Dealing With Alcohol

What is the Islamic ruling regarding a Muslim who sells alcohol but does not drink it himself?

Whoever does this is sinful, because Allah (swt) says,

"O you who believe! Liquor and gambling and idols and divining arrows are only filthy works of Satan. Avoid them so that you may succeed. Satan only wants to stir up enmity and hatred among you by means of liquor and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah, and from praying. Will you not then abstain?" [TMQ 5:90-91]

The scholars of all Schools of Thought have agreed that the word ajtanibuh, which means avoid or keep far away from, includes two verdicts. The verdict of keeping away from the things mentioned in the verse, and the verdict of prohibiting all trading and benefiting from them. When Allah (swt) says "will you not then abstain?" this means "do refrain from them". The Sahabah said, after the verse had been revealed, "Indeed, by Allah, we have refrained." ‘Anas reported, "The Messenger of Allah (saw) cursed ten categories of people dealing in liquor: The one who produces it, the one who has it produced for him, the one who drinks it, the one who transports it, the one who has it transported for him, the one who serves it, the one who sells it, the one who profits from it, the one who buys it and the one who has it bought for him." The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Verily, if Allah has prohibited for people the eating of a food, He also has prohibited profiting from it." The Messenger of Allah (saw) also said, "Verily, anything that is prohibited to drink is also prohibited to sell." The Messenger of Allah (saw) said upon the revelation of the above mentioned verse, "Verily, Allah has forbidden khamr, as soon as one hears this ayah, he should refrain from drinking and buying it."

In these ahadith there is a clear indication about the prohibition of even profiting from liquor, let alone drinking it. Khamr in Shari‘ah terms is any intoxicant. Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Every intoxicant is khamr and every intoxicant is prohibited." In another narration he (saw) said, "Every intoxicant is khamr and every khamr is prohibited."

Therefore, the selling of liquor or intoxicants, be it alcoholic drink, hashish or any other drugs, is prohibited. It is prohibited to drink, smoke, consume, sell, buy or profit from them. A Muslim who sells alcohol or other intoxicants is considered a fasiq and should be advised.