Preparing shipping documents for alcohol shipment

20-11-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. I work in a Clearance company. They also clear Alcohol; I would like to know whether preparing the documentation for such shipments is haram. Please give me an answer that is supported with the Quran and hadiths.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is Islamically known that the means take the rulings of their ends and objectives. Every means that leads to something sinful or haraam (forbidden) is haraam. Accordingly, if preparing the mentioned documents entails concluding the alcohol shipment and its entry, then this is not permissible as it constitutes cooperating in sin and transgression, which Allah has forbidden. Allah says (what means): {…but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.} [Quran 5:2]

In addition to this, the Prophet cursed anyone who has any involvement in alcohol/wine. Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said, “Allah has cursed wine, its drinker, its server, its seller, its buyer, its presser, the one who demands it to be pressed, its carrier, and the one to whom it is carried." [Abu Daawood]

Al-Albaani graded this hadeeth saheeh (sound).

Allah knows best.