Can I asked a retired military soldier to buy groceries for me from their military canteen?

Question

Assalamualaikum. My non muslim friend's father is a retired military soldier. They have a facilitiy of buying groceries from "Military Canteen". Where, groceries are cheaper than we purchase from outside. For eg : if a Product price is 50 rupees, the same product they'll may get it for 40 rupees if they buy from "Military canteen". My question is : I told him that I want to buy few groceries from Military canteen, would you purchase those for me ? And he said yes, and I have purchased few items from the canteen and saved much money. Is this permissible in Islam ? As this offer (military canteen) is only for them not for the outsiders. Can a outsider avail this option if he's friend ready to help.

Accepted Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh. Brother in Islam, As per our research, Canteen Stores Department services are authorised to only two categories. The person in service and his dependents, which are restricted to only the person’s biological relatives. Thus, officially none other than them are supposed to benefit from the provision. However, if the service personnel decide to purchase items using this facility for a person who is not eligible for the service, it will be regarded as a favour (tabarru) from his side. In the enquired situation, your friend’s father buying groceries for you from the canteen will be permissible. And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best Naved Akhtar Ibn Shabbir. Student - Darul Iftaa Shillong, India. Checked and Approved by, Mufti Ebrahim Desai. Follow Mufti Ebrahim Desai’s official Twitter handle: @MuftiEbrahim Latest Tweet: ‘Do not focus too much on empowering the brain & outward appearance. Focus on inculcating values in your heart.’

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