Food: What is Halal and Haram?

Food: What is Halal and Haram?
Taken from halal.50megs.com

What Is Halal?
"Halal" is a Quranic Term, which means 'Lawful' or 'Permitted'. Sometimes it is translated as 'Acceptable' or 'Not forbidden'. Halal foods and drinks are permitted for consumption by Allah- the supreme lawgiver. In the Holy Quran, Allah commands Muslims and all of mankind to eat of the Halal things. Eating Halal is obligatory.

What Is Haram?
The opposite of 'Halal' is "Haram", which means 'Unlawful' or 'Prohibited". The other words used for Haram is 'Unacceptable' or 'Forbidden'. Haram foods and drinks are absolutely prohibited for consumption by Allah. Eating Haram is forbidden for every Muslim. If a Muslim consumes Haraam foods, he would be sinful.

What Is Mushbooh?
"Mushbooh" is an Arabic term which means 'doubtful' or 'suspected'. If one does not know the Halal or Haram status of a particular food or drink, such a food or drink is doubtful. A practicing Muslims prevents himself from consuming doubtful things.

The terms Halal and Haram will be used strictly to describe food products, meat products, cosmetics, personal care products, food ingredients, beverages and food contact materials.

Which foods are Halal or which foods are Haram, is decided according to the Holy Quran and the Glorious Shari’ah (Islamic Law).

Most diets and foods are considered to be Halaal unless Islamic Law specifically prohibits them.

The following products are definitely Halal:

• Milk (from cows, sheeps, camels or goats).
• Honey.
• Fish - We are allowed to eat any fish as long as it has scales. All other sea creatures such as whales, sharks, turtles, lobsters and crabs are Haraam. The only exception is for prawns and shrimps, which can be eaten. In order for the fish to be Halaal, it must be removed alive from the water. It does not matter who has done the fishing or what method has been used to catch the fish. Here's a small list
• Plants which are not intoxicant.
• Fresh or naturally frozen vegetables.
• Fresh or dried fruits.
• Legumes like peanuts, cashew nuts, hazel nuts, walnuts, etc.
• Grains such as wheat, rice, rye, barley, oat, etc.

Animals such as cows, sheep, goats, deer, moose, chickens, ducks, game birds, etc., are also Halal, but they must be Zabihah (slaughtered according to Islamic Rites) in order to be suitable for consumption.

The procedure is as follows: the animal must be slaughtered by a Muslim by putting the animal down on the ground (or holding it if it is small) and slitting it's throat with a very sharp knife to make sure that the main blood vessels are cut. While cutting the throat of the animal without severing it, the person has to recite "Bismillah Allah-u-Akbar".

The following items have been categorically spelled out as being Haram:

• Pig/Swine/Pork and its by-products.
• Blood and and blood by-products.
• Carnivorous animals.
• Reptiles and insects.
• Sea creatures such as whales, sharks, turtles, lobsters and crabs are Haraam.
• Halal animals which are not slaughtered according to the Islamic Law.
• Animals killed in the name of anyone other than God.
• The bodies of dead animals or dead before slaughtering.
• Alcohol and intoxicants such as Wine, Ethyl Alcohol, and Spirits etc.

Foods containing ingredients in the following are example of Mushbooh:

• Gelatin.
• Enzymes.
• Emulsifiers.
• Lard.
• Glycerol/glycerin etc.

Muslim should avoid such foods containing Mushbooh or questionable ingredients. Before consuming such items, we have to confirm the source of these ingredients.

Question: What happens if you eat haraam food?
I found this question submitted by someone on the web but have lost the source. It was answered by (Mufti) Abdullah Patel.

There are numerous Qur'anic verses and Ahaadith of our beloved Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) expounding the importance of consuming Halaal food and warning against Haraam.

Almighty Allah (SWT) says, "O people of Imaan! Eat of the pure things (Halaal) that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah" (Surah Baqarah 2:172)

Our Beloved Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has said, "There will come a time upon my Ummat when people will not be concerned over what they take. It will not matter for them whether it is Haraam or Halaal" (Bukhari: Nasai).

It is further reported that, "When this time comes, then none of their Duas will be accepted" (Razeen).

It is narrated in another Hadith, "It is better for you to consume sand rather than eating anything Haraam" (Ahmed).

It is narrated in another Hadith, "That flesh which has grown out of Haraam food will not enter Jannah. Hell has more right to it" (Ahmad: Tirmidhi).

Haraam food has a detrimental effect on one's spiritual development. It has a direct effect on one's actions. One who consumes Haraam will not feel any enthusiasm to perform good deeds and it will lead him/her towards sinful deeds. Haraam also acts as a barrier such that duaas are not accpeted.

On the authority of Abu Huraira (R.A) who said, The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said,

"Allah, the Almighty is pure and accepts only that which is pure. Allah has commanded the faithful to do that which he commanded the messengers, and the Almighty has said, 'O Messengers! Eat of the pure things, and do righteous actions'. And Allah the Almighty has said: "O` you who believe! Eat of the pure things wherewith we have provided you." Then he mentioned (the case of) a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty and who spreads out his hands to the sky (saying): O' Lord! -- While his food is unlawful, his drink unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully, so how can his supplication be answered!" (Muslim)

Allah (SWT) Knows Best.

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Further reading recommended:
(1) Halal & Haram of food & drinks from islam-laws.com
(2) BAHISHTI ZEWAR-HALAAL/HARAAM from halal.50megs.com
(3) Halal shoppers guide PDF - CLICK HERE!
(4) Medical and scientific facts about halal slaughter from hmacanada.org

Useful Organisations:
(1) Foodguide.org.uk - for UK (VERY USEFUL SITE)
(2) halalmc.org UK Halal Monitoring Committee
(2) eat-halal.com - USA site
(3) ifanca.org Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America
(4) hmacanada.org - Halal Monitoring Authority Canada