Is it permissible for the director and his deputy to have a free lunch in a public educational institution where they reside, while teachers who come from distant cities are asked to pay for their meals, education assistants contribute a symbolic amount, and cafeteria workers steal from the food allocated to boarding students?
If the aforementioned restaurant is specifically for students, it is not permissible for the manager or anyone else to eat from it. Whoever does so has consumed people's wealth unjustly, violating Allah Almighty's prohibition in His saying: "And do not consume one another's property unjustly." There may be needy and orphaned students, and Allah has warned against oppressing them and unjustly consuming their wealth, saying: "Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire. And they will be burned in a Blaze."
Therefore, everyone must refrain from consuming anything that belongs to others, especially the student restaurant. Nothing should be taken from it unless there is leftover food that is at risk of spoilage.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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