1. What is the ruling on eating meat at a fellow Muslim’s home? Should we ask or confirm where they purchase their chicken/meat, whether it’s hand-slaughtered or machine-slaughtered, and etc etc?
2. Is it permissible to dine in (vegetarian) at a restaurant that also serves alcohol, particularly in Canada? Or are we only allowed to do take-out?
3. If a restaurant serves both halal food and alcohol, can we eat the halal meat if they provide evidence or certification that it was sourced from a halal supplier?
4. If the restaurant owner is a Muslim, does not serve alcohol, and verbally confirms that the meat is halal, is it permissible to eat there?
Bismillahi Ta’ala
Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah
A few of these questions have been answered before directly or indirectly. I will try and link those answers here so you may read them in detail.
1. Meat at a fellow Muslims home:
This was answered previously by way of addressing pot-luck and other similar food gatherings established at the masajid. Please read here: https://qna.ilmhub.com/question/inquire-about-source-of-meat-at-iftars-organized-by-masjids-or-organizations/
Another answer of food being received from a fellow community member was answered. The highlighted indicator here was for an effort to establish one’s personal dietary standard be known to people, so when they do invite you or give you food, they may take the appropriate measures according to your standards. You may read that answer here: https://qna.ilmhub.com/question/what-to-do-if-food-received-without-authenticity-of-meat-source/
2. The situation for both 2 & 3 is same. This was answered under eating at a restaurant that claims their meat is hand slaughtered but they sell alcohol as well. Please check this answer: https://qna.ilmhub.com/question/is-it-permissible-to-eat-at-a-restaurant-that-claims-their-meat-is-hand-slaughtered-but-they-sell-alcohol-as-well/
4. The question has been answered in general guidance on approaching restaurants in our setup. I am reproducing that answer below:
Many things should be kept in mind when approaching restaurants.
- Meticulously check their certification for suppliers. ALL suppliers should be certified halal from a genuinely acceptable certification like HIC, HMA etc. There are many others which themselves are dubious and merely being a printed certification is not sufficient to render one’s trust onto them.
- In commercial setup word of the owner is not completely sufficient. His position is in conflict of interest. It is for this reason he must go out of the way to prove his claim through all suppliers, as well on-site prep etc.
- Mere certification of supplier is also not sufficient. Restaurants use other items, condiments, products which all have to be acceptable. Imagine a halal certified source of fish and chips, but the fish batter is beer batter. Certainly wont be halal, but the certification on the wall will show that fish is halal sourced.
- Restaurants providing mix menus, where some parts are halal and others not, are most likely to have cross-contamination. These facilities should be completely transparent for someone wanting to check their kitchen to see how they keep halal prep and haram prep separate.
These are just some of the concerns. The short of it is that unless the restaurant comes with personal recommendation with authentication from a very high authority or source who has no personal gain from it, you may not trust any testimony. So generally, do not take the word of the owner himself and look further or do your own investigation thoroughly.
Wallahu A’lam
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi