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Fatwa CenterWorking in a tobacco and food distribution company
Question
Assalam Walekum. Dear Shaikh, I am an Indian working in a large distribution company in Saudi Arabia. We are distributors of various Food and Tobacco items (Viz,Cigarretes, etc) I am an accountant and need to do both work of food and tobacco items. Now, I have the following Questions: 1. Please tell me the salary and bonus/incentive which I am earning is Halal or Haram? 2. Now the Company is changing policy and deciding to make Consumer(Food) and Tobacco Division separate. 2(a) if they put me in Tobacco Divison What is the ruling regarding my earnings. 2(b) if they put me in Consumer Divison What is the ruling regarding my earnings and if my earnings are halal by working in consumer division, do i still need to change the Company? 3. Presently the Company is having Pharma Division, Dental Divison, Health Care Divison. What about my earnings if I get transferred in any of this Divisions. do Still I have to look for another Company? 4. Myself and my family have made hajj with this earnings, is the hajj valid OR do we have to do our Fard (obligatory) Hajj again if in future inshallah I have money from other sources. 5. I have gold and cash from the earnings of the company, Can I use this money and Gold (by selling it) to start a business. 6. Since I have gold from this earnings and we eat and have clothes, etc from this earnings, Is all of them lawful for our use. Note: Please be noted that the I am in Branch and the Head office for all the Divisions is the same. And even if i get transferred in other than Tobacco Divison, still the Head office and Owner of the Company is same. So What is the ruling>>>>>>>> May Allah guide us all and accept your efforts and make you successful in both the worlds, ameen. Jazakalla u khair
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
You have mentioned several points in your question, but we will summarize the answer in the following points:
1- Selling tobacco is forbidden and it is not permissible to help in selling it by any method, and working as an accountant in tobacco business, is helping in it, so it is not permissible for you to work as an accountant in what is related to tobacco. For more details, please refer to Fatwa 82827.
2- If you are transferred to the food distribution section, or to other sections whose work is lawful, then it is permissible for you to work in that job and the salary that you get from it is lawful for you. The fact that the section belongs to the company that sells tobacco does not have any effect, as it is permissible to deal with someone whose money is a mixture of ill-gotten money and lawful money. However, if you are not transferred to another section [that deals with what is lawful], then you are not permitted to work as an accountant in tobacco division, even if this will lead you to leave your job in this company. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 83599and 84556.
3- Your Hajj with your family from the money which you earned from your job is a valid Hajj. For more details, please refer to Fatwa 115046.
4- The money which you earned from your work in that company is lawful and it is permissible for you to benefit from it as you wish. Also, you are forgiven for your previous working in a tobacco related job because you did not know that it was forbidden for you to work in it. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 101322.
Allaah Knows best.
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