The purpose of this blog is to discuss job roles where selling alcohol is required. As we are living in a Western society, we may assume that we are earning halaal earnings. But little do we realise that our job roles are slipping us into sin.

In the name of Allah most merciful, most kind. I will highlight the problems we are facing in today’s society. Many of us are employed into big companies such as Banks, supermarkets etc. this increases our chance of job prospects and further opportunities at even bigger companies with higher roles. However as Customer Service Advisor our main role is to provide the best service to customers.

Jobs such as banking, as a Customer Service Advisor, requires you to, as well as providing good service and doing the right thing for the customer, you are also required to meet sales targets. As part of these targets you are expected to promote and sell savings account – which may benefit the customer as they are receiving credit interest – therefore increasing their savings.

Furthermore, top companies such as: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morison’s expect the Customer Service Advisors to sell and unload all merchandise including Alcohol. However this is a sin as Hadith states: On the authority of Anas Bin Malak, the Prophet Muhammed salallaho alaihi wasallam said: “Allah’s curse falls on ten groups of people who deal with Alcohol: the one who distils it, the one who drinks it, the one who transports it, the one to whom It has been brought, the one whom serves it, the one who sells it, the one whom utilizes money from it, the one who buys it and the one whom buys it from someone else.” (Sunnah Ibn-I Majah Volume 3, book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith No. 3380).

So why is Alcohol Haram?

There is an area in the brain called the inhibitory centre. This prevents a person from committing wrong acts: such as answering the call of nature in public, swearing at parents and behaving in an uncivilised manner. However due to the consumption of alcohol, the inhibitory centre is itself inhibited – in other words it is taken over by alcohol. The person may commit acts which they later regret once they become sober again.

Furthermore, alcohol has many harmful effects such as:

• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Cancer of the Oesophagus, head, neck, liver and bowel.
• Coronary Artherosclerosis, angina, heart attack, strokes and paralysis
• Chest infections are common in alcoholics. Pneumonia, Lung Abcess, Emphysema and Pulmonary Tuberculosis are all common in alcoholics.
• During acute alcoholic intoxication, the drunk person usually vomits, the cough reflexes which are protective are paralysed. The vomitus thus easily pass to the lung causing Pneumonia or Lung Abscess. Occasionally it may even cause suffocation and death.
• Foetal alcohol syndrome – which may occur in pregnant women
• Skin disease lined to alcohol
• Eczema, Alopecia, Nail Dystrophy, Paronychia (infection around the nails) and Angular Stomatitis (inflammation of the angle of the mouth) are common diseases among alcoholics.

Above, are a few diseases occurring as a result of alcohol and there are many more. Alcohol destroys family and increases the rate of crime, it leads one to commit immoral acts such as having one night stands, swearing, causing violence, breaching the peace of society, behaving in an uncivilized manner, urinating in public, saying words one would not say at a sober state and alcohol severly damages one’s health.

Furthermore, the prophet muhammed salatu wasallam declared alcohol as the “Mother of evil.” This is because narrations state that there was a Pious man who met a woman. She invited him to commit adultery. The Pious man refused. So the lady continued insisting him to commit adultery. Again he refused. So she gave him 3 options: 1) to commit adultery with her 2) To murder her newly born child and 3) to drink some alcohol. If he did not comply, she threatened him that she will scream and tell the public that he tried to rape her. The Man decided to drink alcohol as he assumed it is the lesser of evil and cannot harm anyone. He drank the alcohol and he became intoxicated. He then killed the child and committed adultery with the woman.

So Alcohol is the core root of evil. Allah has prohibited this because the benefits outweigh the positive and it causes more damage then good.

By Afsha Farook