What is the ruling on someone who intentionally takes extra food, beyond what they need, from a restaurant that operates on an open buffet system, in order to eat it at home, and what is incumbent upon them if their action was unlawful?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
What the person did is Islamically forbidden, as it violates the implicit agreement of eating one's fill without taking anything home. Therefore, he must pay the restaurant owner the value of what he took and repent to Allah the Almighty. It is worth noting that the ruling on "open buffet" is debated among scholars due to its包含 uncertainty ().
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/152717
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 152717
- 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