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:

As salam aly kum Brother burhan,

My question is, Iam a civil engineer & i have got an offer from a company in india for the construction of a 5 star hotel & is it permitted to work for that 5 star hotel since after complation many sins will be done by people like consuming alchol in the bar in the hotel section & illegal sex in hotel rooms. please answer me. 

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Answer:

Engineer working for hotel

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.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 64 Surah Tagabhun verse 16:

16 So fear Allah as much as ye can; listen and obey; and spend in charity for the benefit of your own souls: and those saved from the covetousness of their own souls they are the ones that achieve prosperity.

Dear and beloved Brother in Islam, the vast majority of the scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that if one knows for sure that a place or thing one is helping to build or manufacture will be used only for the ‘haraam’ like a bar, or a disco, or a cinema house, or a prostitution den, or a casino for gambling, a commercial bank, etc….places or things which are specifically only used to facilitate the unlawful….then it would be best for a believer to fear Allah and abstain from indulging in such projects.

But if one is building a place which is ‘general’ in nature like a house, or a villa, or a commercial building, or an apartment block, or a hotel, etc…..and some amongst the tenants or guests in these structures choose to indulge in the ‘haraam’, the one who commits the sin will alone bear the burden of his sin.

As a believing engineer or an architect, there is absolutely no harm if one facilitates in the designing or building of the hotel itself, for the basic element of hotels is accommodation for guests or travelers. If the guest who rents the room chooses to consume alcohol, the engineer or architect would definitely not be held responsible for the sin of the guest.

But the believing engineer or architect should fear Allah Subhanah and not help in designing or building the bar in that hotel….for then he would indeed bear an appropriate portion of the sin according to his participation for facilitating what has clearly been declared as unlawful.

And Allah Alone Knows Best.

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