Giving wine as a gift

Question:

I work at an auditing firm. After we complete the audit, our firm normally gives the client a small gift for good business relations. It is the senior’s responsibility to deliver the gifts to the client. As I am the senior it is currently my responsibility to deliver the gifts.

The gifts vary all the time from mugs, computer accessories etc. The current gift is a bottle of wine. I am very concerned about delivering this to the non-Muslim clients. What is the Islamic ruling for my situation?

Am I allowed to deliver the bottles of wine?

Answer:

It is not permissible to deliver wine to the clients be they Muslim or non-Muslim. Rasulullah Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam has cursed the person who even carries wine.

It is narrated on the authority of Abdullah Bin Umar (Radiyallaahu Anhu) that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said,

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فِى الْخَمْرِ عَشَرَةً عَاصِرَهَا وَمُعْتَصِرَهَا وَشَارِبَهَا وَحَامِلَهَا وَالْمَحْمُولَةَ إِلَيْهِ وَسَاقِيَهَا وَبَائِعَهَا وَآكِلَ ثَمَنِهَا وَالْمُشْتَرِىَ لَهَا وَالْمُشْتَرَاةَ لَهُ.

“Allah has cursed wine, the one who drinks it, the one who serves it, the one who sells it, the one who purchases it, the one who presses it, the one who manufactures it, the one who carries it and the one to whom it is delivered”

(Abu Dawood, #: 3676, Tirmizi, #: 1342, Musnad Ahmed, #: 2953)

And Allah Knows Best

Suhail Tarmahomed (Mufti)

Checked and Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Fatwa Department