Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

dear brother,
assalamalaikum/ thankyou for all your answers.
would like to know the following
1. can we eat food at `homes of unbelievers` as the food served is strictly vegetarian?
2. can we dine at restaurants where non veg is served but we are not sure whether halaal but we consume only the vegetarian items?
or eat only at places of `people of the book?`
salaams and thankyou. 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Eat food at disbelievers home

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Provided the food that is ‘prepared’ is halaal or lawful in its essence, regardless of who prepares or serves the food, such food would be absolutely lawful and permissible for the believers to consume.

The permissibility or impermissibility of the food does not depend on who ‘prepares’ the food, but rather it depends on the whether or not that food is halaal or not in its essence.

For example, even if a muslim (Allah forbid) slaughters or prepares swine or any animal which is declared haraam in Islam…..that food would be unlawful for the believers to consume.

The list of halaal or permissible foods in Islam is indeed endless! Allah and His Messenger (saws) have listed only the foods which are haraam or forbidden for the believers to consume. The law or principle in determining whether a food is halaal or haraam, the believers must look in the list of the haraam foods; and if not found in the haraam list, that food will be considered halaal for the believers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verses 3-4:

3 Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah, that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you completed my favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any forced by hunger with no inclination to transgression Allah is indeed Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.

4 They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food): say: Lawful unto you are (all) things good and pure: and what ye have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you by Allah; eat what they catch for you but pronounce the name of Allah over it: and fear Allah; for Allah is swift in taking account.

5 This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you, and yours is lawful unto them.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 157:

157 Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet (Mohamed (saws)) whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures); in the law and the Gospel; for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil: he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him honor him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him, it is they who will prosper."

Thus, in light of the above Aayahs of the Holy Quran and the various authentic narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws), here is the list of the haraam foods:

1. The meat of any animal that dies of itself or is not duely slaughtered (including fall, strangling, gored to death, etc.), regardless of who prepares or serves it!
2. The flesh of swine, regardless of who prepares it!
3. The food on which any name other than Allah Subhanah’s has been invoked, regardless of who prepares or serves it!
4. The food that is slaughtered by any other than the believers, Jews or Christians, regardless of who prepares or serves it!
5. The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the believers to eat the meat of any animal which hunts with its fangs (eg. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc.), regardless of who prepares or serves it!
6. The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the believers to eat the meat of any bird which hunts with its hunts with its claws (eagles, crows, etc.), regardless of who prepares or serves it!
7. All the impure animals and insects (rats, cockroaches, etc.), regardless of who prepares or serves it!
8. The Messenger of Allah (saws) also forbade the believers to eat dogs and domestic donkeys, regardless of who prepares or serves it!

If the food does not fall in the list of the haraam, it will be considered halaal and permissible for the believers as food, regardless of who ‘prepares’ it.

It is practically impossible to name each and every halaal food, as the list is endless. But we will try to compile a list only as an indication. The following are absolutely halaal for the believers.

1. All vegetation is halaal food for the believer to consume, regardless of who ‘prepares’ or serves the food.
2. The flesh of all animals and birds that are not listed in the haraam list, are halaal as food for the believers provided they fulfill the requirements of slaughter; regardless of who ‘prepares’ or serves that flesh.
3. All sea-food is halaal, whether it be fish, crabs, lobster, prawns, etc.; regardless of who catches or ‘prepares’ or serves it.

Q-1: can we eat food at `homes of unbelievers` as the food served is strictly vegetarian?
Regardless if the food served is vegetarian or non-vegetarian, provided the food being served does not violate any of the above listed conditions of ‘Shariah’, there is absolutely no harm if a believer chooses to consume food at the home of a disbeliever.

Q-2: can we dine at restaurants where non veg is served but we are not sure whether halaal but we consume only the vegetarian items? or eat only at places of `people of the book?`
If a believer has sufficient reason to believe that the duely slaughtered and lawful food has been cooked in the same oil, or vessel, or the same utensil or vessel has been used to serve the unlawful food like pork or bacon, then indeed the believer should fear Allah and abstain from consuming such food; that would be akin to piety and righteousness in the Sight of Allah and the believer will be rewarded for his obedience and abstinence from what is doubtful.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.49 Narrated by An Numan bin Bashir

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying, “Both, ‘halaal’ and ‘haraam’ things are evident, but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things, and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things, saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the ‘Hima’ (boundaries) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a ‘Hima’, and the ‘Hima’ of Allah on the earth is His illegal (haraam) things.”

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan