Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I have a hotel in India where liquor is served but I dont take any income of liquor now the problem is if I dont serve liquor than my sales will go down drastically pls let me know the solution which is permissible in islam

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Serve alcohol in hotel

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

90      O ye who believe! Intoxicants (wine, alcohol, etc.), and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination of the Shaytaan's handiwork: eschew (stay far away from) such (abomination) that ye may prosper.

91      The Shaytaan's plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the Remembrance of Allah and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2776        Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) invoked the Curse of Allah on ten (types of) people in connection with wine: the wine-presser, the one who has it pressed, the one who drinks it, the one who conveys it, the one to whom it is conveyed, the one who serves it, the one who sells it, the one who benefits from the price paid for it, the one who buys it, and the one for whom it is bought.

Dear and Beloved Brother, all types of intoxicants are so detestable and despicable in the Sight of Allah Subhanah that not only has Allah and His Messenger (saws) declared all types of intoxicants (wine, alcohol, etc.) absolutely unlawful and haraam for the believers to consume, Allah Subhanah has specifically Commanded the believers in His Glorious Quran to ‘stay far far away from it’.

AbdurRahman ibn Wa'alah as-Saba'i asked Abdullah ibn Abbas about that which is extracted from the grapes (wine), whereupon he said: ‘A person presented to Allah's Messenger (saws) a small water-skin of wine.  Allah's Messenger (saws) said to him: “Do you know that Allah has forbidden it (wine)?” He said: “No”, and then whispered to another man.  Allah's Messenger (saws) asked him what he had whispered. He said: “I advised him to sell that”, whereupon he (the Prophet (saws) said: “Verily He Who has forbidden its drinking has forbidden its sale also.” He (the narrator) said: He opened the waterskin until what was contained in it was spilt.’

It is simply not lawful for a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to consume, or serve, or sell, or derive any benefit whatsoever from anything that intoxicates.  If you own the hotel, then it would be absolutely forbidden and unlawful for you to allow the consumption of alcohol in the premises, regardless of whether or not you derive a direct or indirect benefit from its sale!  

Your Question: ….now the problem is if I dont serve liquor than my sales will go down drastically pls let me know the solution which is permissible in islam

As your brothers and sincere well-wishers in faith, our humble advice to you would be to fear The Wrath and Chastisement of your Lord Most High,  and immediately seek to stop the consumption of alcohol in the premises owned by you. 

If you sincerely have reason to believe that your sales will drop ‘drastically’ if you stop the sale or consumption of alcohol in your hotel, then brother it might be time to earn your livelihood from another lawful source or investment.

Whatever profits or benefit the unlawful sale or consumption of alcohol brings or add to your business brother, know and believe with absolute and total conviction that the loss one would occur in the Presence of the Lord Most Majestic on that Inevitable and Tumultuous Day of Judgment would be unimaginable, to say the least!   

Respected brother if you make an intention to close this unlawful business and move to a lawful one only for the sake and fear of Allah Subhanah, it is expected that not only will your Lord Most Gracious provide you from His Endless Bounties in the life of this world, but He will appreciate your noble intention and deeds to stay away from the ‘haraam’, and bestow upon you a generous reward in the eternal life of the Hereafter, Insha Allah. 

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),   one can be assured of never ever being misled;   but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.  

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan