Thursday 18 Ramadan 1445 - 28 March 2024
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Ruling on offering food to non-Muslim workers during the day in Ramadan

Question

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?.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly: 

Bringing non-Muslims [into the country] to work is 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 servants and 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 remain in the Arabian Peninsula; there should not be two religions in it. But these servants and workers may stay there for a long time because of work or because of wanting to work. It is not permissible to bring non-Muslims into the 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 the mushrikeen (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 anyone but Muslim men and women into the Arabian Peninsula, and not anyone else. 

No one should be brought into the Arabian peninsula except 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 left in 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 they are 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 issues of 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 were to 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 may be 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 has forbidden. 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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Source: Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb, 1/466-468