A child eating at an open buffet without paying

A question on an eight-year-old who ate with his father at an open buffet that charges for anyone aged five or over, in which Jordan's General Iftaa Department answered that eating at an open buffet is permitted, but the permission covers only the person who paid, so the father should go back to the restaurant and ask to be excused or pay what is owed. ¹

The questioner said three people entered an open buffet with an eight-year-old child and paid for the three only, while the restaurant charges ten dinars for anyone aged five or over; he asked about the child eating with his father. ¹

The Department answered that eating at an open buffet is permitted even though people eat different amounts, since the uncertainty is slight, governed by custom and does not lead to dispute; it quoted al-Nawawi's al-Majmu' on scholars tolerating slight uncertainty. ¹ It said the permission lets the payer eat himself; it does not transfer ownership of the food to him, so he may not feed others, and the father may not feed his son without the restaurant's permission, since its allowance is limited to children under five. ¹ It concluded that the father should go to the restaurant's management, tell them what happened and ask to be excused, and pay for what the boy ate if they ask, since anyone who consumes another's property without right is liable for it. ¹

Jordan's General Iftaa Department published this fatwa on aliftaa.jo as no. 3861, dated 25 March 2024. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.