As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you) 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamualaikum, thank you for answering my previous question on celebrating diwali by muslims, and im clear of it now. but please tell me what should i do to avoid it, my father is a government servant, and he gets huge boxes of crackers and sweets on occasions like diwali and pongal, what should we do with it, we can say that we dont burst crackers and avoid it, but what about sweets, we are surrounded by hindu neighbours and they give sweets, i feel its not right to tell them openly that we wont eat these food because it is haraam. in india we are surrounded by kafirs every where and we find it difficult to find halal things here, even in vegetable shops people recite their prayers in the name of some idol every morning before their business starts, isn't this food haram, can we eat them, please tell me what should i do, how to keep away from haram things, help me!!!

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Answer:

Diwali sweets 

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 64 Surah Tagabhun verse 16:

16     So fear Allah as much as ye can; listen and obey; and spend in charity for the benefit of your own souls: and those saved from the covetousness of their own souls they are the ones that achieve prosperity.

Your Question: ....but please tell me what should i do to avoid it, my father is a government servant, and he gets huge boxes of crackers and sweets on occasions like diwali and pongal, what should we do with it, we can say that we dont burst crackers and avoid it, but what about sweets, we are surrounded by hindu neighbours and they give sweets, i feel its not right to tell them openly that we wont eat these food because it is haraam.

If your family happens to receive gifts or food from their disbelieving brethren and neighbors at pagan festivals, you are under no obligation to inform your disbelieving brethren that their food is haraam and that you will not consume it!!  If the food offerred to you by your disbeleiving friends is indeed from amongst the 'haraam', you are at liberty to dispose off the food, or distribute it amongst the poor and needy disbelievers which surround you.

Your Question: ....in india we are surrounded by kafirs every where and we find it difficult to find halal things here, even in vegetable shops people recite their prayers in the name of some idol every morning before their business starts, isn't this food haram, can we eat them, please tell me what should i do, how to keep away from haram things, help me!!!

Just because a disbeliever happens to invoke their pagan idols when they start their stores for business every morning does not make their products or their foods necessarily 'haraam' or unlawful in Shariah. 

Only those foods upon which a name of any other deity other than Allah Subhanah is invoked, or any food which is dedicated to the pagan deities like 'prasad' (offerrings of temples), etc. are considered 'haraam' or unlawful for the believers to consume.  A beleiver who chooses or happens to live surrounded by disbelievers in a pagan land must indeed be careful and strive as hard as they possibly can to avoid consuming the unlawful food which might be on offer. 

Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 65 Surah Talaq verse 2 (part):

And for those who fear Allah He (ever) prepares a way out.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is only ones. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brothers and well wishers in Islam,

Members of Islamhelpline