Understanding Money in Islam #

This question relates to the fiqh principle on the prohibition of a Muslim assisting in sinful activities, as mentioned in Surah al-Ma’idah, verse 2: “Do not help one another in sin (acts of disobedience) and enmity (transgression of God’s bounds).” It also pertains to the fiqh principle on the prohibition of earning through unlawful activities, as narrated by Ibn Abbas (RA), that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whenever Allah declares something forbidden for the people, He also declares that its price is forbidden for them” (Sunan abi Dawood, 3488).

However, is delivering non-halal food or drink considered assisting in a sinful act and thereby making the earnings of the delivery person unlawful under Shariah?

In principle, the income of individuals (delivery personnel or dispatchers) who primarily work to deliver goods is considered lawful under Shariah as long as their main job scope is not tied to delivering unlawful Shariah goods or engaging in malevolent affairs (such as drug trafficking). This view mainly applies to delivery personnel, who earn a monthly salary regardless of the amount or type of goods they deliver. This is the case for company delivery drivers, such as those working for Lazada or Amazon, who have no information about the details of the goods or control over the selection of goods to be delivered.

However, for Grab Food riders who:

1. Are aware of the presence of non-halal food and/or drink in the delivery as they need to check and verify the goods during pickup,
2. Have the control to accept or reject those deliveries after knowing the details, and
3. Earn on a per-delivery basis,

there are three possible scenarios:

1. A mixture of halal and non-halal food and/or drinks in a delivery, where halal food is dominant in quantity and/or characteristics (such as rice, noodle, vegetables, and other ingredients):
   • • IFSG is inclined to view earnings from such a scenario as lawful based the legal maxim below, as long as the unlawful ingredients are not clearly stated, such as pork fried rice: 
2. A mixture of halal and non-halal food and/or drinks in a delivery, where non-halal food is dominant in quantity and/or characteristics:
   • Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Zayla’i, a prominent Hanafi scholar, views earnings from such a scenario as lawful in his book “Tabayin al-Haqa’iq li Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq.” He argues that the earnings of delivery personnel are based on their delivery service, which is a lawful occupation. What is unlawful is consuming non-halal food or drink, and the act of delivery is not a natural causality of unlawful consumption. 
   • However, Imam Abu Yusuf and Muhammad bin Al-Hasan, the most prominent students of Imam Abu Hanifa, and the other three schools of fiqh consider the earnings from such a scenario to be unlawful based on the hadith “the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed ten of those involved in khamr (alcohol): The one who presses it, the one whom has it pressed, its drinker, its deliverer, and the one it is carried to, its server, its seller, the consumption of its price, the one who purchases it and the one it was purchased for” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, 1295).
3. A mixture of halal and non-halal food and/or drinks in a delivery that cannot be distinguished in quantity and/or characteristics.
   • Imam Nawawi, a prominent scholar of the Shafi’i tradition, in his book “Al-Majmu'”, views such earnings as lawful but disliked (makruh) in Shariah.

Based on the views mentioned above, below are our humble suggestions for food delivery riders who are aware of the food details and feel uncomfortable with the delivery:

1. You may cancel the order through the app as soon as possible and indicate the reason, such as delivery distance. However, there might be a penalty if the cancelation is frequent.
2. Alternatively, to avoid any possible penalty you may call the customer and explain your circumstances as a Muslim. Most customers would likely be understanding and cancel the order from their end insya-Allah.

Nevertheless, IFSG would like to highlight the importance of earning halal sustenance from lawful and non-suspicious (syubhah) sources. The quantity of our sustenance (rizq) was decreed and recorded even before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Our actions only determine whether our intended provisions reach us lawfully or unlawfully. Let us also take comfort in our financial affairs from the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (RA) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Be mindful of Allah (commands), and He will take care of you (and your affairs). Be mindful of Allah (commands), and you shall find Him at your side” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, 2516).

May Allah guide us in making righteous choices.