what is forbidden, 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.
As for your father's statement to you: "This is something with no harm because the government has permitted it and allowed it," I say: First: The criterion is what is in the Book and the Sunnah, not the actions of the government or the actions of people, for Allah said:[An-Nisa 4:59] If you dispute about anything, even with those in authority, [An-Nisa 4:59] This argument will not benefit him on the Day of Resurrection before Allah, for Allah says: [Al-Qasas 28:65] It will not benefit him in this world before the sensible among the people who believe in Allah either, for no believer can accept the actions of people or the actions 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, and it is feared that the one who argues with the actions of the government is similar to what Allah, the Exalted, said, similar to those about whom Allah said: [Al-Baqarah 2:166-167].
In summary, the answer consists of four things: First: Congratulating this one whom Allah has blessed with commitment.
Second: Advising the father regarding this work.
Third: If the father orders the son to remain in this shop, he should sell what is lawful and not sell what is forbidden. And fourth: The reference for religious rulings is not the approval of the government or its lack thereof, or the actions of people or their lack thereof, but rather the reference is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes, one by one, for the sake of...
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. A young man has been guided by Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and his father has a grocery store. This store contains some of what is wrong, such as selling cigarettes and images. The young man has already advised his father, but his father argues, saying: "As long as the government has allowed this and people are selling it, there is nothing wrong with it." His father is old, and naturally, some elderly people, O Shaykh, accept very little from their children. What is your guidance? May Allah bless you, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : First: We congratulate this young man whom Allah has guided to commit himself, for the greatest blessing Allah bestows upon a servant is to guide him and enable him to adhere to the Shari'ah of Allah. Indeed, this is better for him than all the comforts of this world.
Second: We direct advice to 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. He should know that the provision of Allah is not brought about by sins, and that the provision that comes through sin is provision in which there is no good or blessing; rather, it is a calamity for its owner.
The Sunnah has come with a severe warning against unlawful earnings. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: إن الله طيب لا يقبل إلا طيبًا وإن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المرسلين فقال تعالى : يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحاً إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ وقال تعالى : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ ثم ذكر الرجل يطيل السفر أشعث أغبر يمد يده إلى السماء يا رب يا رب ومطعمه حرام وملبسه حرام وغذي بالحرام فأنى يستجاب لذلك ؟! Indeed, Allah is Pure and accepts nothing but that which is pure. And Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers, saying: "O messengers, eat from the good things and do righteous deeds. Indeed, I am, of what you do, Knowing." And He said: "O you who have believed, eat from the good things We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is Him you worship." Then He mentioned the man who travels a long distance, disheveled and dusty, stretching his hands to the sky, saying, "O my Lord, O my Lord," while 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):
How then will it be answered?
فأنى يستجاب لذلكWhoever acquires wealth, meaning that which is forbidden, if he gives it in charity, it will not be accepted from him; if he spends it, he will not be blessed in it; and if he leaves it as an inheritance, it will be his provision to the Fire.
من اكتسب مالا يعني محرما إنه إن تصدق به لم يقبل منه وإن أنفقه لم يبارك له فيه وإن خلفه كان زاده إلى النارI hope 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 selling in this grocery store which contains what is forbidden, 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.
As for your father's statement to you: "This is something with no harm because the government has permitted it and allowed it," I say: First: The criterion is what is in the Book and the Sunnah, not the actions of the government or the actions of people, for 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 الْمُرْسَلِينَ(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 النَّارِIn summary, the answer consists of four things: First: Congratulating this one whom Allah has blessed with commitment.
Second: Advising the father regarding this work.
Third: If the father orders the son to remain in this shop, he should sell what is lawful and not sell what is forbidden. And fourth: The reference for religious rulings is not the approval of the government or its lack thereof, or the actions of people or their lack thereof, but rather the reference is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes, one by one, for the sake of...