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:

salaamalaikum,
i live in the united states..
i would like to know if we can work at gas stations where we have to sel pork and allso operate the lottery machines...please reply fast.
allahafiz 

(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:

Sell pork and lottery

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, when Allah and His Messenger (saws) have declared something as haraam (riba, intoxicants, fahisha or indecency, pornography, gambling, swine, etc.) it does not behove and befit a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to transact trade of these unlawful products, or to profit in any way whatsoever from the sale of these unlawful products, or to participate or facilitate its trade, etc…..any income or profit derived from trading or transacting the ‘haraam’ will also be deemed ‘haraam’ in the Sight of Shariah and of Allah Subhanah.

Beloved brother, working at a ‘gas or petrol’ station which happens to transact some of its business in the selling of lotteries and swine products is obviously not the same as one working in a prostitution house, or a bar, or a gambling casino, etc., where the ‘business’ itself is absolutely prohibited in its essence….thus one cannot say with absolute conviction that the complete earning of the person working in a gas station which happens to deal with some unlawful products in haraam……but without an iota of a doubt, one working at such a gas station would indeed have a share in the sin according to one’s level of participation. It would definitely be prudent and wise for the believers to fear Allah, and seek to employ their talents elsewhere and earn their livelihood from a source which is not doubtful. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

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

The Prophet (saws) said "Both the ‘halaal’ (legal) and the ‘haraam’ (illegal) 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."

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