What is the ruling on serving pork in restaurants in the lands of disbelief?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What do you have?
The questioner : Restaurants, restaurants.
The Shaykh : Restaurants.
The questioner : ... What do you think?
The Shaykh : What do you mean? The sale might be by the sheet, by the kilogram, by the pound, or by the ton. All of this is forbidden, whether the amount is small or large. A Muslim should not ask, "What is the proportion of the prohibition?"
The questioner : ... It is clearly forbidden, but we wanted to make sure, because I asked a shaykh a while ago, and he told me that if the lawful outweighs the forbidden, it is not permissible, but he said it is less severe when the forbidden is greater.
The Shaykh : Lighter in weight than what?
The questioner : It reduces the proportion of the forbidden.
The Shaykh : From what? From what? This is less than that? It is not that? I mean, if I sold it, I gave you an example earlier. It is understood that if he sells one ounce, it is forbidden, but it is less than a kilogram, and a kilogram is less than a pound, and a pound is less... this is understood. But he must not let this forbidden thing enter his wealth, and a Muslim should not get involved and ask, "What is the proportion of the prohibition?"
The questioner : Okay, shaykh, in this case ... .
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah. Can you not keep your restaurant free from serving forbidden meat?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Oh, daughter of the lawful. Now, the original principle: you and your brothers and every Muslim must know that a Muslim residing in the lands of disbelief is not permissible at all. Because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: meaning, whoever mixes with them is like them. And he said (peace and blessings be upon him): , and he said: Sunan Abi Dawud 2645 This is if his work and trade were entirely lawful, one hundred percent lawful. So what about when you, without offense, are trying to justify it?
The questioner : No, I do not want to justify it, frankly.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. Listen, you said earlier that these Americans, that this restaurant, that it cannot be that it does not serve pork. Did you say that, or did I?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, okay. So you said it, and I am giving you the answer.
The questioner : ... It is forbidden; I wanted to be more certain.
The Shaykh : In any case, if your brothers are committed to the religion, advise them with two pieces of advice. The first advice: they should purify their restaurant from anything called forbidden, whether it is a little or a lot of pork, or the intoxicating substance, alcohol, whiskey, champagne, I do not know what the names are, which Allah has not sent down any authority for. They should keep their restaurant free from anything forbidden by the Shari'ah. This is the first advice. And the other advice, which is broader and more comprehensive, is that they should save themselves from settling in the lands of disbelief, open sinfulness, and tyranny. Especially since the Americans, the British, and all the disbelievers do not want anything for the Muslims but harm.
The Shaykh : What do you have?
The questioner : Restaurants, restaurants.
The Shaykh : Restaurants.
The questioner : ... What do you think?
The Shaykh : What do you mean? The sale might be by the sheet, by the kilogram, by the pound, or by the ton. All of this is forbidden, whether the amount is small or large. A Muslim should not ask, "What is the proportion of the prohibition?"
The questioner : ... It is clearly forbidden, but we wanted to make sure, because I asked a shaykh a while ago, and he told me that if the lawful outweighs the forbidden, it is not permissible, but he said it is less severe when the forbidden is greater.
The Shaykh : Lighter in weight than what?
The questioner : It reduces the proportion of the forbidden.
The Shaykh : From what? From what? This is less than that? It is not that? I mean, if I sold it, I gave you an example earlier. It is understood that if he sells one ounce, it is forbidden, but it is less than a kilogram, and a kilogram is less than a pound, and a pound is less... this is understood. But he must not let this forbidden thing enter his wealth, and a Muslim should not get involved and ask, "What is the proportion of the prohibition?"
The questioner : Okay, shaykh, in this case ... .
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah. Can you not keep your restaurant free from serving forbidden meat?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Oh, daughter of the lawful. Now, the original principle: you and your brothers and every Muslim must know that a Muslim residing in the lands of disbelief is not permissible at all. Because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say:
Whoever associates with a mushrik is like him
مَن جامَعَ المشرك فهو مثلهThe Muslim and the mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) do not see each other's fires.
المسلم والمشرك لا تتراءى نارهماI am not responsible for any Muslim who stays among polytheists
أنا بريء من كلِّ مسلم يقيم بين ظهراني المشركينThe questioner : No, I do not want to justify it, frankly.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. Listen, you said earlier that these Americans, that this restaurant, that it cannot be that it does not serve pork. Did you say that, or did I?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, okay. So you said it, and I am giving you the answer.
The questioner : ... It is forbidden; I wanted to be more certain.
The Shaykh : In any case, if your brothers are committed to the religion, advise them with two pieces of advice. The first advice: they should purify their restaurant from anything called forbidden, whether it is a little or a lot of pork, or the intoxicating substance, alcohol, whiskey, champagne, I do not know what the names are, which Allah has not sent down any authority for. They should keep their restaurant free from anything forbidden by the Shari'ah. This is the first advice. And the other advice, which is broader and more comprehensive, is that they should save themselves from settling in the lands of disbelief, open sinfulness, and tyranny. Especially since the Americans, the British, and all the disbelievers do not want anything for the Muslims but harm.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.