Can One Work as a Cashier Where Pork is Sold?

Question: 169809

What is the ruling on working as a cashier in a store that sells prohibited things such as cigarettes, pork and so on? This work is only adding up the cost of the items a customer buys, not promoting these items or carrying them and putting them in their places. Please note that the store sells other things such as vegetables, food, clothing and so on.

Summary of answer

The cashier is the one who handles the sale directly, so it is not permissible for him to sell prohibited things, and he is sinning every time he sells a prohibited item.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

It is not permissible to sell prohibited things such as cigarettes, pork and so on, because that is helping in sin and transgression, and because when Allah forbids a thing, He also forbids its price. The cashier is the one who handles the sale directly, so it is not permissible for him to sell prohibited things, and he is sinning every time he sells a prohibited item. His sin is no less than that of the one who promotes it and the one who carries it, because he is the one who conducts the actual sale and all other activities are connected to what he is doing.

And Allah knows best.

Source:

Islam Q&A

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