What is the ruling on purchasing from open buffet restaurants where the buyer pays a certain amount and eats an unknown quantity of food, and is this considered among gharar (uncertainty) transactions?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade transactions involving , which is that which contains risk and uncertainty. The prohibited gharar includes selling something non-existent or unknown. However, minor gharar may be overlooked if there is a need for it, such as selling a pregnant sheep or a padded robe. Some scholars hold that restaurants setting a fixed price for "all-you-can-eat" falls under minor gharar, which is permissible. But if a person eats more than usual, they must inform the restaurant owner, as this would then be considered significant gharar.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/19526
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 19526
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy