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Does excessive eating indicate the presence of a devil? Will Allah punish for excessive eating and obesity? Must a believer be thin?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The fundamental principle is that the Muslim should not be overcome by the desires of the stomach and private parts. Eating a lot is not forbidden as long as it does not lead to harm, for Allah Almighty says: "And eat and drink, but be not excessive." (7:31) Excessive eating is disliked or forbidden if it leads to harm, and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah went so far as to prohibit it if it causes harm. If it does not reach this extent, then the servant is not held accountable for it.

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

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