Ḥalāl (Arabic : ﻝﻼﺣ ḥalāl, permissible) is any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law . The term covers and designates not only food and drink as permissible according to Islamic law , but also all matters of daily life. [1] The opposite of this word is haraam . What is considered Halal Generally, every object and action in Islam is considered permissible unless there is a prohibition of it in the Islamic scriptures. [1][2][3] Clarification is given below in detail as to what is considered to be a permissible object or action in Islam, along with the exceptions. Food Main article: Islamic dietary laws Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permissible. Halal foods are foods that Muslims are allowed to eat or drink under Islamic Shariʻah. The criteria specify both what foods are allowed, and how the food must be prepared. The foods addressed are mostly types of meat and animal tissue. The most common example of non- halal (or haraam) food is pork. While pork is the only meat that cannot be eaten by Muslims at all (due to perceived hygienic concerns), foods other than pork can also be haraam. The criteria for non-pork items include its source, the cause of the animals death, and how it was processed. The food must come from a supplier that uses halal practices. Specifically, the slaughter must be performed by a Muslim, who must precede the slaughter by invoking the name of Allah, most commonly by saying Bismillah (In the name of Allah) and then three times Allahu akbar (God is the greatest). Then, the animal must be slaughtered with a sharp knife by cutting the throat, windpipe and the blood vessels in the neck (while the animal is conscious), causing the animal’s death without cutting the spinal cord. Lastly, the blood from the veins must be drained. Muslims must also ensure that all foods (particularly processed foods), as well as non-food items like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, are halal. Frequently, these products contain animal by- products or other ingredients that are not permissible for Muslims to eat or use on their bodies. Explicitly forbidden A variety of substances are considered as harmful (haraam) for humans to consume and, therefore, forbidden as per various Qurʼanic verses:
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 10:55:25 +0000