What is the Islamic ruling on refusing to receive meals prepared specifically at a customer’s request and then avoiding payment? Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta explained that an agreement between a customer and a woman who prepares meals according to agreed specifications falls under istisna’, a permissible contract involving the manufacture or preparation of something according to agreed terms.
Accordingly, when the woman fulfills the agreed specifications and conditions, the agreement becomes binding on the customer. Without a valid excuse, he may not refuse to receive the meals or avoid paying their agreed price.
Ruling on Refusing Meals Ordered by the Customer
When a customer asks a woman to prepare a specific number and type of meals and agrees with her on their specifications and price, the agreement becomes binding once she fulfills the order according to those terms.
Is It Permissible to Avoid Paying for the Meals?
A customer may not, without a valid excuse, refuse to receive meals that were prepared specifically according to his request and then avoid paying for them.
Such conduct directly harms the person who prepared the food because she may have spent her own money purchasing ingredients and invested considerable time and effort in preparing the order according to the customer’s requirements.
The Harm Caused by Rejecting Prepared Food
Refusing meals after they have been prepared for a specific customer can cause significant financial harm to the person who fulfilled the order.
Loss of Money and Effort
The person preparing the meals bears the cost of purchasing ingredients and preparing the food. She may also be unable to sell the meals to another customer, particularly when they were prepared according to special requirements.
The resulting loss therefore may involve not only the food itself but also the money, time, and effort invested in fulfilling the order.
Food May Go to Waste
When a customer refuses to receive specially prepared meals, there may be no other buyer willing to purchase them after preparation. This can result in wasted food and additional financial loss for the person who prepared it.
Fulfilling Agreements in Islam
Islam strongly emphasizes fulfilling agreements and promises while warning against betrayal and breaking commitments.
Allah says:
“Those who fulfill their covenant when they make a covenant, and those who are patient in poverty, adversity, and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is they who are mindful of Allah.”
[Qur’an 2:177]
Allah also says:
“And fulfill the covenant. Indeed, the covenant will be questioned about.”
[Qur’an 17:34]
These verses emphasize the importance of honoring commitments and agreements made with others.
Betrayal and Breaking Agreements in the Prophetic Sunnah
The Prophetic Sunnah warns against betrayal and breaking agreements and identifies them among characteristics from which a believer should distance himself.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“There are four characteristics: whoever possesses them is a complete hypocrite: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; when he makes a covenant, he betrays it; and when he argues, he behaves unjustly. Whoever has one of these characteristics has a characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it.”
The hadith highlights the seriousness of breaking promises and betraying agreements and emphasizes honesty and faithfulness in dealings.
Does the Agreement Become Binding on the Customer?
Yes. When the parties agree that meals will be prepared according to specific conditions and specifications, and the woman fulfills the order accordingly, the agreement becomes binding on the customer in the situation addressed by the ruling.
He should not withdraw from the agreement without a valid reason, particularly when doing so causes harm to the other party.
Conclusion
Preparing meals according to a customer’s request and agreed specifications falls under the permissible contract of istisna’. When the order is fulfilled according to the agreed terms, the customer may not, without a valid excuse, refuse to receive the meals or avoid paying the agreed price.
Such conduct can cause financial and practical harm to the person who prepared the food and can also constitute a violation of the obligation to honor agreements.
Is it permissible to refuse meals after ordering them?
A customer should not refuse meals prepared according to his request without a valid excuse, especially when doing so causes harm to the person who prepared them.
Must the customer pay after the order has been completed?
When the meals are prepared according to the agreed specifications and conditions, the agreement is binding and the customer is expected to fulfill his obligation.
What is the ruling on avoiding payment for prepared food?
Avoiding payment after the order has been properly completed, without a valid excuse, is prohibited because it causes harm and violates the agreement.
Is preparing food according to a customer’s request permissible?
Yes. According to the stated ruling, an agreement to prepare food according to agreed specifications falls under the permissible form of istisna’.
What does Islam say about breaking agreements?
Islam commands believers to honor their agreements and warns against betrayal and breaking commitments.
