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Fatwa CenterEating in front of fasting person outside Ramadhaan
Question
In my country, if someone is fasting, people hesitate to eat in front of them. I understand that it is disliked to do this, but is it also disliked to eat in front of a fasting person outside Ramadan?
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.
It is not disliked to eat in front of someone who is fasting outside Ramadhaan, regardless of whether the fasting is voluntary or obligatory. Also, it is not disliked to eat in Ramadhaan for someone who has a valid excuse to break his fast, such as traveling, unless it is feared that people might think ill of him or it would confuse or mislead them. But if his excuse for breaking the fast is obvious and known to people, then it is not disliked for him to eat in front of others in Ramadhaan.
Al-Insaaf reads, "Ibn ʻAqeel was asked, 'Should the traveler, the sick person, and the menstruating woman be prevented from eating openly so that people would not think ill of them?' He replied, 'If the excuse is hidden and unknown to people, the person should be prevented from eating openly, like the sick person who does not show visible signs of sickness or a traveler whose appearance does not imply that he is traveling."
Regarding other than Ramadhaan, the reason for not fasting is obvious, so there is no doubt that it is not disliked to eat or drink before a fasting person outside Ramadhaan.
Allah knows best.
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