Selling clothes that carry alcohol advertisements

30-11-2013 | IslamWeb

Question:

Salam Aleikom, I own a sports store business in USA and I noticed that a lot of the jerseys I am Selling have Alcohol ads on the back of the jersey, I want to know if I am allowed to sell them or not and what should I do with the stock I already have? Jazakallah kheyeran
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It is not permissible to sell what involves promoting or advertising something forbidden, like alcohol, gambling and so on, as this is helping in sin and transgression. Allaah says (what means): {And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allaah; indeed, Allaah is severe in penalty.} [Quran 5:2]

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen may Allaah have mercy upon him said: “Selling items that have (what they claim to be) the image of ‘Eesa (Jesus) may Allaah exalt his mention or his mother, Maryam Mary), is forbidden, whether these are sold to the Muslims or to the Christians...The same applies – i.e. the prohibition of sale – to the shape of a bottle on which a brand of alcohol is written, as this is advertising for that brand of alcohol; this entails that people look lightly upon drinking alcohol and find it acceptable.” [End of quote]

Therefore, it is not permissible for you to sell the goods that you have while they carry such forbidden advertisements unless you erase those advertisements from them; and perhaps you can return them to the person who sold them to you.

Allaah Knows best.

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