Islamic dietary laws
Islamic jurisprudence specifies which foods are halāl and which are harām. This is derived from commandments found in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, as well as the Hadith and Sunnah, libraries cataloging things the prophet Muhammad is reported to have said and done. Extensions of these rulings are issued, as fatwas, by mujtahids, with varying degrees of strictness, but they are not always widely held to be authoritative.
According to the Quran, the only foods explicitly forbidden are meat from animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of pigs and any food dedicated to other than God.
However, a person would not be guilty of sin in a situation where the lack of any alternative creates an undesired necessity to consume that which is otherwise unlawful. This is the "law of necessity" in Islamic jurisprudence: "That which is necessary makes the forbidden permissible."
Regulations of food
Quranic verses which have information regarding halal foods include: 2:173, 5:5, and 6:118–119, 121. A variety of substances are considered as unlawful for humans to consume and, therefore, forbidden as per various Qurʼanic verses:Haram (forbidden)
Intoxicants
The Qur'an in several verses admonishes the consumption of alcohol khamr:At first, it was forbidden for Muslims to attend prayers while intoxicated. In addition to this, most observant Muslims refrain from consuming food products that contain pure vanilla extract or soy sauce, as these food products may contain alcohol. There is some debate about whether the prohibition extends to dishes in which the alcohol would be cooked off or if it would be practically impossible to consume enough of the food to become intoxicated.
Substances which are intoxicants are not prohibited as such, although their consumption is. For example, alcohol can be used as a disinfectant or for cleaning, but not as a beverage.
The Alevi Muslims of Turkey permit alcohol, unlike many other denominations. The Zaidi and Mutazili sects believe that the use of alcohol has always been forbidden and refer to the Qur'an Ayah as feeling of sleepiness and not to be awake.
A fatwa issued in November 2015 permitted the consumption of low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages provided that the given beverage contains an amount of 0.5% or the like of alcohol does not entail deeming its consumption unlawful as long as there is no effect of the alcohol upon consumption of the beverage and it does not intoxicate in large quantities.
Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen, a Salafi scholar of Saudi Arabia, was once asked about the so-called beer, given that some brands of non-alcoholic beer have a percentage of alcohol. The following was part of his reply:
The Fatwa of the Permanent Committee of Islamweb.net reads,
Carrion
Animal who dies of itself i.e., carrionBlood
and its by-products are forbidden in Islam, in the Qurʼan, surah 5, al-Maʼidah, verse 3: also and its by-products are forbidden in Islam, in the Qurʼan, surah 5, al-Maʼidah, verse 3:Pork
Consumption of pork and products made from pork is strictly forbidden in Islam. The origin of this prohibition is in Surat al-Baqarah:Animals dedicated to other than God
Animal dedicated to or slaughtered at the name of a human being or saint is prohibited.Beast of cattle
Beast of cattle i.e., grazing beasts are lawful except those that are explicitly prohibited.Hunting during Pilgrimage
Hunting during Pilgrimage is prohibited.However hunting of game of water is permitted during pilgrimage
Prohibited methods of slaughtering
An animal slaughtered by following methods is prohibited:- strangled to death
- beaten to death
- died due to falling
- killed by being smitten by horn
- eaten by wild beast
Donkey meat
Predator animals possessing fangs are prohibited.
Birds having talons are prohibited. e.g. Owl.
Lizard is prohibited.
Likewise snakes, scorpion, and mice are prohibited.
Islamic prophet prohibited eating of eel and donkeys. Muhammad prohibited the use of horses and mules for food. Metamorphosed animals are prohibited by Muhammad.
Halal (permissible, lawful)
Game of Sea
Game of water is permitted.Food hunted by hunting animals and bird
Animals hunted by trained birds and animals is permitted.Food of [People of the book]
Food of Jews and Christians is lawful for Muslims and food of Muslims is lawful for Jews and Christians.Permitted method of slaughter
is a prescribed method of ritual animal slaughter; it does not apply to most aquatic animals. The animal must be slaughtered while mentioning the name of God. According to scholarly consensus, the animal must be slaughtered specifically by a Muslim, a Jew or a Christian. The animal slaughtered must be killed quickly with a sharpened blade.It must not suffer. It must not see the blade. It must not see or smell the blood from a previous slaughter. The main logic given by Islamic clerics is the significance of life. Many clerics argue that the life, given by God, is no insignificant gift therefore no entity except God has the right to take this valuable gift away and by mentioning the name of God, one implies the command of God.
