Has a hotel where prohibited acts are being done

23-9-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

My permanent residence is in Sri-Lanka, which is a non-Islaamic country. Provided, I open up a hotel with rooms, restaurants, and banquet hall. I am compelled to entertain believers and non-believers alike. In this case, if the non-believers bring along things like alcoholic drinks to the hotel, or else sometimes if even bring females to rooms to occupy, am I answerable to God. My intention is business but not to promote these type of things. What am I to do?

---

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

It is incumbent on you to purify your hotel from prohibitions. It is not permissible to allow the dissolute and disobedient people to bring what is forbidden and commit adultery or fornication in your property or a property which is run by you. Permitting these people to do so and offering them a safe place for that purpose is considered as helping them in sin and forbidden matters. Allaah says (interpretation of meaning): {Help you one another in righteousness and piety, but help you not one another in sin and enmity}[5:2]. There is no doubt that whoever is helping the dissolute and disobedient people and providing them with a place to commit forbidden acts, Allaah will hold him accountable for those things. So we advise you to not allow prohibitions to be performed in your hotel and restaurant. If you cannot do so, you have to abandon this hotel and restaurant and invest your money in another field where you can earn money, that is Islamicly lawful.

Allaah knows best.