Cleanliness of Food and Drink

Rasulullah (SAWS) said, ‘When he was offered food in a bowl, he found a fly in it. He ordered to remove it then he said, Recite the name of Allah on the food and eat it! These things (insects like a fly) do not make any eatable unlawful.’

Any creature without red blood does not render food unlawful for intake when it dies in it. When such creatures fall in food or drink, they only cause a feeling of uneasiness, but it is improper to declare the food or drink illicit what Allah has permitted to use. It is up to the user to eat it or to abstain from it out of dislike without declaring it to be unlawful. Maulana Ali (AS) said, ‘When beetles or scorpions or flies or crickets and all creatures without red blood are found dead in butter or honey or milk or oil or in any such food, they do not spoil it, it should be thrown away and the food can be consumed. But if one wishes the oil can be used for feeding lamp or making soap.’

Imaam Ja’far us-Saadiq (AS) said, ‘If a creature containing red blood falls in the food or drink and remains alive and is immediately removed does not spoil the food and can be eaten. But when it dies in the food, it cannot be eaten or bought. If in case it is milk, then it cannot be consumed; if it is oil, then it should be used only for feeding lamps; if it is solid butter, then a creature should be removed along with the surrounding butter and the rest be eaten; if it is liquid butter, then the whole is unlawful for eating.’

He further said, ‘The leavings of a cat can be consumed, whether it is solid or liquid. If a dog or a rat has smelt or eaten something then that particular part should be removed and the rest should be eaten. When the droppings of a rat or the likes becomes detectable in the flour or and such thing then it should be removed; but when it becomes difficult to trace it, then there is no harm in consuming such food.’

He further said, ‘If the food container (sufra, dastarkhwaan) gets spilt with a wine or any unlawful consumable and it becomes completely dry and odorless, then there is no harm in using it.’