The Ruling on Eating the Food of People of Riba and Gifts
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Thank you.
The Shaykh:
If you know that it is riba (usury or interest), leave it. If you do not know, it is not permissible to engage in riba transactions and other transactions, but there is no harm. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ate from the food of the Jews, and they were people of riba. If you do not know, then you do not know. But if you know that he has nothing but riba, do not eat his food, do not respond to him; he deserves to be boycotted. Yes.
The questioner:
The gifts, O Shaykh, they distribute them as gifts, like calendars or watches or the like.
The Shaykh:
These are used because they are not money from riba, and they were not financed by riba. They may benefit the Muslims, just as Allah permitted us to eat the food of the People of the Book, and they are people of riba. We do not know their state, so if they offer food, eat from it, until you know that it is riba, or that it is carrion, or something similar to that.
Thank you.
The Shaykh:
If you know that it is riba (usury or interest), leave it. If you do not know, it is not permissible to engage in riba transactions and other transactions, but there is no harm. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ate from the food of the Jews, and they were people of riba. If you do not know, then you do not know. But if you know that he has nothing but riba, do not eat his food, do not respond to him; he deserves to be boycotted. Yes.
The questioner:
The gifts, O Shaykh, they distribute them as gifts, like calendars or watches or the like.
The Shaykh:
These are used because they are not money from riba, and they were not financed by riba. They may benefit the Muslims, just as Allah permitted us to eat the food of the People of the Book, and they are people of riba. We do not know their state, so if they offer food, eat from it, until you know that it is riba, or that it is carrion, or something similar to that.
Source
أجزاء من الأربعين النووية، حديث : إن الله طيبٌ لا يقبل إلا طيبًا — islamhouse.com (8:09)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.