Clarify first if CNY hampers contain wine before pick-up, Lalamove delivery Muslim drivers told

 

HEAR no evil, see no evil, speak no evil … Deliver no evil?

As the festive season is upon us, many are taking the opportunity to earn some extra income. From roadside tents selling fireworks, yoke kon/bak kwa (pork jerky) and mandarin oranges to the many traders doing a roaring trade packing Chinese New Year hampers.

Thousands of delivery drivers and e-hail riders who are busy ferrying these festive goodies should be enjoying a boost to their income with the bumper deliveries.

But not quite according to pious Muhamad Afif who cautioned fellow Lalamove drivers against accepting delivery of hampers containing sinful alcoholic beverages.

Posting on the Lalamove Riders Community Facebook page, he claimed to have turned down several delivery requests upon finding out that the packages contained the devil’s brew

Editor’s Note: Surprisingly, there was no mention of other non-halal items particularly the aforementioned yoke kon/bak kwa; specialty sausages/meat products; lard/gelatine-laden cookies/snacks or even food stuff containing alcohol-based flavourings or enzymes/emulsifiers derived from non-halal sources.

Explaining that it was haram, the poster requested the sender to change driver as well as to explicitly state that the hamper contained alcoholic beverages to ensure Muslim drivers are aware.

Counselling that it was not right to feed one’s family through what he perceives to be improper earnings; he urged all Muslim drivers to always check their delivery goods to ensure that their conscience is clear.

With good intent, he urged his Muslim brethren to beware of those “kicap bottles” as they could very well be containing something more lethal than soya sauce!

Having said his piece, he nevertheless leave the final decision to the individual driver whether to take heed while also invited Chinese patrons to share their perspective.

The post has generated 4.7K likes, 1.3K comments and 519 shares at the time of writing with many commenters praising the poster for putting up a timely reminder.

Some commenters wondered if it was haram to just deliver the package with no consumption taking place.

A few swiftly pointed out that any form of consumption, sale, distribution etc of the demon beverage is forbidden in Islam. “Alcohol is unlike pork given its degree of haram is much bigger,” contended one commenter.

Another though wanted to know what the difference is between delivering alcoholic beverages and holding a girlfriend’s hand, insinuating hypocrisy as many who are uncomfortable with the former are seemingly fine with the latter.

The pious brigade was quick to point out that both were haram and those who were uncomfortable delivering alcoholic beverages would most likely NOT engage in such behaviour.

One non-Muslim commenter also claimed that he received many hampers containing alcoholic festive goodies from Muslim delivery drivers with no complaints whatsoever.

But many argued that not all delivery drivers were conversant in religious matters, hence the poster’s timely reminder was useful.

Some went even further by using Muslim women who do not wear tudung as an analogy. They exist but that doesn’t mean it is not haram. Another even equated that with pre-marital s*x, arguing that many are aware it is forbidden but still do it anyway.

Few things to note about this post.

Firstly, Muslim drivers are definitely free to decline deliveries which they are uncomfortable with. It is entirely up to them to choose. What that does to their performance ratings is another matter entirely.

Secondly, non-Muslim vendors and customers must be more sensitive to Muslim drivers. Clearly state that the packages contain alcoholic beverages and let the driver make the decision whether to accept or decline.

Thirdly, if many drivers insist on not accepting such deliveries, will it force non-Muslims to abandon the tradition of gifting alcoholic beverages in hampers as there isn’t enough manpower to send the packages?

It is very much a case of religious sensitivities vs economic realities. It will be interesting to see where this leads to. – Focus Malaysia