Can I Work as a Cleaner in a Bar?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Can I work as a cleaner in a bar?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to that which is pleasing to Him. Amin.
The cleaning job you describe is permissible as it merely involves cleaning. Consequently, the income you earn from it is also permissible. Even though you work in a place that deals in the impermissible, your job is not interdicted, nor are you directly assisting in any sinful action.
However, working in such an environment damages a Muslim’s overall spiritual well-being, and one should seek alternative employment if possible.
For more on this, see:
Does Working at a Place Where Alcohol Is Sold Make One’s Income Impermissible? Can I Work at a Supermarket That Sells Pork and Alcohol? Can I Work at a Supermarket Checkout That Sells Pork and Alcohol?
Allah knows best.
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.
