Is It Permissible to Work for a Casino Valet Parking Company?

Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas

Question: Asalamu alaikum.  A brother I know works as a valet for a valet parking company. He sometimes parks cars at restaurants and casinos.  Is parking the cars for those people going to the casino haram? The casino also gives free buffet food to those who use the valet service. Is parking their cars considered aiding them in sin?

Answer: assalamu `alaykum

The income earned from working as a valet parker for a restaurant or a casino would be lawful.

This is because (a) the nature of the work, namely parking the cars of customers, is permissible and does not directly involve assisting in sin, and (b) it can be assumed that both restaurants and casinos have alternate sources of wealth that are not impermissible.

The Degrees of Assisting in Sin

In the Hanafi school, the degrees of assisting another in sin are:

a. direct assistance in sin
b. indirect assistance in sin
c. possible cause for a sin.

It is impermissible (haram) to do something that directly assists in sin, slightly disliked (makruh tanzihan) to do that which indirectly assists in sin, and better to avoid something that may be a possible cause for sin. However, the earnings from work that fall into the latter two categories would remain halal and there would be no sin involved in such work. [Nahlawi, Durar al-Mubaha]

However, at the same time, due the potential dislikedness in the action and the doubtful source of the income, it is best to try to avoid such work if one can reasonably do so without hardship. Further, if one does decide to undertake such work, one should at least dislike it slightly in one’s heart.

Wassalam
Salman

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani

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