Is it Lawful Work to Deliver (Potentially Unlawful) Food?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Is it permissible to deliver non-halal foods? I am considering working as a food delivery driver. This may involve having to deliver pork and non-halal food.
A bit of context: As you know, it’s not as easy to find jobs and make money as it used to be. So I’m thinking of doing Uber Eats to save some money and pay the bills until I land a job, but I’m wondering what the Shafi‘i position is.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to what pleases Him. Amin.
According to most Scholars, delivering unlawful food or wine (and similar) is unlawful. Please visit this related answer for the Shafi‘i position on this.
However, if your options for similar income brackets are limited and you are pressed to find work, the Hanafi view (presented here by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani) may be adopted, and Allah knows best.
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.
