Job Questions

Working at a store that sells alcohol, pork, or lottery tickets is not automatically haram — the ruling depends on what your specific job duties involve, not on the employer's overall inventory. General retail work (cashiering, stocking non-restricted items, cleaning, management of unrelated departments) is generally permissible even if the store also sells restricted items nearby. If your job requires you to directly sell, ring up, stock, or promote alcohol, pork, or lottery tickets, most scholars consider that specific task impermissible, and you should look for a role — inside or outside the store — that avoids direct handling.

Working in the legal cannabis industry is generally impermissible, particularly in roles that involve growing, processing, selling, or directly facilitating recreational cannabis sales. The concern is that mainstream fiqh treats recreational cannabis similarly to other intoxicants, so income tied directly to producing or selling it for that purpose is treated like income from a prohibited substance, regardless of state-level legality. If you're considering entering the industry, look for adjacent, non-cannabis-handling roles or a different employer; if you're already working in it, review your specific role's proximity to the product and consult a qualified scholar about transitioning out.