Praise be to Allaah.
If your work involves helping them in any way with any kind
of cheating or stealing, then it is not permissible, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue,
righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and
transgression”
[al-Maa\'idah 5:2]
But if your work has
nothing to do with the haraam things, and the company also has some other
departments that do not deal with haraam things, then it is permissible for
you to work in the departments that deal with permissible things, subject to
the condition mentioned above, which is that there should be no helping
anyone to do anything haraam.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is not permissible to work in riba-based institutions even
as a driver or guard, because taking up employment with a riba-based
institution implies that one approves of it. A person who hates something
could never agree to work in its interests, so if he works in its interests,
that means he approves of it, and the one who approves of something haraam
has a share of its sin.
But if he is directly involved in recording, sending and
depositing, etc., then he is undoubtedly involved directly with the haraam
thing. It was proven from the hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who pays it, the two who witness
it and the one who writes it down, and he said: “They are all the same.”
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 2/401.
What you have to do is to
denounce those who are in charge of the haraam departments, and advise them
to give up these dealings. You also have to advise the purchasers, if you
can, and tell them of the faults present in the products that they are
buying.
With regard to the issue of there being no other work, this
is a whisper (waswasah) from the Shaytaan. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
“And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He
will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).
And He will provide him from (sources) he never could
imagine”
[al-Talaaq 65:2-3]
There are many kinds of permissible work. So you have to put
your trust in Allaah and avoid that which is haraam.
With regard to the idea of your children dying of starvation,
we ask you: is it better for them to die of starvation – assuming that they
do die – or for you to enter Hell for their sake??
Moreover, Allaah is the One Who has created them, and He is
the One Who has guaranteed to provide for them, as He says (interpretation
of the meaning):
“And in the heaven is your provision, and that which you
are promised”
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:22]
“And kill not your children for fear of poverty. We shall
provide for them as well as for you. Surely, the killing of them is a great
sin”
[al-Isra’ 17:31]
Allaah has decreed the provision of each person before he
emerges from his mother’s womb, so do not fear that Allaah may reduce your
rizq (provision), rather fear your own self that is inclined to evil and
tempts you to commit sin. Remember the words of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him): “There is no flesh that is nourished from
haraam sources, but the Fire is more suited to it.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi,
no. 614; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
There follow some stories from the life of the Rightly-Guided
Caliph ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on him):
Some apples were brought
to ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez for the bayt al-maal (treasury) of the Muslims,
and a small son of his took an apple. He snatched it back from him by force
and the child ran to his mother, crying. She sent someone to the marketplace
to buy him an apple. When ‘Umar went back home, he noticed the smell of
apples and said, “O Faatimah, have you taken anything from this wealth?” She
said, “No,” and told him that she had bought an apple for her son with her
own money. ‘Umar said: “By Allaah, when I snatched it from him it was as if
I was snatching it from my own heart, but I would not like to condemn myself
before Allaah for the sake of an apple from the wealth of the Muslims.”
Manaaqib ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez
by Ibn al-Jawzi, p. 190.
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez entered upon his daughters after
‘Isha prayer to greet them, and when they realized he was there, they put
their hands over their mouths and moved away from him. He said to their
guardian, “What is the matter with them?” She said: “They did not have
anything to eat for dinner apart from lentils and onions, and they don’t
want you to smell that from their mouths.” So ‘Umar wept then he said to his
daughters, “O my daughters, what will it benefit you if you live a life of
luxury but your father ends up in Hell?” Then they wept loudly.
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez by Dr.
al-Burunu, 142.
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez was rebuked, when he was dying, of leaving his children poor. He sent for them and there were over a dozen males. He looked at them and his eyes filled with tears, then he said: “O my sons, you father has been given the choice between two things, either you will be rich and your father will enter the Fire, or you will be poor and your father will enter Paradise. If you are poor and your father enters Paradise, that is dearer to him than your being rich and your father entering Hell. Get up, may Allaah protect you.”
And Allaah is the Source of strength.