Can I do an internship at a company that sells alcohol?
It depends on what the company mainly does and what your role involves. Many scholars allow an internship at a mostly halal company, like a supermarket chain or an airline, as long as your own work doesn't involve alcohol. A role that means selling, serving, promoting or producing alcohol should be avoided, and so should companies whose main business is alcohol.
What Islam says about dealing in alcohol
The ban on alcohol goes beyond drinking it. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah has cursed wine, its drinker, its server, its seller, its buyer, its presser, the one for whom it is pressed, the one who conveys it, and the one to whom it is conveyed" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3674). He also said that "Allah and His Apostle made illegal the trade of alcohol" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2236). So the key question is how close your work is to the alcohol itself.
Usually fine
- A mainly halal business: a supermarket, hotel group, airline, tech platform or consultancy where alcohol is a small part of what they do.
- A role with no direct link to alcohol: software, data, finance, HR, design, engineering or customer service for the general business.
Most contemporary scholars take this view, since almost every large company in the West touches alcohol somewhere. Some scholars are stricter and prefer avoiding companies where alcohol is a significant part of the revenue, so if you have a choice between two equal offers, the cleaner one is the safer pick.
Best avoided
- Companies built on alcohol: breweries, distilleries, wine importers, liquor store chains, bar and nightclub groups.
- Alcohol-focused tasks anywhere: serving or selling drinks, stocking the alcohol aisle, running beer campaigns, designing wine labels, or analysing alcohol sales specifically.
If you're placed in an otherwise good company but given an alcohol-related project, it's reasonable to ask politely for a different one. Many employers will accommodate religious requests. For similar cases, see Can I keep my job at a bar after becoming Muslim? and Can I keep working at a restaurant that serves pork as a Muslim?
Work drinks and events
Internships often include networking evenings with alcohol. You can attend the professional part, drink something else, and leave before it turns into a drinking session. See Can I go to a bar with friends if I only drink soda? A simple "I don't drink, but I'd love to join for dinner" is usually all you need to say.
- Serving, selling or promoting alcohol is not allowed.
- A mostly halal company with an unrelated role is usually fine.
- Avoid companies whose main business is alcohol.
- Ask for a different project if one involves alcohol.
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