Question:
Can muslims eat in restaurants which serves pork in their menu and serves alcoholic drinks? Even if the chicken is halaal or possibly order a vegeterian option at the restaurant?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Consuming Halal is an order of Allah and an essential part of our Deen. Allah has repeatedly emphasised the consumption of Halal in The Quraan.
By being careless about the dietary laws of Islam a believer puts himself in sin and difficulties both in this world and the world hereafter. In this world, due to consuming Haram, he deprives himself from having any of his good deeds and Duas accepted by his Creator while in the hereafter he suffers the greatest loss ever imaginable i.e. refusal from being admitted to Paradise.
S’ad RA relates: Allah’s messenger ﷺ said “O S’ad purify your food (and as a result) you will become one who’s supplications are accepted. I swear by He in whose hands the soul of Muhammad ﷺ lies, verily a servant (of Allah) tosses a Haram morsel in his stomach (due to which) no deed is accepted from him for 40 days” (Tabarani)
Abu Hurayrah (RA) reports that the Prophet of Allah ﷺ said, “A time will come upon the people wherein a man will not bother what he intakes; whether from Halal source or Haram.” (Bukhari)
A Muslim should therefore exercise extreme precaution when eating in non-Muslim outlets as there is either very little or no awareness regarding Halaal.
One should not eat in places where Haram is served due to the possibility of cross contamination. If pork or other Haram items is served in a restaurant, the high possibility of cross contamination in the preparation of the meat, cooking, cutting etc. through the use of the same utensils cannot be ruled out. The same spoons, knives, trays, gloves are used even in cases where restaurants claim to have separate grills or pots. A vegetarian Pizza or fish can be contaminated by utensils, hands or even filtered oil!
Regardless of the food being Halaal or not, a Muslim should not eat at a restaurant in which alcohol is being served. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has prohibited partaking of meals from the table where alcohol is being served.
Jabir bin Abdillah (Radiyallahu Anhu) reports that Rasulullah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever truly believes in Allah and the day of Judgment, he will not sit at a table where alcohol is served” (Musnad Ahmad,14651)
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best.
Mufti Arshad Ali
Darul Iftaa, Jaamia Madinatul Uloom (Trinidad)
