The Ruling on Group Iftar in Mosques during Ramadan
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on group iftar in the mosques during Ramadan?
Answer:
Group iftar, if the intention behind it is to feed the poor fasting people, and to provide an iftar meal as is done now, what they call "feeding a fasting person," this is an act of kindness. There is nothing wrong with preparing an iftar meal for those in need and for those who attend the mosque. However, if it is believed that if people break their fast together, there is a reward in that, this is a bid'ah (religious innovation). If this is done as an act of worship, and it is thought that if they gather to break their fast or for suhur, there is a reward in that, then it is a bid'ah. They call it group iftar; if this is the intention behind it, then it is a bid'ah. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on group iftar in the mosques during Ramadan?
Answer:
Group iftar, if the intention behind it is to feed the poor fasting people, and to provide an iftar meal as is done now, what they call "feeding a fasting person," this is an act of kindness. There is nothing wrong with preparing an iftar meal for those in need and for those who attend the mosque. However, if it is believed that if people break their fast together, there is a reward in that, this is a bid'ah (religious innovation). If this is done as an act of worship, and it is thought that if they gather to break their fast or for suhur, there is a reward in that, then it is a bid'ah. They call it group iftar; if this is the intention behind it, then it is a bid'ah. Yes.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، باب الرهب من مساوئ الأخلاق — islamhouse.com (59:41)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.