Is It Permissible to Work in Administration Where Approving Liquor Licenses Is Involved?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is it permissible to work in political administration if one task involves approving or rejecting liquor licenses?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are well.
It will not be permissible to work where you are tasked to approve liquor sales. You are directly assisting in sin, which is not permitted in Islam.
Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Allah has cursed alcohol, the one who drinks it, the one who pours it, the one who sells it, the one who buys it, the one who squeezes (the grapes, etc.), the one for whom it is squeezed, the one who carries it and the one to whom it is carried.” [Abu Dawud]
Assisting in Sin
Your nature of work involves directly assisting in sin, which comes under assisting in sin. Allah (Most High) says, “And aid one another in devotion to your Lord in every good and godfearingness, and do not aid one another in sin and transgression; And fear Allah: Verily Allah is unsparing in reprisal.” [Quran, 5:2]
In the Hanafi School, the degrees of assisting another in sin are:
- Direct assistance in sin.
- Indirect assistance in sin.
- Possible cause for sin.
[Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Nahlawi, Durar al-Mubaha; Usmani, Fiqh al-Buyu‘]
I pray you find alternative work that is job-satisfying and full of blessings. Please read through the valuable answers and links below. In sha Allah, you will receive guidance and direction.
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
