Serving the Non Muslim
Question:
Is it allowed for a muslim to give a service to the non muslims? If it is allowed, is it alright for him to serve some foods to the non muslims during the day of Ramadan?
The answer of The Lajnah Daimah:
Islam is a religion that teaches it’s followers about tolerance, and being loose, beside it’s teaching of justice. The ruling for a muslim who serve the non muslims should be detailed according to the intention of the service itself.
Firstly, if the intention of giving the service was a fine motive in shari’a, that is building the relationship with the disbelievers so that the muslim might enjoin them to Islam, and save them from their infidelity and astray, then it was a noble intention. Whereas the main principle in shari’a was the ruling for a mean is as the ruling for it’s aim. If to realize an aim was something compulsory, then using the mean to achieve that aim was also compulsory. Contrary to it if the aim was an unlawful thing. If so, then meanings that lead to it were also unlawful. And so on.
Secondly, if there wasn’t any good intention, according to shari’a, from giving that service to the non muslims, then it was not allowed to serve them (which means that it was unlawful for a muslim to serve as domestic helper in the houses of the non muslims , -ed). These two detail explanations applied if the service given to them was the service in allowable matters.
Thirdly, serving the non muslims in the form of bringing them the unlawful foods, such as porks and alcoholic beverages; it was absolutely unlawful for a muslim to do, since honoring them by doing that service was a wickedness and obeying them in sins and prioritizing their rights, the disbelievers, rather than Allah’s right. And it is evident for every muslim that he must hold firm onto his religion.
As for serving foods to them during the say of Ramadan, it was also an unlawful thing to do, because it was considered as helping them doing the things that Allah forbade. It is commonly known in shari’a that the disbelievers are also burdened to embrace Islam, as the main thing in shari’a, and to perform various obligations in Islam. Undoubtedly that the Ramadan fast is one of the pillars of Islam, so the non muslims or disbelievers are also obliged to fast, after they fulfilled the requirements of fast, that is embracing Islam. Therefore, it is unlawful for a muslim to help them abandoning the obligation that Allah has ordained upon them.
As a muslim was not allowed to give his service to a non muslim in which he would lower and humble himself as a muslim, such as serve them their foods.
This fatwa was signed by Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, Abdurrazzaq Afifi, Abdullah bin Ghadayan and Abdullah bin Qaud. (Fatwas of the Lajnah Daimah, episode:14 Pages 474-475, in fatwa no. 1850).