In a reply to another 'Mas-ala' Agha Saheb wrote that...

In a reply to another 'Mas-ala' Agha Saheb wrote that: "But the animal slaughtered by them is not Tahir, and thus cannot be eaten." In a reply to a third Mas-ala he wrote that :- "Kitabi" or "Ahlul-Kitab" in this ruling includes the present day's Jews and Christians." NOTES: According to the above-mentioned Fatwa, if a Jew or Christian makes himself Tahir, according to Islamic Sheriat, a Shia Ithna-Asheri can eat the things touched by him after that Taharat.

Also, the clothes washed by him (in that condition) will become pak if he has been taught the rules of Taharat of clothes. According to a basic rule of Islamic Sheriat, "the action of a Muslim is presumed to be correct and conforming to Sheriat, "unless proved otherwise". Owing to this rule, we are not supposed to ask a Muslim trader whether the Ghee or Oil sold by him is Tahir? We presume it to be Tahir unless it is known to be Najis. But this rule does not apply to a non-Muslim.

As the operating phrase in the above- mentioned Fatwa is "if he (the Christian or the Jew) makes his body Tahir", we MUST make sure that he really had made himself Tahir, before touching the food, etc. Coming to the practical side, we can compel a domestic Christian servant to make his body and clothes Tahir before starting the work of the day, and then he may wash our clothes and help in domestic works without any difficulty.

But, we cannot tell a Christian waiter or a cook in a restaurant to cleanse himself according to our sheriat and also utensils and pots before preparing or serving the food. Therefore, this Fatwa should not be misused by patronizing the Christian or Jewish restaurants and hotels. According to Islamic Sheriat, meat, fat and hide and skin are presumed to be Najis and taken from a dead animal unless known to be taken from an animal slaughtered by a Muslim according to the sheriat.

Agha Saheb has clearly written that the Zabiha of Christian or Jew is Najis and not allowed; a Shia Ithna-Asheri cannot use any of the food prepared by the Christians or Jews if that food contains meat or animal rat. Also, everything made by them from leather (like belts, shoes, straps, purses, hat linings, etc., etc.) are Najis and will be treated as made from the hide of a dead animal." Q. 117: Do the Muslims modify such rules like eating meat that a non-moslem has slaughtered? A.

There is no question of modifying the rule concerning the meat of the animal slaughtered by a non-Muslim.