Eating fish and chips fried in oil used for frying non-halaal meat

Reference: Fataawa al-Mu’aasirah – Page 251

Question: In most of the restaurants in the West, they fry the fish and the potatoes (chips) in a big [deep] fryer filled with oil.

1) Is it permissible for us to eat fish or chips fried in oil which has been used to fry non-halaal meat, or possibly even pig meat?

2) Is it obligatory upon us to ask the owner [or employees] of the restaurant whether they have fried anything else in that oil or not? Or should we [just] eat [the fish or chips] without question?

This is a daily problem the Muslims who live in the West face, and may Allaah reward you with good.

Response: So long as we know that most of what is fried [with this oil] is impure [for the Muslims to eat] from dead [meat (of the animal which had died prior to slaughter)] or pig [meat], then it is imperative that we ask. However, if we do not know whether most of what is fried [with this oil] is impure [for the Muslims to eat] or other than that, then it is not obligatory to question. And Allaah [alone] has the Complete knowledge [of all affairs].

He is a graduate of the Islaamic University of Madeenah, having graduated from the Institute of Arabic Language, and later the Faculty of Sharee'ah in 2004. He currently resides in Birmingham, UK.

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