Can One Work in a Warehouse That Sells High Heels?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
You mentioned that working in a warehouse with high heels is allowed. However, I learned that high heels are considered haram due to health concerns above a certain height. Why is it permissible to handle and store something haram? Additionally, employees indirectly contribute to selling the shoes.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
High heels come in various sizes and heights, worn by Muslims and Non-Muslims alike. They are not haram and impermissible in themselves, though they affect their wearers’ well-being depending on their height. They can be worn by various people temporarily; in a closed setting, some have a lower height. Therefore, your work in a warehouse where they are packed is permissible, as ultimately, it is a sale between the seller and the purchaser.
The reason is that anything that has normal use is permitted in the Shariah and is allowed to be sold, even if there is the likelihood that it may be used for the haram.
Such sales would not be considered assisting in sin because the sin itself is not the direct result of the sale but the free choice of another.
[Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
In cases with some degree of indirect assistance, it would be somewhat disliked (makruh tanzihan) to the extent of that assistance. This would not, however, affect the lawfulness of the earnings themselves.
Give Sadaqa
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) recommended that traders and business people give in charity; however, they should purify their wealth from any accidental wrongdoings of potentially doubtful transactions.
[Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, Ibn Maja; it is a sound hadith]
However, things that do not have permitted uses according to the Shariah – such as wine, pork, lottery tickets, pornography, unslaughtered meat, and the like–are unlawful and sinful to sell even to non-Muslims.
It is essential that anyone in business and serious about Allah and the Last Day learn the essentials of the fiqh of commerce and trade, and the halal and haram related to these, and apply the vital principle that One should not engage in any activity without knowing the ruling of Allah regarding it.
[Khadimi, Sharh al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya]
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
Related
- Is It Permissible for Women to Wear Heels? – SeekersGuidance
- Is It Considered Assisting in Sin to Develop Software for Casinos, Banks, or Insurance Companies? – SeekersGuidance
- What Are the Principles of Work and Assisting in Sin? [Video] – SeekersGuidance
- The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – YouTube
- Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org) or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course.
I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
