Is It Permissible to Work Where Employees Must Discard Leftover Food?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Is it permissible to work at a restaurant that requires its employees to throw away leftover food and drink?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Unfortunately, many health code laws require restaurants to throw away any food that crosses their counter into the hands of the customer.
In this case, it is not sinful for you to work at this facility.
If there is a way that you can discreetly save food for the poor, this is best, as long as there is no reciprocal harm to you for doing so.
Related:
- How to Dispose of Leftover Food?
- Can I Feed Leftover Food to Animals?
- Throwing Away Food
- What Are Some of the Sunnahs of Eating?
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.
There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.
Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
