Welcome to Gaia! ::

Assalamu alaykum brother.

I live in Georgia, right above you :3
And I know 2 sisters in the same position as you, they work in the Deli of a grocery store and have to handle non Halal meat on a daily basis. They wear plastic gloves at all times and pray before their shift.

There is really 2 opinions on this:

1) It's hard economic times, and we live in areas where people DO NOT eat halal or kosher meat....Allah (swt) knows your intentions are not haram. BUT I dont think i'd keep that job forever (< - - My opinion)

2) You are making hte money by haram, therefore it taints anything you buy it with (< - - other's opinion)

You may also want to talk to your Imam about this situation, dont be scared of being judged, everyone is struggling to get on the right path, asking is good ^^;;


....I wondered something like this not too long ago, like all these brothers who own package shops selling alcohol to the non-Muslims confused

Okay then, dont worry about your job - make sure to wear plastic gloves and pray before your shifts.

I am also a revert, I have been studying Islam for 2 years before my reversion. I have been practicing for 1 year. If you have ANY questions, please dont hesitate to send me a PM or post here in the guild.


Praying

Use this video as a guide, it's OLD but its very easy to understand and this guy knows his Salaat! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xezyl0ugnFU

* Please try to do it on a mat, a rug, or a towel. When done with salaat, roll it up and stick it in a corner.

* The in depth words and stuff can come later, as long as you know the Shahaddah (proclamation of faith), Allahu Akbar, and your heart is there it's good for a start! But later, when you become more aquatinted with the Qur'an and hadith, you can pray for that day and include parts of the Qur'an that may happen or may HAVE happened in your day mrgreen

But if you would like some Dua's to say during prayer. I have a lot written down in English and easy to pronounce Arabic. Send me a PM and Insha'Allah I can gather those for you.

Please dont let these things discourage you, I assure you, you'll pick it up quickly.


Wudu

* Another part of praying is Making Wudu with water. Wudu is VERY essential! Because its done numerous times, mostly before your Fajr (dawn) prayer. My easy to read guide on Wudu

Assalamu Alaikum =)

Here is another video of how to pray I also found very useful =) This is part 1/7. He starts with wudu and then basically runs you through each of the five daily prayers =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaKb2zX1QBs

I learned how to pray with Youtube videos too ^^;

Regarding your job, brother. Apple already showed that there are several opinions on the topic. However, in line with what she said, I would advise you to seek a different job if possible. Maybe it will not pay as well as your current job, but the rewards from Allah (swt) will be *so* much greater insha'Allah =)

I always think of it this way. Something has been made unlawful for us, in this case pork. Among the reasons is that it is harmful. Therefore, we don't want to eat it, but why would you give something harmful to somebody else? or prepare it for them, for that matter.

We don't drink alcohol because we know the risks are high, so would we serve alcohol to someone else knowing the risks involved?

The way I see it, it's about caring for another person, whether they are muslim or not, I don't want to give them anything that is harmful or that I wouldn't take.

I'm not here to say that you're wrong, this is my view. May Allah (swt) guide us all towards the right path =)

I wanted to add earlier on that I do agree with the second point Apple posted, and that is that money that is earned through/by haram means is in itself haram.

I understand your difficult position, though, and I wish you all the best. Insha'Allah the situation will get better and easier for you. If you can look for another job, I'd do it, definitely. And trust in Allah =)

Working at Taco Bell (or other meat places) are okay, but you know you have to stop eating that meat right?

It's not halal meat.

Assalamualaykum brother, I'm glad that you chose Islam as your way of life, and you're welcomed in our Muslim brotherhood, Alhamdulillah. Ok so I'll pretty much keep this short. If you want to know how to pray or performing Salaah as it is actually called, I can give two links:

First in order to perform Salaah you need to perform ablution or wudu to cleanse yourself, you will get the directions for that in this following link:

http://muslim-canada.org/wudu.html

Now here is a good link on how to perform Salaah,

http://www.islamicbulletin.com/free_downloads/prayer/How_to_perform_Salaah.pdf

Since you're a male, I'd highly encourage you to attend the congregation in your local Masjid (mosque), it will be very easy, since all you have to do is follow, also it will help you perfect your prayers Insha'Allah. Remember after the Shahadah the next important duty for a Muslim is the Salaah (prayers) which is obligatory on every Muslim 5 times a day. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, the difference between a Muslim and a disbeliever is Salaah. So try your best to learn Salaah as soon as possible Insha'Allah and then perform it regularly 5 times a day on appropriate times Insha'Allah.

And about your questions, it's as the sister Nennies said, you should not work in a place where you are involved in selling haram food. What you are not allowed for yourself, is something you should also involve with as much as possible. I know for a fact that selling alcohol or even serving it is haram. I can't give a direct ruling on working in a store like that, but we are not supposed to go near pigs, or pork meat, so I don't think you are allowed to participate in selling it. If I were you I'd not work in such a place because I'm sure working in such places is not recommended, and as the sister correctly said selling haram products taints your earning. Allah knows best.

Ok now any meat that is not slaughtered by Allah's name is not considered halal in Islam. So there you go, hope this helps, and if you have any further questions on Islam, feel free to pm me brother, Jazakallah smile