Saadnoor Salehin.

The Petty Flatmate and the Halal Theft

June 5, 2026

I have a petty flatmate from an Arab country.

I call him petty (সেস্রা) because once, I lovingly cooked chicken roast late at night. However, since I had spoiled my appetite by snacking on chips while cooking, I went to bed without eating.

When I woke up in the morning intending to have brunch, I went to the kitchen only to find the roast gone.

In place of the roast, there was some raw meat. Later, this guy came and said, “Sorry I was very hungry, but I bought meat for you.”

For obvious reasons, I don’t really mingle with him much. But today, we talked for a bit. Seeing me perform Wudu (ablution), he asked, “Are you Muslim?”

“Yes.”

“Sunni or Shia?”

“Sunni.”

“Alhamdulillah, brother. You weren’t here for about six months, and during that time, I ate all the tea, coffee, rice, and lentils from your drawer. Sorry about that. I was a bit hesitant about whether the food was Halal or not. Now I’m happy to know you’re Muslim. That means all the food was Halal.”

I stared at him, speechless.

Since when did stealing become Halal?