Liaison office of Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al Sistani (L.M.H.L) in London, Europe, North and South America.
It is not permissible for a Muslim to debase himself in front
of any human being be they Muslim or non-Muslim.
So, if the work, that a
Muslim does, debases him in from of a non-Muslim, it is not permissible for
him to engage in that debasing work.
A Muslim is allowed to serve meat of an animal that was not
slaughtered according to Islamic laws to those who consider it lawful like
Christians, Jews, and others.
Similarly, it is permissible for him to work in
preparing and cooking that meat.
The money that he receives in return for that
work can be legitimized by the rule of tanazul (withdrawing your
exclusive right from that meat).
It is not permissible for a Muslim to sell pork to those who
believe it is lawful for them among the Christians and others.
Based on
obligatory precaution, one should not even serve that meat to them.
(See the
question-answer section below)
A Muslim is not allowed to serve intoxicating drinks to anyone at
all, even to those who believe it is lawful to them.
He is not [even] allowed
to wash the dishes or give them to others, if that washing and giving is part
of the drinking of intoxicants.
A Muslim is not allowed to hire himself out for selling or serving
intoxicanting drinks or for washing the dishes for that purpose, just as it is
not allowed for him to take the wages for this work, as it is unlawful.
As for
the “extreme need” justification used by some people for this kind of work, it
is an unacceptable justification.
Almighty Allah says, “And whosoever is
careful of (his duty towards) Allah, He will make for him an outlet; and give
him in sustenance from whence he thinks not.
And whosoever trusts in Allah, He
is sufficient for him…” (65:3) He also said, “Surely those whom the
angels cause to die while they are unjust to their souls, they shall say, ‘In
what state were you?’ They shall answer, ‘We were weak in the earth.
’ They
shall say, ‘Was not Allah’s earth spacious so that you should have migrated
therein?’ So, these it is whose abode is hell, and it is an evil resort except
the weak from among the men and the children who have not in their power the
means nor can they find a way (to escape).” (4:97-98)
In his sermon
of the last pilgrimage, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said, “Know that the
Trustworthy Soul (Jibra’il) has inspired in my mind that no soul shall die
until its sustenance is completed.
Therefore, fear Allah and work hard in
seeking [the sustenance]; and let not the delay in getting your share of the
sustenance compel you to seek it through disobeying Allah for the Blessed and
Almighty Allah has divided the sustenance among His creation by lawful means
and not through unlawful means.
So, whosoever fears Allah and has patience,
Allah will provide them sustenance from lawful [means]; but whosoever tears
apart the curtain of propriety, makes haste and acquire their portion from
unlawful [means], it will be taken off from their lawful sustenance and they
will be held accountable for it on the Day of Resurrection." (1)
(See the question-answer section below)
It is not permissible to work in places of entertainment and other
similar places of debauchery if that work would cause one to drift towards
unlawful acts.
(See the question-answer section below)
It is permissible for Muslims to participate as partners with
non-Muslims (like Christians and Jews for example) in various kinds of
businesses considered lawful in Islamic laws like selling, buying, export,
import, building contracts, etc.
It is permissible to deposit [money] in non-Muslim (private or
state-owned) banks.
If a Muslim intends to get a loan from such banks, it is necessary
that he should do so with the intention that it is a transaction without
return, even if he knows that he will end up paying the capital as well as the
interest.
And he should not do so with the intention of getting the loan with
the condition of [paying] interest.
It is permissible for a Muslim to authorise another person to use his
name (and his credit) to buy shares, in return for an amount (in money or
commodity) on which both have reached an agreement.
It is not permissible for a Muslim to buy products of the countries that
are in a state of war with Islam and Muslims, for example, Israel.
(See the
question-answer section below)
A Muslim is allowed to exchange the currency with some other currency at the market price, or at a lower or higher rate, irrespective of the fact that the exchange is of an immediate or a deferred nature.
It is forbidden to use bank-notes that are counterfeit or have no
value at all—the money that is used by a fraudester when he pays the worker
who is unaware of its forgery or worthlessness.
The business deal conducted
with this kind of money is not valid.
It is not permissible for a Muslim to buy tickets of chance (including lottery), if he buys them with the intention of luckily winning the prize.
It is permissible for him to buy the lottery tickets if he
buys it with the intention of participating in a charitable cause that is
accepted Islamically like building hospitals, orphanages, etc.
, but not with
the intention of winning the prize. However, this hypothetical situation is
extremely difficulty to occur in non-Muslim countries that consider certain
activities that are forbidden in Islam to be of a charitable nature
according to their own understanding.
In both the cases [of
“a” and “b” if a Muslim wins the lottery], it is permissible to receive the
prize from a non-Muslim [person or company].
(See the question-answer section
below)
It is permissible to sell wild animals whose meat is forbidden like
tiger, hyena, fox, elephant, lion, bear, and other similar animals like cat
and whale if there is any legitimate benefit which makes them valuable in the
market (even if in view of only some experts of that field).
Non-hunting dogs
and pigs are exempt from this rule. (See the question-answer section
below)
It is permissible to sell and buy gold and silver utensils for the
purpose of decoration; however, it is forbidden to use them for eating and
drinking.
No khums is levied on the salary paid by a government in a Muslim
country directly into the bank account of its employee, even if it is more
than his annual expenses—as long as he does not receive it in his hands.
(See
the question-answer No. 260 section below)