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952 Is eating at restaurant owned by Shia Muslim (who claims food is Halal) allowed?
The issue that you have referred to is explained in great detail by the scholars of Islam, under the principle of ‘Khabar al-Wahid’, which means ‘the report of one person.’
Allama Nizam al-Din Muhammad ibn Ishaq (R.A), the author of the Hanafi manual on Usul al-Fiqh ‘Usul al-Shashi’, writes that if a person is away from home and does not know the direction of Qibla for prayer, and one (credible, upright) person informs him of the direction, then it is compulsory for the person to read in that direction.

Likewise, if a person is about to perform ablution and another person tells him that the water is impure (and not suitable enough for ablution), then he cannot perform ablution with that water.

On this same basis, when a credible Muslim informs someone that the meat is Halal, then it is permissible to consume. However, the matter is somewhat blurred when the person in question is a Shia. There are many sects within Shia’s, some equal to Kufr (disbelief) – like the ones who refuse to accept the Prophethood of Muhammad (S.A.W) - whereas others are labeled as Bidatis (heretics) and not as disbelievers. In the past, Hadith scholars did sometimes accept Hadith narrations from Shia’s because the nature of their beliefs was relatively moderate.

In your situation, it must be established the exact form of Shiaism the person adheres to before consuming the food.

(Answered by: Alims at Islamic Centre, Leicester, UK.)
Category (Halal / Haram)
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