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What should a person do if offered food or drink by someone whose intention to harm them with magic or otherwise is suspected, and is refusing it considered a sign of weak faith, and what is the relation of this to the incident of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, eating from the poisoned sheep?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The fundamental principle is to have a good opinion of a Muslim and not to be swayed by misgivings. One must accept their excuse whenever possible. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the falsest of speech." Certainty removes doubt. Regarding the story of the poisoned sheep, it has not been authentically reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, continued eating from it after knowing it was poisoned. Rather, he withdrew his hand and the hands of his companions when the sheep informed him that it was poisoned.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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