The Shaykh’s discussion with the students regarding the appropriate food to purchase for the poor.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : My Shaykh, do you see olive oil?
The Shaykh : I have not been asked about this, but it appears to me at first glance that it is so, because first: it is a condiment, and second: it is a staple food that is stored.
The questioner : Yes, it is stored.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Okay, my Shaykh, how should we handle it in terms of the purchase quantity? I mean, when we are now collecting from hundreds of people?
The Shaykh : This is a second question, unrelated to the previous one.
The questioner : Good, now, praise be to Allah, the first one!
The Shaykh : Yes, what are you doing? Think it through.
The questioner : Because, for example, a jar of oil is five kilos, and its price is eight dinars. How should we calculate it? Is it considered kilo by kilo if we measure it that way?
The Shaykh : Now, that is not a problem for Abu Abdullah. Now, if you imagine an area where the people are wealthy.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the poor are few among them.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, the large amount of money that will be used to buy foodstuffs will be distributed among the few poor people, and the blessing will bring them great good.
The questioner : Yes, correct.
The Shaykh : And the opposite is the opposite. In that case, if it is the opposite, they will buy for the poor how many kilos of lentils, how many kilos of bulgur, how many kilos of, for example,
The questioner : Freekeh.
The Shaykh : Harissa?
The questioner : Freekeh, freekeh.
The Shaykh : Freekeh, yes, and so on.
The questioner : Okay, now, the practical aspect, my Shaykh: in the collection, they collect, for example, one dinar from a group, or they collect one dinar from a group.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So in this case, the collection will amount to hundreds, considering that one dinar from a group is in excess of the amount of wheat prescribed by the Shari'ah?
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The questioner : So, in this consideration, when they buy the oil condiment at this price, does it cover this instead of the freekeh? Can we say that? If we assume they took more than the prescribed amount.
The Shaykh : Cover what?
The questioner : Cover the high price of the oil condiment that we want to distribute?
The Shaykh : Although it returns to the point I mentioned to you: the number of poor people, whether many or few.
The questioner : Mmm.
The Shaykh : That which is to be distributed among the collected amount, or is my speech not clear?
The questioner : By Allah, my Shaykh, I am seeing that the poor are many, so I do not know how we should...
The Shaykh : My brother, I am telling you, I am not ruling, I am telling you: according to the number of poor people and the number of wealthy people. I mean, you are now saying: one dinar, one dinar. It is possible that the wealthy pay much more, and the poor people among whom these foodstuffs are to be distributed are few.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And therefore I said: this matter, which you are asking about, is not a Shari'ah issue, but a social one.
The questioner : Ah, in terms of administration.
The Shaykh : Therefore, I say, think it through.
The questioner : Administratively. And milk, my Shaykh, also, this dry one, is it possible as well?
The Shaykh : By Allah, I do not see milk to be so, because the proportion of people who use oil as a condiment is not the same as the proportion of people who use milk as a condiment.
The questioner : Yes, correct.
The Shaykh : Hmm.
The questioner : But, my Shaykh, if we compare it to staple food, meaning the issue of it being a staple, it is a necessary staple, and it is used by all classes. It is boiled to become milk, it is boiled to become labneh to be dipped, meaning there are several things with it, with milk. And children, adults, and the young use it as well, as a drink and a sweet, so it has a considerable share, correct, as you mentioned, unlike oil as a condiment, yes, but it is very important, meaning it is not less important, my Shaykh, if it is for the poor person who needs to use it and benefit from it, as important as rice!
The Shaykh : By Allah, my words do not negate this.
The questioner : Correct, meaning, if we distribute milk, we would have hit the mark, meaning we did not contradict?
The Shaykh : If it is as you say, then it is so.
The Shaykh : I have not been asked about this, but it appears to me at first glance that it is so, because first: it is a condiment, and second: it is a staple food that is stored.
The questioner : Yes, it is stored.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Okay, my Shaykh, how should we handle it in terms of the purchase quantity? I mean, when we are now collecting from hundreds of people?
The Shaykh : This is a second question, unrelated to the previous one.
The questioner : Good, now, praise be to Allah, the first one!
The Shaykh : Yes, what are you doing? Think it through.
The questioner : Because, for example, a jar of oil is five kilos, and its price is eight dinars. How should we calculate it? Is it considered kilo by kilo if we measure it that way?
The Shaykh : Now, that is not a problem for Abu Abdullah. Now, if you imagine an area where the people are wealthy.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the poor are few among them.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, the large amount of money that will be used to buy foodstuffs will be distributed among the few poor people, and the blessing will bring them great good.
The questioner : Yes, correct.
The Shaykh : And the opposite is the opposite. In that case, if it is the opposite, they will buy for the poor how many kilos of lentils, how many kilos of bulgur, how many kilos of, for example,
The questioner : Freekeh.
The Shaykh : Harissa?
The questioner : Freekeh, freekeh.
The Shaykh : Freekeh, yes, and so on.
The questioner : Okay, now, the practical aspect, my Shaykh: in the collection, they collect, for example, one dinar from a group, or they collect one dinar from a group.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So in this case, the collection will amount to hundreds, considering that one dinar from a group is in excess of the amount of wheat prescribed by the Shari'ah?
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The questioner : So, in this consideration, when they buy the oil condiment at this price, does it cover this instead of the freekeh? Can we say that? If we assume they took more than the prescribed amount.
The Shaykh : Cover what?
The questioner : Cover the high price of the oil condiment that we want to distribute?
The Shaykh : Although it returns to the point I mentioned to you: the number of poor people, whether many or few.
The questioner : Mmm.
The Shaykh : That which is to be distributed among the collected amount, or is my speech not clear?
The questioner : By Allah, my Shaykh, I am seeing that the poor are many, so I do not know how we should...
The Shaykh : My brother, I am telling you, I am not ruling, I am telling you: according to the number of poor people and the number of wealthy people. I mean, you are now saying: one dinar, one dinar. It is possible that the wealthy pay much more, and the poor people among whom these foodstuffs are to be distributed are few.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And therefore I said: this matter, which you are asking about, is not a Shari'ah issue, but a social one.
The questioner : Ah, in terms of administration.
The Shaykh : Therefore, I say, think it through.
The questioner : Administratively. And milk, my Shaykh, also, this dry one, is it possible as well?
The Shaykh : By Allah, I do not see milk to be so, because the proportion of people who use oil as a condiment is not the same as the proportion of people who use milk as a condiment.
The questioner : Yes, correct.
The Shaykh : Hmm.
The questioner : But, my Shaykh, if we compare it to staple food, meaning the issue of it being a staple, it is a necessary staple, and it is used by all classes. It is boiled to become milk, it is boiled to become labneh to be dipped, meaning there are several things with it, with milk. And children, adults, and the young use it as well, as a drink and a sweet, so it has a considerable share, correct, as you mentioned, unlike oil as a condiment, yes, but it is very important, meaning it is not less important, my Shaykh, if it is for the poor person who needs to use it and benefit from it, as important as rice!
The Shaykh : By Allah, my words do not negate this.
The questioner : Correct, meaning, if we distribute milk, we would have hit the mark, meaning we did not contradict?
The Shaykh : If it is as you say, then it is so.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.