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Fatwa CenterChia seeds lawful to eat
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. I was wondering if its allowed to eat some seeds called chia seeds during Ramadan. They contain lots of energy and vitamins and make one feel less hungry. Is it haram to eat these if they make one feel less hungry when fasting?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The basic principle is that all pure things are lawful for eating and for other uses unless they cause harm. Allah, the Exalted, says (what means): {It is He Who created for you all of that which is on the earth...} [Quran 2:29] He also says (what means): {... and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil ...} [Quran 7:157]
The Hanbali scholar Ibn Qudaamah 
wrote, “All pure foods that are not harmful to health, such as grains and fruits, are lawful because they are classified as Tayyibaat ('good things', as mentioned in the verse).” [Ash-Sharh Al-Kabeer]
Hence, chia seeds are lawful to eat based on the above-mentioned principle. The fact that they give the fasting person the energy to bear hunger and thirst does not prevent eating them. This is similar to the Suhoor (pre-dawn meal), which is prescribed for the fasting person in order to help him endure the hardship of fasting.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said about the blessings Suhoor, “One of its blessings is that it provides the body with nourishment throughout the day and helps him be patient with not eating and drinking, even during the long hot summer days, whereas when a person is not fasting you will find him drinking five or six times a day and eating twice. However, Allah, the Exalted, has imparted blessings to the Suhoor meal; it makes the body able to cope with fasting.”
Allah knows best.
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