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Fatwa CenterAccepting food and water distributed for free
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu, Shaykh. If free food, drink, or Iftaar (meal to break the fast with), are being distributed and I have the money to buy those things myself, is it wrong to take the free things if they are not specifically for poor people? And what about Iftaar? If someone is distributing Iftaar and I am not fasting, can I take and have that food, or should I leave it for a fasting person, or may I take it and give it to someone else who seems to be fasting? Here in Makkah, items, like mineral water bottles, are distributed for free around the Haram, and maybe inside also, and I am concerned with whether it is better to leave it or take it, like, for example, a water bottle, if I am not thirsty, can I take it? I rather buy water bottles from a shop to use them as containers for Zamzam water, as I am unable to decide. May Allah reward you, Shaykh.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
If the ones giving this food or water do not specify the poor in particular in giving it, then there is no harm on you in taking it and you bear no sin for it. Also, there is no harm on you in taking the water that is offered to you even if you are not thirsty. When you take the water, it becomes your property and you are entitled to give it to whomever you wish or keep it for some other time when you need it. The same goes for the food that is offered to the fasting people; if those giving it do not stipulate that it must be offered exclusively to the fasting people and may not be offered to anyone, then there is no harm on you in taking it. However, if the ones giving it specify the fasting people with it, then their wish must be honored and it is impermissible for you to take that food. If you take it, then you should give it to a fasting person who deserves it. The same applies to the food that is allocated to the poor; it is impermissible to take it if you are not considered poor.
Allah knows best.
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