Giving a feast in the field out of joy

Question

Question: (1) I am a farmer; my lands are in the countryside. This time the harvest was good, and as thanks for the fact that Allah, by His grace and generosity, has given a great deal, I want to feed local and non-local friends in my field. A certain man objected to me that my act resembles that of the polytheists (mushrikun), because the polytheists too, at harvest time, slaughter a goat and perform a puja (act of worship) to the harvest.

Answer

(1) Giving sadaqa to the poor and feeding friends as thanksgiving is all correct and a cause of good and baraka, whether it is in the field or at home, whether by slaughtering a goat or by buying meat. However, where a certain practice of the polytheists is current and widespread, a Muslim, even though his belief is sound and even while scrupulously guarding against shirk,…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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