Can eating at a table be considered imitating the People of the Book?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is not eating at a table, O Shaykh, a form of imitating the People of the Book?
The Shaykh : Imitating whom?
The questioner : The People of the Book.
The Shaykh : Even if its origin is from the People of the Book or from non-Arabs, as long as it has become a custom for people, it is not imitation. The scholars said that everything whose cause is imitation: if it becomes widespread among Muslims and others, the ruling ceases.
The questioner : But the origin?
The Shaykh : Even if it is the origin, as long as it is not forbidden in itself, and as long as the cause is imitation, if it becomes widespread among people and the usage of disbelievers and Muslims becomes equal, the ruling ceases due to the removal of the cause. Unless the thing is forbidden in itself, such as gold vessels or silk clothing, which become absolutely forbidden. Yes.
The Shaykh : Imitating whom?
The questioner : The People of the Book.
The Shaykh : Even if its origin is from the People of the Book or from non-Arabs, as long as it has become a custom for people, it is not imitation. The scholars said that everything whose cause is imitation: if it becomes widespread among Muslims and others, the ruling ceases.
The questioner : But the origin?
The Shaykh : Even if it is the origin, as long as it is not forbidden in itself, and as long as the cause is imitation, if it becomes widespread among people and the usage of disbelievers and Muslims becomes equal, the ruling ceases due to the removal of the cause. Unless the thing is forbidden in itself, such as gold vessels or silk clothing, which become absolutely forbidden. Yes.