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 am a muslim brother,my name is ahmed, 4th year student in the university here in Kenya. I got a scholarship with East Africa Breweries Ltd, this company main business is beer trade, that is they produce and sell beer. I lost my parents at an early age therefore after I have passed well from High School and just staying at home I saw their Advertisement in the newspapers and applied.ALHAMDULILAH i got it. Is this Scholarship Halal?

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Answer:

Scholarship from alcohol company

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.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verses 90-91:

O you who have believed! ‘Khamr’ (all types of intoxicants), games of chance, idols, and divining arrows are all abominable works of Shaitaan; therefore, stay (far) away from these so that you may attain success. Indeed, Shaitaan seeks to sow enmity and hatred among you by means of ‘khamr’ (intoxicants) and gambling, and to prevent you from the Remembrance of Allah and from Salaah. Will you not, then, abstain from these things?

Respected brother, there are a handful of sins for which Islam has absolute ‘zero-tolerance’ ….’shirk’, ‘kufr’, ‘fahisha’ (indecency) ‘zina’ (fornication/adultery), gambling, ‘riba’ (usury/interest), etc….the usage, consumption, or trading or benefiting from ‘khamr’ (intoxicants) is, without an iota of a doubt, one amongst those things for which Islam has absolute ‘zero-tolerance’.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2776 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) invoked the curse of Allah on ten 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.

Respected brother, as much as you may be eligible to receive the scholarship from the company…..but because the company derives its income solely from a product which has categorically been declared as ‘haraam’ and unlawful by Allah and His Messenger (saws), the absolute majority of the good scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that it would not behove and befit a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to derive any benefit from such a company.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 65 Surah Talaq verse 2 (part):

And for those who fear Allah He (ever) prepares a way out.

Beloved brother, as much as you may desperately need the scholarship offered by the brewery company, you should decline to accept it only for the fear and sake of Allah Subhanah….and if you do so only for the fear and sake of Allah, rest absolutely assured that your Lord Creator is the Owner of Unlimited Bounties, and if He Wills and Pleases, not only will He find you a lawful way to approach your needs, but He will, if He so Wills and Pleases, bestow a great reward upon you in the Hereafter.

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