Fatwa: # 19922
Category: Financial Transactions
Country: South Africa
Date: 30th March 2012

Title

Is it correct for me to print these signs for the client?

Question

I have a non-Muslim client who runs a signage firm. His business is that he supplies and installs signs for South African Breweries who manufacture alcoholic drinks. He gets his signs made up by a third party who does the actual printing of the sign, which has depictions of alcoholic drinks. The third party prints and delivers the vinyl to him and he in turn makes it into a proper billboard and he then fits it according to his contract.

I have the option of doing the printing for him, which he will pay me for. I will have no direct dealings with the brewery and neither will I be paid by them. Is it correct for me to print these signs for the client?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Just as drinking, buying and selling alcohol is forbidden, similarly, advertising the sale of alcohol is also forbidden. Although you are not the advertiser, nor are you involved in installing the advertisement, you are assisting in advertising the alcohol. In Shari‘ah, assisting in a sin is also sinful.

Therefore, it is not permissible to do the printing for this client, even if you are being paid by him and you have no direct dealings with the brewery.[1]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Maulana Mahmood Patel
Azaadville, South Africa

Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net

 



[1] بيع المزامير يكره؛ لأن المعصية تقوم بعينها، كما صرح به صاحب ((البدائع)) 5: 232، 7: 142، و((الهداية)) 4: 364، و((التبيين)) 3: 297، و((فتح القدير)) 5: 460-461، 6: 108، و((العناية)) 6: 108، وفخر الإسلام في ((شرح الجامع الصغير)).

(خلاصة الكلام في مسألة الإعانة على الحرام، ص: 24)

وَنَظِيرُهُ بَيْعُ الْخَشَبِ الَّذِي يَصْلُحُ لِاِتِّخَاذِ الْمِزْمَارِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُكْرَهُ وَإِنْ كُرِهَ بَيْعُ الْمَزَامِيرِ. (بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع، ج5، ص233، دار الكتب العلمية)

وَنَظِيرُهُ أَنَّهُ يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ الْمَزَامِيرِ، وَلَا يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ مَا يُتَّخَذُ مِنْهُ الْمِزْمَارُ، وَهُوَ الْخَشَبُ وَالْقَصَبُ. (المرجع السابق، ج7، ص142)

وَأَمَّا بَيْعُ الْحَدِيدِ فَمَنَعَهُ الْمُصَنِّفُ (لِأَنَّهُ أَصْلُ السِّلَاحِ) وَهُوَ ظَاهِرُ الرِّوَايَةِ، فَإِنَّ الْحَاكِمَ نَصَّ عَلَى تَسْوِيَةِ الْحَدِيدِ وَالسِّلَاحِ. وَذَهَبَ فَخْرُ الْإِسْلَامِ فِي شَرْحِ الْجَامِعِ الصَّغِيرِ إلَى أَنَّهُ لَا يُكْرَهُ حَيْثُ قَالَ: وَهَذَا فِي السِّلَاحِ، وَأَمَّا فِيمَا لَا يُقَاتَلُ بِهِ إلَّا بِصَنْعَةٍ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِهِ كَمَا كَرِهْنَا بَيْعَ الْمَزَامِيرَ وَأَبْطَلْنَا بَيْعَ الْخَمْرَ وَلَمْ نَرَ بِبَيْعِ الْعِنَبِ بَأْسًا وَلَا بِبَيْعِ الْخَشَبِ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ. (فتح القدير، ج5، ص461، دار الفكر)

وَنَظِيرُهُ كَرَاهَةُ بَيْعِ الْمَعَازِفِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَعْصِيَةَ تُقَامُ بِهَا عَيْنِهَا (وَلَا يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ الْخَشَبِ) الْمُتَّخَذَةِ هِيَ مِنْهُ (فتح القدير، ج6، ص108، دار الفكر)

ظاهرُ كلامِهم أنّ الكراهةَ تحريميّة؛ لتعليلهم بالإعانةِ على المعصية. ينظر: ((البحر))(5: 155) (نهاية النقاية على شرح الوقاية ج3، ص366)

مَطْلَبٌ فِي كَرَاهَةِ بَيْعِ مَا تَقُومُ الْمَعْصِيَةُ بِعَيْنِهِ (قَوْلُهُ: تَحْرِيمًا) بَحْثٌ لِصَاحِبِ الْبَحْرِ حَيْثُ قَالَ: وَظَاهِرُ كَلَامِهِمْ أَنَّ الْكَرَاهَةَ تَحْرِيمِيَّةٌ لِتَعْلِيلِهِمْ بِالْإِعَانَةِ عَلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ ط (حاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار)، ج4، ص268، دار الفكر، بيروت)

[وَيَأْثَمُ مُعْطِيهِ إنْ عَلِمَ بِحَالِهِ لِإِعَانَتِهِ عَلَى الْمُحَرَّمِ]

(قَوْلُهُ وَيَأْثَمُ مُعْطِيهِ إلَخْ) قَالَ الْأَكْمَلُ فِي شَرْحِ الْمَشَارِقِ: وَأَمَّا الدَّفْعُ إلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا السَّائِلِ عَالِمًا بِحَالِهِ فَحُكْمُهُ فِي الْقِيَاسِ الْإِثْمُ بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ إعَانَةٌ عَلَى الْحَرَامِ، (الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار)، ج2، ص355، دار الفكر، بيروت)

فِي الذَّخِيرَةِ وَالْمُحِيطِ الْإِعَانَةُ عَلَى الْمَعَاصِي وَالْحَثُّ عَلَيْهَا كَبِيرَةٌ. (البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ج7، ص89، دار الكتاب الإسلامي)

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