Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Ruling on offering food to non-Muslim workers during the day in Ramadan

There is a man who has land and has non-Muslim workers. They asked him
to give them food during the day in Ramadan, otherwise they will leave
the job. And in fact he did bring them food in Ramadan throughout the
month. What is your opinion on this action?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Bringing non-Muslims [into the country] to workis not appropriate and
they should not be brought; rather no non-Muslims should be brought
in, because bringing in non-Muslims may adversely affect a person in
himself or in his beliefs or in his attitude, or it may adversely
affect his children and household members, especially female
servantsand nannies, because the harm they cause is great. So no one
should be brought to work in the house or to raise the children except
Muslim women only. The same applies to men; only Muslims should be
brought in and not non-Muslims, because they cause a great deal of
harm and because their beliefs and attitudes are not the same as the
beliefs and attitudes of Muslims. So it is essential to avoid bringing
them in so as to avoid the evil that may be caused by following their
example and mixing with them.
Moreover, it is not permissible for any religion but one to remainin
the Arabian Peninsula; there should not be two religions in it. But
these servants and workers maystay there for a long time because of
work or because of wanting to work. It is not permissibleto bring
non-Muslims intothe Arabian Peninsula, because the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Expel the Jews and Christians
from the Arabian Peninsula." And according to another version he said:
"Expel themushrikeen (polytheists)."And he left instructions to that
effect when he died (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). So it
is not permissible for a Muslim to bring in anyonebut Muslim men and
women into the Arabian Peninsula, and not anyone else.
No one should be broughtinto the Arabian peninsulaexcept Muslims, as
we have stated above, because the Messenger (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) enjoined that the mushrikeen, Jews and Christians
should be expelled from it and only one religion should be leftin it,
because it is the cradle of Islam and because the Muslims pin their
hopes on it after Allah, and take it as an example. Therefore if
non-Muslims are brought in, that opens the door to other people
bringing in non-Muslims and mixing with them, and this will cause a
great deal of harm to all.
With regard to offering food to them:
It is not permissible to offer food to them. If theyare not Muslim and
they want food to be offered to them in Ramadan, he should not help
them with that. If they are kuffaar, even if they fast their fast will
not be valid.However, the minor issuesof sharee'ah are addressed to
them, and if that is addressed to them it is not permissible to help
them in that which will go against sharee'ah. Rather they should be
advised and taught in the hope that they might become Muslim. So they
should be called to Islam and told about what is good and right in the
hope that they might become Muslim, then one will attain a reward like
theirs. "The one who tells another about something good will have a
reward like that of the one who does it." "If one man wereto be guided
through you that would be better for you than having red camels (the
best kind)." This is what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said.
If they insist, then they are the ones who should make their own food.
They are the ones who should take care of their own needs in this
regard, in the hope that they maybe influenced by this and become
Muslim. Otherwise their contracts should be cancelled and Allah will
bring someone better than them. He should not take this matter lightly
and if they decide to leave the job, then praise be to Allah, they
have given up the job and Allah will bring people better than them. So
he should never help them in this matter; he should not help them to
find food and drink in Ramadan, whether they are kaafirs or evildoers
(faasiq) among the Muslims who do not fast. They should not help them
to eat or drink in Ramadan or help them to do anything that Allah
hasforbidden. They can do it for themselves and buy what they need
themselves. End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him)

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