Uber Eats Driver
Question
I am an Uber Eats driver and sometimes the delivery may contain unlawful products. What is the Islamic ruling on this and is my income Halal?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
Answer
There is a difference of opinion among Ḥanafī jurists regarding the permissibility of delivering Ḥarām products such as alcohol. Imam Abū Ḥanīfah (d. 150/767) permits it as the renumeration is in lieu of the delivery. On the other hand, Imam Abū Yūsuf (d. 182/798) and Imam Muḥammad (d. 189/805) do not permit this because it is abetting sin. This is the more cautious position, although if one does so, the income will be Halal.
This is in relation to delivering something Ḥarām and knowing that it is Ḥarām. The scenario of an Uber Eats driver is less severe. This is because the role of an Uber Eats driver is to pick up food from local restaurants and deliver the orders to customers, without knowing for certain the contents of the food and whether it is fully or partially Halal or Ḥarām. Many Muslim customers use Uber Eats and many non-Muslims are vegetarian and some also purchase food from Halal restaurants. Therefore, it is possible that deliveries to non-Muslims are also fully or partially Halal. This lack of certainty regarding the deliveries reduces the severity of the issue.
Nevertheless, if you think that the majority of the deliveries are Ḥarām, then you should try to find another job, and continue until then. If, however, you think that the majority of the deliveries contain Halal items, then you can continue with your job. The income will be Halal irrespective as mentioned above.
For further details and references, refer to our earlier Fatwas entitled: Warehouse job handling lawful and unlawful items and: Leasing property in which alcohol may be sold or consumed.
Allah knows best
Yusuf Shabbir
18 Rabīʿ al-Thānī 1443 / 23 November 2021
Approved by: Mufti Shabbir Ahmed and Mufti Muhammad Tahir
