Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother,

Please let me know whether working in a pet shop is haraam or halaal? The answer in this regard is needed very urgently as I am about to take up a job in a pet store as a Manager. Your reply with reference from the Quran will be highly appreciated and will really help me in taking a calculated decision. Please reply very soon as this is a matter of my career.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Working in pet shop

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 3477 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘The price paid for a dog, the price given to a soothsayer, and the hire paid to a prostitute are not lawful.’

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.439 Narrated by Abu Masud Al Ansari

Allah's Messenger (saws) forbade taking the price of a dog, money earned by prostitution, and the earnings of a soothsayer.

If one can avoid the buying and selling of dogs and pigs, there is no harm in accepting the job offer as a manager of a pet shop. As a manager, because the forbidden animals bought and sold in the pet shop do not actually belong to you, one cannot say with conviction that the earnings are not lawful; the most that can be said is that you facilitated something which has been clearly declared as illegal by Allah and His Messenger (saws).

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.267 Narrated by An Numan bin Bashir

The Prophet (saws) said: "Both legal (halaal) and illegal (haraam) things are obvious, and in between them are (suspicious) doubtful matters. So whoever forsakes those doubtful things lest he may commit a sin, will definitely avoid what is clearly illegal; and whoever indulges in these (suspicious) doubtful things bravely, is likely to commit what is clearly illegal. Sins are Allah's ‘Hima’ (i.e. private pasture) and whoever pastures (his sheep) near it, is likely to get in it at any moment."

Beloved Brother, as your brothers and sincere well-wishers in faith, if the pet shop buys and sells dogs, our humble advice to you would be to try and avoid taking this job and seek to employ your talents and efforts in a place where there is absolutely no doubt regarding its permissibility. If you abstain from doing something only for the fear and sake of Allah Subhanah, it is expected that He Will help, bless, and provide you from His Endless Bounties not only in the life of this world, but will reward you generously for your intentions and your deeds in your eternal life of the Hereafter.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan