Eating food of non-Muslims that is dedicated to their Gods in India

16-4-2001 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am from India, where there are many temples. We are live mostly among non-Muslims. Our non-Muslim friends often visit their temples and bring somethings like sweets and fruits and biscuits which were offered to their so called gods. As Muslims can we take and eat these gifts? Please clarify. No Muslim will take meat not slaughtered to Allah.
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Saad Ibn ‘Abdullah Al Ma’afiri may Allaah have mercy upon him a scholar of the Maliki school of jurisprudence, asked Imam Malik may Allaah have mercy upon him about the ruling concerning food made by Christians who donate it in charity on behalf of their dead: “Is it lawful for a Muslim to eat from it? Imam Malik may Allaah have mercy upon him replied: "No, he should not eat from it, and he should not take it from them."

Abdul Malik Ibn Habeeb may Allaah have mercy upon him another Maliki scholar, commented on Imam Malik's statement by saying: “This food is made as a way of glorifying Shirk [associating partners with Allah], so it is like the animals slaughtered for feasts and churches.” The Scholar Ibn Al-Qaasim may Allaah have mercy upon him from the Maliki school of jurisprudence, issued the same commentary.

The Buddhist, Hindus and others are worse than the Christians and the Jews in this regard.

On the other hand, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hambal may Allaah have mercy upon him was asked about the ruling of this during the feasts and rites of the Christians, and he replied: “The Muslim should not help them in what they do.”

Moreover, Ibn Taymiyyah may Allaah have mercy upon him said while relating the prohibition of this and similar acts: “The food and clothes in their feasts are not forbidden in themselves. What is forbidden is the acts they perform with them as these feasts are symbols of disbelief, so the Muslim should not use them because this might lead him (the Muslim) to get into a branch of disbelief.”

As a conclusion, we believe that it is forbidden to eat or drink from anything made by non-Muslims as part of their religious rites or ceremonies.

Allah knows best.

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