['Aalim Network QR] Convert - Eating at Home (Followup)

[Mustafa Rawji <mrawji@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>]

________________________________________________________________________
|                          w           w     w                          |\
|                           ||          ||   | ||                       |\
|                    o_,_7 _||  . _o_7 _|| 4_|_||  o_w_,                |\
|                   ( :   /    (_)    /           (   .                 |\
|                                                                       |\
|           ||  ||         |  ||   |T              |     | ||    |      |\
|   . _, _8 |_D_|| . _,_,_,_D_|| 4_|| q ]_o_7_o   _|_c 4_|_||   _|,_p q |\
|  (_): /         (_): . :            /        (_S           (_S      / |\
|                                                                       |\
|       In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|  Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
|_______________________________________________________________________|\


Salaamun alaykum,

	The replies to the follow up questions below were kindly provided by
Mulla Asghar.

Wasalaam,

Mustafa Rawji
Moderator, 'Aalim Network
---------------------------------------------------------------------

ORIGINAL QUESTION:

We have a Christian here, who ALHAMDULILLAH has converted to Islam.
She is still living with her parents, and so what are the rules about
eating?  Her parents do handle alcohol regularly, and pork, though very
occasionally.

Is she allowed to eat at food at home in this case?


ANSWER:

Salamun alaikum,

Yes, she is allowed to eat food at home with her parents, but SHE herself
will refrain from alcohol, pork, and also utensils etc. in which these
items are served or mixed.

Asgharali M.M. Jaffer

			-----------------------------------


FOLLOW-UP QUESTION #1:

Salaam alaykum.  

The following reply is a bit unclear, specifically because it seems to
imply that the convert can eat food at home as long as it is not alcohol
or pork.  What about meat that has been purchased in a non-Muslim store? 
And regarding the Ahlul Kitab, does it also not depend on the mujtahid in
particular, in terms of whether or not they are considered tahir? 

ANSWER:

Salamun Alaikum,

I mentioned pork and alcohol because they are NAJISUL AYN, and are in
frequent use in the non-Muslim Western homes.  Yes, anything else like
non-Halal meat, or that which has become NAJIS by contact etc. will also
have to be avoided.  The Ahlul Kitab's Taharat will of course depend upon the
Mujtahed's fatwa; I have based it on the ruling of Marhum El-Khoee and Agha
Seestani.

I was treating this subject exclusively as the one faced by the newly
converted vis a vis their parents.

			--------------------------------------

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION #2:

Asalaam Alaaykum

I have a follow-up question, please.

I am a convert myself and I have a problem that my father frequently
consumes beer at the dinner table.  Am I allowed to remain at the table if
I myself am not consumming nor touching the alcohol or must I leave the
table?  I thought that I must leave the table and I find this very
difficult because of the great anger it causes from a daughter refusing to
sit with her father for dinner.

ANSWER:

In normal circumstances, sitting at a table where alcoholic drinks are
served or consumed is forbidden.  In your case where a problem has arisen
because of conversion to Islam, and because your father may feel insulted
or angry if you left the table when he drinks, you are allowed to sit.  You
have to explain the situation to your father at an opportune time and then
gradually withdraw.

Asgharali M.M. Jaffer