What is the ruling on taking food that remains in a military mess hall when one sees that it is being thrown away?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : One last question.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : This soldier goes in and takes twenty bills... This is if he is eating from the army's food; if he is not eating, he does not take... They give him a hundred bills or a hundred and twenty-five. One of these people who is on a substitute takes a salary and sees that the food is being thrown away... It is being thrown away, so I take some of it. He is taking a salary... annually... They see it being thrown away, meaning the food is in excess. The excess food is being thrown away. He says: I will take some of it.
Another questioner : He does not eat the excess himself; he eats with them.
The questioner : He eats with them... He knows that it is being thrown away.
The Shaykh : My brother, we need to note something in Islam that is very important and does not go along with material systems... Material systems that have nothing but the material. We have a very high moral principle. Adhering to this moral principle may cause a person to lose a great deal of material wealth. So when the materialist looks at this loss, he blames this person. The opposite is the case; when we see a Muslim adhering to his moral principle, even if it costs him material wealth, he is the one who is praised. Because of the difference between the material view and the spiritual view, the results and the way they are viewed differ. One of the effects of this difference is the famous phrase people use today when they talk about the disbelievers who kill Muslims, steal their money, and occupy their lands, and so on. What do they say? That this is based on the principle and system: "The end justifies the means." There is no "the end justifies the means" in Islam. Do you understand how? Well, if this is agreed upon, we are now between two things: a spiritual moral matter and a material matter. The spiritual moral matter is that I am taking my material salary from the army, but it is conditional upon you that you have no food; because you are taking the price. But on the other hand, I see food being thrown away in the army, so I say: instead of it being thrown away, I will eat it. This is a purely material view. Every person who looks at the issue with a material view will make this judgment: instead of the food being thrown away so that dogs do not eat it, I will eat it, and I am a human being. If we look at it with a material view, this action is exactly right. But if we do not look at the issue as me eating by stealth or theft—and this is not permissible in Islam—then that material view does not encourage me to go against my Islam. Instead of it going to the ground to be wasted or becoming food for animals, I eat it.
Another questioner : He does not eat by stealth; he eats with them.
Another questioner : The opposite.
Another questioner : Do they not bring food for the soldiers? So he eats with them...
The Shaykh : Well, in any case, my brother; this is another picture that will come up again, and every question has an answer. We are answering on the basis that he is eating by stealth.
The questioner : ... He can hide or this, he is eating openly...
Another questioner : ... Even if the top official permits it, no, if the top official permits it, it is not permissible.
The questioner : Why? If he is eating openly.
Another questioner : Because the official is not feeding him from his own pocket. But after they have all eaten and there is a remainder, and they want to throw it away, and he takes it; at that time, it becomes like taking charity.
The Shaykh : No, and not charity. Its value is the value of the dog that is eating from this food.
Another questioner : Meaning we...
The Shaykh : No, no, there is no charity here. The second picture has nothing wrong with it at all.
The questioner : Because they have no reward for it.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : They have no reward.
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : Yes, but he has to wait, until they come to throw it away, then he takes it.
Another questioner : If it is certain that the dog...
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : This soldier goes in and takes twenty bills... This is if he is eating from the army's food; if he is not eating, he does not take... They give him a hundred bills or a hundred and twenty-five. One of these people who is on a substitute takes a salary and sees that the food is being thrown away... It is being thrown away, so I take some of it. He is taking a salary... annually... They see it being thrown away, meaning the food is in excess. The excess food is being thrown away. He says: I will take some of it.
Another questioner : He does not eat the excess himself; he eats with them.
The questioner : He eats with them... He knows that it is being thrown away.
The Shaykh : My brother, we need to note something in Islam that is very important and does not go along with material systems... Material systems that have nothing but the material. We have a very high moral principle. Adhering to this moral principle may cause a person to lose a great deal of material wealth. So when the materialist looks at this loss, he blames this person. The opposite is the case; when we see a Muslim adhering to his moral principle, even if it costs him material wealth, he is the one who is praised. Because of the difference between the material view and the spiritual view, the results and the way they are viewed differ. One of the effects of this difference is the famous phrase people use today when they talk about the disbelievers who kill Muslims, steal their money, and occupy their lands, and so on. What do they say? That this is based on the principle and system: "The end justifies the means." There is no "the end justifies the means" in Islam. Do you understand how? Well, if this is agreed upon, we are now between two things: a spiritual moral matter and a material matter. The spiritual moral matter is that I am taking my material salary from the army, but it is conditional upon you that you have no food; because you are taking the price. But on the other hand, I see food being thrown away in the army, so I say: instead of it being thrown away, I will eat it. This is a purely material view. Every person who looks at the issue with a material view will make this judgment: instead of the food being thrown away so that dogs do not eat it, I will eat it, and I am a human being. If we look at it with a material view, this action is exactly right. But if we do not look at the issue as me eating by stealth or theft—and this is not permissible in Islam—then that material view does not encourage me to go against my Islam. Instead of it going to the ground to be wasted or becoming food for animals, I eat it.
Another questioner : He does not eat by stealth; he eats with them.
Another questioner : The opposite.
Another questioner : Do they not bring food for the soldiers? So he eats with them...
The Shaykh : Well, in any case, my brother; this is another picture that will come up again, and every question has an answer. We are answering on the basis that he is eating by stealth.
The questioner : ... He can hide or this, he is eating openly...
Another questioner : ... Even if the top official permits it, no, if the top official permits it, it is not permissible.
The questioner : Why? If he is eating openly.
Another questioner : Because the official is not feeding him from his own pocket. But after they have all eaten and there is a remainder, and they want to throw it away, and he takes it; at that time, it becomes like taking charity.
The Shaykh : No, and not charity. Its value is the value of the dog that is eating from this food.
Another questioner : Meaning we...
The Shaykh : No, no, there is no charity here. The second picture has nothing wrong with it at all.
The questioner : Because they have no reward for it.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : They have no reward.
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : Yes, but he has to wait, until they come to throw it away, then he takes it.
Another questioner : If it is certain that the dog...
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.