Ruling on sitting in a café that serves both halaal things and haraam things such as the water-pipe (narghile)

Question

Praise be to Allah.

It is not permissible to
sit in a place in which sin is committed openly, unless one is forced to do
so, because denouncing evil with one’s hand (by taking action), one’s tongue
(by speaking against it) or one’s heart (by hating it) is something that is
obligatory, and sitting in a place where evils are being committed and not
denouncing them is contrary to that. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“And it has already been
revealed to you in the Book (this Qur’aan) that when you hear the Verses of
Allaah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage
in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that
case you would be like them”

[al-Nisa’ 4:140]

al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: The words of Allaah, “then sit not with them, until
they engage in a talk other than that” mean, something other than kufr
(disbelief). “(But if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you
would be like them” – this indicates that it is obligatory to avoid
people of sin if they are openly committing evil, because the one who does
not avoid them is approving of their deeds, and approving of kufr is also
kufr. Allaah says “(but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case
you would be like them”, so everyone who sits in a gathering where sin
is committed and does not denounce them will share the burden of sin with
them.

They should be denounced if
they speak of sin or commit sin; if one cannot denounce them then he should
leave them so that he will not be one of those mentioned in this verse.

It was narrated that ‘Umar
ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez caught some people who were drinking alcohol, and it was
said to him that one of the people present was fasting. He had the
punishment carried out on him too, and he recited this verse: “(but if
you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them”,
i.e., approval of sin is also a sin. End quote.

Al-Jassaas said in
Ahkaam al-Qur’aan (2/407): This verse indicates that it is obligatory to
denounce evil to the one who does it, and part of denouncing it is showing
one’s dislike of it if it is not possible to remove it, and not sitting with
the one who does it, and leaving him until he stops it and does something
else. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: Denouncing in one’s heart is obligatory for
everyone, which means hating the evil and leaving the people if one is
unable to change it with one’s words or actions, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And when you (Muhammad
صلى الله عليه وسلم) see those who engage
in a false conversation about Our Verses (of the Qur’aan) by mocking at
them, stay away from them till they turn to another topic. And if Shaytaan
(Satan) causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not you in the
company of those people who are the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)”

[al-An’aam 6:68]

End quote from al-Durar
al-Saniyyah fi’l-Ajwabah al-Najdiyyah (16/142).

Moreover there is the fear
that the faith of the one who sits in such places will be weakened, and
protective jealousy (for Islam) will disappear from his heart, and the
Shaytaan may call him to take part in some of the sin. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe!
Follow not the footsteps of Shaytaan (Satan). And whosoever follows the
footsteps of Shaytaan (Satan), then, verily, he commands Al‑Fahsha’ [i.e. to
commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse)], and Al‑Munkar [disbelief and
polytheism (i.e. to do evil and wicked deeds; and to speak or to do what is
forbidden in Islam)]”

[al-Noor 24:21]

But… if a Muslim needs to
sit in such places, such as if he is travelling and cannot find any other
place to rest, then he may sit there, so long as he keeps away from the
people who are committing sin as much as he can, and he sits there only as
long as he needs to, then leaves.

And Allaah knows best.