Some believers work in supermarkets or restaurants where their duties may include transporting containers of wine or washing glasses in which wine will be served to those who consider it permissible. Is such work permissible for a person who is desperate for a job?
It is not permissible to transport wine or serve it to anyone, even to those who consider it permissible. Furthermore, it is not permissible to wash the dishes or give them to others if the purpose is to drink wine. It is not permissible for a Muslim to perform such prohibited work or accept any wages for it, as it is unjustifiable in Islamic law. God says [65:2-3], “Whoever is wary of God, He shall make for him a way out [of the adversities of the world and the Hereafter] and provide for him from whence he does not count upon. And whoever puts his trust in God, He will suffice him.” Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hp) is reported to have said, “Know that Jibrail has inspired [God’s message] in my heart that no soul shall die until its sustenance is completed. Therefore, be wary of God and be moderate in seeking [sustenance]; and let not the delay in getting your share of the sustenance make you seek it through disobeying Him, for the Blessed and Almighty God has divided the sustenance among His creation by means that are permissible and not through those that are prohibited. So, whosoever is wary of God and has patience, He will provide them with sustenance from lawful [means]; but whosoever tears apart the curtain of propriety, makes haste, and acquires their portion from unlawful [means], it will be deducted from their lawful sustenance and they will be held accountable for it on the Day of Resurrection.”