Q: I am a young Muslim and I graduated from the Hospitality Management School in Morocco. I am currently working at a restaurant in Germany where I serve Khamr (intoxicant) to the visitors. I hate this job and I seek your Fatwa (legal opinion issued by a qualified Muslim scholar) regarding the following:A- Is it permissible for me to continue working at this restaurant in order to earn a living?B- I would like to perform Hajj this year. Is it permissible to undertake the expenses of the journey to Makkah from the money I earn from this job?

A: Texts of the Shari`ah (Islamic Law) indicate that the Muslim is commanded to earn a living through lawful means. Expenses for food and drink, the clothes one wears, the house one lives in and the cost of going on Hajj or Jihad (fighting in the Cause of Allah) must be gained through lawful means. It is related by Muslim in his Sahih (authentic book of Hadith) on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Allah (Exalted be He) is good and accepts only that which is good. Allah has commanded the believers to do that which He commanded the Messengers. He (Exalted be He) says: O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibât [all kinds of Halâl foods which Allâh has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits, etc.] and do righteous deeds. Allah (Exalted be He) also says: O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allâh, if it is indeed He Whom you worship. Then he mentioned [the case of] a man who, (Part No. 22; Page No. 341) having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty and who spreads out his hands to the sky [saying], 'O Lord! O Lord!' - while his food is unlawful, his drink unlawful, his clothing unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully, so how can he be answered!" A Muslim who is mindful has to look for the type of work from which he can lawfully support his family and there are many jobs out there. Anyone who fears Allah and keeps their duty to Him, He will make a way for them from every difficulty and will provide for them from sources they could never imagine.Accordingly, it is unlawful for you to work at that restaurant, as it involves cooperation in sin and corruption. Allah (Glorified be He) says: ...but do not help one another in sin and transgression. You must make Tawbah (repentance to Allah) and quit this job that involves promoting what Allah has declared unlawful; namely drinking Khamr. There is no harm if you make Hajj from the money you earned from your job after performing Tawbah, as you were ignorant of the Islamic ruling in that regard.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.