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Fatwa CenterEating in Halal Restaurants That Also Serve Non-Halal Meat
Question
Assalam Alaikum
I am a Muslim living in the United Kingdom. Need to ask about some "Halal" restaurants here, they are serving non-halal beef as well.
One of our brothers here told me not to eat there as there is a risk of "cross-contamination", as they might use same knife/tools/grill for halal beef and non-halal beef without washing them.
What is the ruling in eating in these restaurants, knowing that they are not serving pork?
Please, we need detailed fatwa.
Jazakom Allah Khairan
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, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The basic principle is that it is permissible to eat in these restaurants as long as you eat what is lawful in them. This principle cannot be changed to the prohibition just because of doubt that they may use the same utensils in cutting and cooking the lawful meat as they do in cutting and cooking the impure meat without washing the utensils.
However, even though this doubt cannot necessitate the prohibition, avoiding eating in these types of restaurants is recommended.
The Prophet 
said: “The best of your religion is piety.” [Al-Haakim in al-Mu'tadrak]
Also, there is another narration with a weak chain of narrators, but some scholars classified it as Hasan, that reads:
“A person will not reach the status of being one of those who have piety until he refrains from doing something in which there is no sin, for fear of falling into something in which there is sin.” [At-Tirmithi and Ibn Maajah]
Nonetheless, if one predominantly thinks – not just doubting – that these restaurants use the same utensils in cutting and cooking the lawful meat as they do in cutting and cooking the impure meat without washing the utensils, then it becomes an obligation to avoid eating in them because the impurity is transferred to the lawful meat, and consequently this meat becomes impure. The meat that has become impure it is not permissible to eat it without washing it.
Since you write to us in Arabic sometimes, then we refer you to Fatwa 127595 in our Arabic website.
For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 395122 and 83210.
Allah knows best.
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