What is Halal ?
Food and drink have direct effects on our physical and
spiritual state. Islam has prohibited certain types of
food and drink. The prohibition of these things is due to
their impurity and harmfulness.
Halal, Haram and Mushbooh
-
Halal: Halal is an
Arabic word/Islamic term which means 'permissible' or
'lawful'.
-
Haram: The opposite of Halal is 'Haram' which means 'unlawful' or 'prohibited'.
-
Mushbooh / Doubtful (Source unknown) : These are food and ingredients which are
likely made from non-Halal sources unless one is sure about the origin.
It is an obligation upon Muslims to eat only Halal food.
They must avoid Haram and Mushbooh food and drinks.
Dietary Regulations in Islam:
The dietary regulations in Islam can be summarised as
follows:
-
All things that Allah has created for humankind are permissible except what He has
prohibited by an authentic and explicit text of the Qur’an and Hadith (saying of the
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.) Accordingly, the sphere of prohibited
things is very limited in Islam.
-
Basically, four types of food have been deemed Haram "unlawful" for Muslims in the
Qur’an. These are:
- The flesh of a dead animal (carrion).
- Blood
- Pig meat
- Meat from any animal on which the name of someone other than Allah
was invoked when it was slaughtered.
-
Intoxicants of any kind (alcohol, drugs etc.) are prohibited for Muslims to consume,
even in small quantities. Alcohol should not form part of the ingredients of any food
prepared for Muslims.
-
By implication, any product derived from the above prohibited food and drinks or any
food containing ingredients from them will also be unlawful (Haram.)
- Animals permitted for human consumption under Islamic law include: cattle, sheep,
goats, camels, deer, poultry etc. Carnivorous animals and birds of prey are not
permitted. Animals permitted for human consumption must be slaughtered in a
certain manner.
- Fish and sea food are Halal for Muslims.
- All vegetables are Halal and therefore, vegetarian food is acceptable to Muslims if it
is free from alcohol and other Haram ingredients.
Next:
Halal Guidelines
