Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear brother, Assalam-o-Alaikum First of all I would like to mention that i dont belong to any sect of Islam I want to be a muslim?@only but with little knowledge some times it becomes difficult for me to understand some complex matter so I ask the people who knows that. Ok now my Question: I am living in Nagasaki, Japan. we have great troubles for Halal food but Alhamdulullah we tried our best to have Halal food so we avoid to take food outside and if it become unavoidable than we usually take vegetables or sea food but problem is this like if you take any food from a restaurant they use the same pans for every cooking and ususally they fried the chicken and fish in the same oil. For my confusion please tell whether we can have that food or not. My next question is last night one of my friemd who is from egypt visited me and he has told us if Ahl-eKitab offers us some food wheather meat or watever we can eat that food by reciting the name of Allah. He also had quoted a Hadeeth in this respect. You are requested to Please guide in above cases in the light of quran and Hadeeth. Wassalam

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Answer:

Halal and haram food

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your comment: like if you take any food from a restaurant they use the same pans for every cooking and usually they fried the chicken and fish in the same oil. For my confusion please tell whether we can have that food or not?

If one is certain that the same oil or the same pan is used to cook the halaal food along with the haraam food, then a believer must abstain from such food. Although we cannot declare the legal food ‘haraam’, we can certainly state that the food does become ‘najis’ (impure). If one refrains from such food, it will be purer for him. And Allah Alone knows best.

Your comment: My next question is last night one of my friend who is from Egypt visited me and he has told us if Ahl-eKitab offers us some food whether meat or whatever we can eat that food by reciting the name of Allah. He also had quoted a Hadeeth in this respect. You are requested to Please guide in above cases in the light of Quran and Hadeeth.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 5: All the good and pure things have today been made lawful for you; the food of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) is lawful for you, and your food for them.

In light of the above aayah of the Quran, Allah has made the food of the People of the Book halaal for the believers, and what your Egyptian friend said is correct. But if the believer is certain that the animal offered by the People of the Book (or even a muslim for that matter) was dead before it was slaughtered (zabeehah), then that meat becomes haraam.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan