Serving customers whose hands may be impure

CategoriesTrade, Business & All Things Money [717]

Fatwa ID: 01909

Answered by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Question:

I work in newsagents where i serve customers on the till, the question i have is the shop next door to the newsagents is a pork sandwich shop ,where customers coming in from this shop are seen eating pork/ham products when they come in they may purchase a drink etc ,when it comes to serving them i don't feel right .because their  hands are impure, and money has to exchange hands and sometimes customers may even give a hand shake with the very same hands, whats the ruling on this. 

Answer:

Bismillah

There is a principle in Islamic jurisprudence which is:

“Certainty is not lifted by a doubt.” (Al Ashbah Wan Nadhair p.60)

Therefore, with regards to cleanliness, you should presume everything to pure and clean and if you have the slightest doubt regarding something being impure, it is obligatory for you to consider it to be pure.

With regards to your question unless there is some visible impurity on their hands we will consider their hands to be pure and paak therefore, to serve such customers will be permissible.

Only Allah Knows Best

Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

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