Search In Fatwa

A Muslim babysitter serving pork to non-Muslim children

Question

Asalam Aleikom! My sister sometimes helps our neighbours to babysit their 2 children when they go out for dinners or similar. She often prepares meals for the kids, and sometimes the meals consist of pork or ingredients that are haraam for us muslims. Is this haraam for my sister to do, to serve haraam food to non-muslim children? if so, is there a kaffara and what should she do with the money she has earned? its impossible to calculate how much she has earned through babysitting since she has done this for years. Jazak Allah khairan.

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  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

If what you said about your sister is true that she fed those two children pork, then she is sinful and she is obliged to repent. Even though these two children are young and not pubescent [not held responsible for their acts], this does not mean that it is permissible to feed them something forbidden.

As regards the money she obtained from babysitting these two children, then if this is from a hiring contract which states the condition of her feeding the children this kind of meat, then this is an invalid contract, as the scholars  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them stated that the hired person in an invalid contract only deserves the wages similar to that of a person who does the same job like him. Therefore, it is an obligation on your sister to spend in charity the money which exceeded the wages of a person who does the same job like her, and if she does not know exactly the amount, then she should estimate the amount and spend it in charity in order to be acquitted from sin. This is of course if she still possesses that money, but if she had already spent it, then she is only obliged to repent.

However, if the hiring contract does not include feeding these children with this kind of meat, and she did that by her own choice, then the contract is valid and her wages are lawful, but she is obliged to repent for feeding them with pork, as we already discussed.

For more benefit on the conditions of repentance, please refer to Fatwa 83145.

Allaah Knows best.

Related Fatwa