Islam Question and Answer - Permissibility of eating food cooked by kaafir (unbeliever)

Thu 13/7/1434 - 23/5/2013

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Principles of Fiqh » Jurisprudence and Islamic Rulings » Customs and traditions » Food & Nourishment

Permissibility of eating food cooked by kaafir (unbeliever)

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Can Muslims eat in restaurants owned and directed by people who are not worshipping Allah? For example, Chinese restaurants. Keeping in mind that the type of food in these places is not HARAM in itself but the people making this food are KOFFAR.

Al-hamdu lillah (praise be to Allah). There is no objection for a Muslim to eat from food that a kaafir (unbeliever), whether polytheist or otherwise, has cooked, as the issue of cooking does not involve slaughtering according to Islamic guidelines so that we would require the person to be from ahl il-kitaab (People of the Book) among the kuffar. In fact, it is only a matter of cooking, so the only issues that concern us are cleanliness and the avoidance of najasa (impurity), and likewise that nothing haram (forbidden) is mixed with the food such as khamr (wine or alcoholic beverages) or lard.

May Allah protect us from harm, evil and the things he has forbidden (al-muharramaat).

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid