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 Burhan,

I have read about your the working of your forum and pray to Almighty Allah to grant you success in your endeavours. If I can be associated in any way I shall be greatful.

So far I have asked anumber of questions but never got a direct answer. some times no answer at all and some times some relevant answer was sent to me.

This time I have a pertinent question to ask and would request for a direct answer and on urgent basis.

I am a diplomat and am posted in different countries. Presently I am in Bosnia. Here besides Muslims Christians also live in large quantity. I am gfacing a probvlem with respect to food. When ever I am invited by a friend of mine foe a lunch or dinner in a local restaurant I am not sure whether the foood id halal. Even the locals whom I contacted expressed their inability inj this respect. Normally I go for fish. Please tell me do we have to go into so much detail regarding food. Or shall we take things on face value. The fact is most of the restaurants are owned by Muslims but whether they buy halal meat or the non halal i.e the imported one is not clear.

Secondly sometimes we have to attend meetings and at times there is no time for prayers or if there is time there is no place for prayers or no place for ablution. What does Islam say on such occassions. Let me tell you that I offer prayers five times a day and preferably in congregation.

Regards.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Food and miss prayers

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 Question: Please tell me do we have to go into so much detail regarding food.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verses 3-4:

3 Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah, that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you completed my favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any forced by hunger with no inclination to transgression Allah is indeed Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.

4 They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food): say: Lawful unto you are (all) things good and pure: and what ye have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you by Allah; eat what they catch for you but pronounce the name of Allah over it: and fear Allah; for Allah is swift in taking account.

5 This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you, and yours is lawful unto them.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verses 118-121:

118 So eat of (meats) on which Allah's Name hath been pronounced if ye have faith in His Signs.

119 Why should ye not eat of (meats) on which Allah's Name hath been pronounced when He hath explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you except under compulsion of necessity? But many do mislead (men) by their appetites unchecked by knowledge. Thy Lord Knoweth best those who transgress.

120 Eschew all sin open or secret: those who earn sin will get due recompense for their "earnings."

121 Eat not of (meats) on which Allah's Name hath not been pronounced: that would be impiety. But the Shaytaans ever inspire their patrons to contend with you; if ye were to obey them ye would indeed be pagans.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, it is absolutely imperative and duty unto every believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, that before he say or do anything, he must determine whether his every word, his every act and his every deed is within the boundaries of his Supreme Lord Creator or not.

It is the responsibility and duty of the believer that when he approaches any food, he must first and foremost determine to the best of his ability whether the food he is about to consume is declared permissible or forbidden by his Lord Most High.

Your Question: The fact is most of the restaurants are owned by Muslims but whether they buy halal meat or the non halal i.e the imported one is not clear.

If one approaches a restaurant owned by a Muslim brother, or one is presented food in a believing household, etc. then it would be the responsibility of the Muslim brother who owns the restaurant or the house to make sure that the food presented to his believing brother-in-faith is lawful and halaal. It would be very safe for a believer to assume that whatever food is presented in a Muslim owned-restaurant or a Muslim household would be absolutely halaal….and if Allah forbid, the Muslim restaurant or household were to present unlawful food to a believer, it is he who will bear the burden of the sin and not the believer who consumes it.

But if one is in a non-Islamic nation, then it is the responsibility of the individual to confirm before consuming whether the food being served or presented was slaughtered according to Shariah or not.

In light of the Aayahs of the Holy Quran and the various authentic narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws), here is the list of the haraam foods:

1. The meat of any animal that dies of itself or is not slaughtered (including fall, strangling, gored to death, etc.)
2. The flesh of swine
3. The food on which any name other than Allah Subhanah’s has been invoked
4. The food that is slaughtered by any other than the believers, Jews or Christians.
5. The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the believers to eat the meat of any animal which hunts with its fangs. (eg. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc.)
6. The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the believers to eat the meat of any bird which hunts with its claws. (eagles, crows, etc.)
7. All the impure animals and insects. (rats, cockroaches, pests, etc.)
8. The Messenger of Allah (saws) also forbade the believers to eat dogs and domestic donkeys.

If the food does not fall in the above list of the declared haraam, it will be considered absolutely halaal and permissible for the believers to consume as food.

Your Question: Secondly sometimes we have to attend meetings and at times there is no time for prayers or if there is time there is no place for prayers or no place for ablution. What does Islam say on such occassions.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, Shariah Law dictates that unless and until one is unconscious, or insane, or unintentionally slept through a prayer time, or completely forgot and the prayer time elapsed….it is absolutely obligatory and a duty unto the believer that he/she offer his/her prayer at its due and appointed time.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 103:

Indeed the Salaat is a prescribed duty that should be performed by the believers at (their) appointed times.

Dear and beloved, such is the importance and significance of prayer, that Allah Commands and Demands that the believers offer their prayers on time even during times of war, fear, extreme illness, etc.,

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa 102:

102 When thou (O Prophet (saws)) are with them (during war) and stand to lead them in prayer, let one party of them stand up (in prayer) with thee taking their arms with them: when they finish their prostrations let them take their positions in the rear and let the other party come up which hath not yet prayed and let them pray with thee taking all precautions and bearing arms.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 238-239:

238 Guard strictly your prayers, especially the middle (Asr) prayer and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind).

239 If ye fear (an enemy), pray on foot or riding (as may be most convenient); but when ye are in security celebrate Allah's Praises in the manner He has taught you which ye knew not (before).

Beloved brother in Islam to intentionally miss, or neglect, or delay one’s obligatory prayers beyond its appointed time because one is busy in work or worldly matters would be absolutely unacceptable and impermissible in Islam, and a grave sin in the Sight of the Lord.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 107 Surah Al-Maun verses 4-5:

4 So woe to the worshippers

5 Who are neglectful of their prayers

Your Question: at times there is no time for prayers

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, unless and until one is unconscious, or insane, or unintentionally slept through a prayer time, or completely forgot and the prayer time elapsed….there is absolutely no excuse for one who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to intentionally miss or delay his obligatory prayers.

Your Question: or if there is time there is no place for prayers

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.67

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘Allah the Exalted has conferred a special blessing upon this ummah - that is, the whole earth has been declared a masjid for them; therefore, when the time for prayer comes, a Muslim may pray wherever he may be.’

The Prophet (saws) said in another authentic narration that: “Allah has made the whole earth a “masjid” for the believers, so pray wherever it is easy or convenient for you.”

Dear and beloved brother, the Lord Most Merciful has ordained the whole earth as a place of worship for the believers….and it would be absolutely inconceivable and inexcusable that a believer who wished to pray could not find a few feet of space on this spacious earth of the Lord to offer and fulfill his obligatory duty unto his Lord Most High!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 97:

97 When the Angels take the souls of those who die in sin against their souls they (the Angels) say: "In what (plight) were ye?" They reply: "Weak and oppressed were we in the earth." They (the Angels) say: "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to move yourselves away (from evil)?" Such men will find their abode in Hell. What an evil refuge!

Your Question: or no place for ablution.

If one knows that he is going to a place where his prayer will be due and there is no wash-room there, he must either do his ablution in preparation for his prayer before he departs for that place or maybe take a small bottle of water so that he may perform his ablution there.

If one finds himself in a place where there is absolutely no water, then he must perform the ‘tayammum’ with pure dust and make himself available for his prayer.

Beloved brother, we reiterate again that unless and until one is unconscious, or insane, or unintentionally slept through a prayer time, or completely forgot and the prayer time elapsed….there is absolutely no excuse for one who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to intentionally miss or delay the offering of his obligatory prayers on time.

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan