CAN YOU ATTEND IFTAR ORGANISED BY CONVENTIONAL BANKS?

The last ten days of Ramadhan have started well in Tanzania with such fantastic Qur'an Competitions attracting local and international Qur'anic reciters and memorizers. On the other hand, this is another time whereby families, neighbours invite friends and others for Iftaar. Such culture has for some time now gone far and penetrated the corporate corridors of conventional banks and other companies which has for every Ramadhan prepared and organised Iftaar for their customers and people of their own choice followed with media fancy to appeal to achieve their desired goals.

INVITATION FROM SOMEONE WHOSE INCOME IS UNLAWFUL (HARAM).

Sheikh Muhammad ib Adam of Darul Iftaa, United Kingdom states that " If a person, whose income is unlawful (haram), invites one for food or gives something as a gift, then if more than half of his wealth is lawful (halal) and less than half unlawful (haram), it would be permissible to eat at his house or accept a gift from him, even without investigating if the food or gift was acquired from lawful wealth or otherwise.

However, if most of his wealth is certainly Haram, for example: this unlawful job (insurance broker) is his sole means of income, then in such a case, there are two possibilities:

If he clearly stipulates that the food provided or the gift was acquired through Halal wealth, one may eat at his house or accept the gift. However, if this is not the case, it would not be permitted to eat at his house or accept his gift in the Hanafi School. One will have to investigate and ascertain this before eating at his house.

It is stated in al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya:“If a taker of interest or the one who earns unlawful wealth was to give one a gift or invite one to his house for food, it will not be permitted to accept his gift or eat at his house if most of what he earns is unlawful, unless he informs one that it was acquired through lawful wealth which he gained through inheritance or by taking a loan. And if most of his earnings are Halal, there is nothing wrong in accepting his gift or eating at his house.” (al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 5/343)

The harms and ill-effects of consuming Haram food are quite severe indeed. In a Hadith the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “A body nourished on Haram sustenance (rizq) will not enter paradise.” (Sunan Tirmidhi)

In a narration, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him eternal peace) described the consumption of Haram food as the main cause for the non-acceptance of supplications (dua).

He (Allah bless him & give him peace) mentioned a man having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty and who spreads out his hands to the sky (saying): O Lord! O Lord! - While his food is Haram, his drink is Haram, his clothing is Haram, and his nourishment is Haram, so how can his dua be answered! (Sahih Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said to the Companion Sa’d:

O Sa’d! Purify your food, your supplication will be accepted. By the one in whose hand lays the life of Muhammad, verily a servant places a morsel of Haram in his stomach (and as a result) forty days of worship will not be accepted from him.” (Recorded by Imam Tabrani)

In another narration, it is narrated that an angel at Bayt al-Maqdis proclaims every day and night: “Whosoever consumes unlawful (haram) food, Allah Most High will not accept his obligatory (fard) and voluntary worship.” (See: al-Kaba’ir of Imam Dhahabi).

WHAT ABOUT THE INVITATION FROM THE CONVENTIONAL BANK?

We know that conventional banks have two streams of income sources;one is interest ( funded income) and other is fees and charges for the services which are offered (non-funded income). If you like conventional banks have permissible income and non-permissible income. An example of permissible income is the spread from spot foreign exchange sale and purchase, account operation fees such as ledger fees, withdrawal fees, ATM fees, and Cheque book fees; fees and commissions on fund transfer services such as TT fees, TISS charges, Western Union commission, Custom's Tax Collection commission among others.

Does these non-funded income exceed half of total income of the bank? Bank differs with each other in terms of income compositions. However, i dont think this question is relevant, the relevant question is; does the combined non-funded and permissible income above meet the cost of the iftaar organised? This is hard to answer in this discussion but the organiser's must be in position to know and so are shrewd customers who can figure out the costs of the iftaar in a particular hotel or restaurant and the income made by the bank.

Unfortunately, to most of the invitee what is in front of them is the appetite to enjoy the food with total disregards to examine source of income of the respective bank versus the cost of the Iftaar to be on the table. Therefore, if you havenot done well on your homework on this aspect, i will discourage you to attend the iftaar because the wise counsel of the prophet peace be upon him reads that "Leave what you doubt, for what you don't doubt."