Mar 17, 2014 10:13 AM EDT
Saudi Cleric Issues Religious Edict Against All You Can Eat Buffets

A Saudi cleric has issued a fatwa or religious edict against all-you-can-eat buffets in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Huffington Post, a Saudi cleric named Saleh al-Fawzan is stating that the value and quantity of the food sold should be pre-determined beforehand. Fawzan reportedly made the anti-buffet declaration while appearing on a Saudi Quranic TV station, Al Arabiya News reported.

"Whoever enters the buffet and eats for 10 or 50 riyals ($4-$13) without deciding the quantity they will eat is violating Sharia (Islamic) law," Fawzan reportedly stated.

It's unclear how much weight cleric Saleh al-Fawzan's edict holds. Still, Saudi Council of Muftis is the only religious council that has the authority to issue a fatwa in Saudi Arabia. According to the Islamic Supreme Council of America, the edict is "optional for the individual to respect or not."

Musa Furber, a Muslim scholar, attempted to explain Fawzan's logic, stating "The Sheikh's reasoning is that 'the value and quantity of what is sold should be pre-determined before it is purchased.' This is not surprising or shocking since one of the requirements of a valid sale transaction ... in Shāfiʿī and Ḥanbalī fiqh is identifying the goods being exchanged."

Fawzan's proclamation set off a vicious debate on Twitter, with individuals using the hashtag "prohibiting-open-buffet," and other social media sites, where many individuals' comments reportedly condemned the unofficial ruling.

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