Animals for food may not be killed by being boiled or electrocuted, and the carcass should be hung upside down for long enough to be free of blood. All water game is considered halal such as mice and rats. Surah al-A’raf, V: 157. A difference of opinion remains on whether consumption of horse, mule, and donkey are permitted. In the Quran, one finds this verse: “And horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use for show; and He has created things of which you have no knowledge.” Surah al-Nahl, V: 8. Which some scholars have interpreted as limiting these animals for riding and show and not permitting their consumption. Musnad Ahmad, 4/89, Sunan Abu Dawud, no: 3790, Sunan Nasa’i and Sunan Ibn Majah; Sahih al-Bukhari, no: 5202, 5205, and 5208. Predatory animals, such as lions and tigers, and birds of prey, such as falcons and hawks are forbidden to consume. Sahih Muslim, no: 1934.
Islamic Dietary Laws During Ramadan
, the ninth month on the Muslim calendar, is considered the holy month of fasting. Ramadan begins and ends with the appearance of the new moon. During the month of Ramadan, God delivered the Quran to the prophet Muhammad as guidance for the people. During Ramadan, muslims take time for introspection, prayer, and reading of the Quran. For those who observe Ramadan with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention; God forgives their past sins. During this period, Muslims focus on self restraint or sawm which is one the five pillars of Islam. Ramadan emphasizes sawm, when worshippers have to abstain from food, drink, sexual activity, and immoral behavior between dawn and dusk. After dusk, Muslims break their fast during a meal called iftar with family and friends. Sawm can be negated by breaking fast, however, the lost can be made up with one extra day of fasting. The end of the Ramadan fast is the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr, one of the two major religious holidays on the Muslim calendar.Food certification
Since the turn of the 21st century, there have been efforts to create organizations that certify food products as halal for Muslim consumers in the USA.Since 1991, some mainstream manufacturers of soups, grains, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, prepared foods, and other products, as well as hotels, restaurants, airlines, hospitals, and other service providers have pursued the halal market. These companies purchase halal-certified products. This can allow companies to export products to most Middle Eastern countries and South East Asian Countries. The oldest and most well-known halal certifier in the United States is called the Islamic Services of America.
In 2011, the Halal Products Certification Institute was established in California and became the first worldwide corporation that certified halal consumer products such as cosmetics, personal care products, and perfumes and fragrances. The institute was established by Islamic intellectual scholars and Muslim scientists to assure the dissemination of halal consumer products.
In Europe, several organizations have been created over the past twenty years in order to certify the halal products. A survey recently published by a French association of Muslim Consumers shows that the market of halal products has been developed in a chaotic way in Europe. The European certification organizations do not have a common definition of "halal" nor agreed upon control procedures and traceability. The controls implemented by individual agencies are all very different: they can go from an annual audit of the slaughterhouse, to checking each production with permanent controls in place and on-going independent monitoring.
Some animals and manners of death or preparation can make certain things haram to eat, that is, taboo food and drink. These include what are regarded as unclean animals such as swine, or animals that are sick.
In South Africa, most chicken products have a halal stamp. The South African National Halal Authority issues certificates and products bearing this logo range from water, snacks, and even meat-free products. The South African National Halal Authority also licenses the usage of the Halal logo in restaurants where the food is halal, in addition to no alcohol or pork products being served.
Availability of halal food in non-Islamic regions
Many apparently meat-free dishes, and even some desserts, contain pork, such as most kinds of gelatin, or other non-conforming substances. There is some disagreement about food additives such as monosodium glutamate that may use enzymes derived from pig fat in the production process. It is difficult to avoid such additives when eating out since they are usually not listed on restaurant menus. Some Muslim organizations compile tables of such additives.The halal market is now estimated to be 20% of world food trade and is growing. Companies from Europe and North America that would like to access the growing Halal market must get their consumable products Halal certified. The Global Halal Institute has a list of Halal certifiers that are approved by most Muslim countries with dietary import restrictions.
Americas
The first USDA approved Halal Food Company in the USA is Midamar Corporation. The company began producing halal beef, chicken, lamb and turkey products for domestic and international consumption in 1974 and is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa which is home to one of the oldest Muslim communities in America and the longest standing mosque in America. In Dearborn, Michigan, the home of one of the largest Muslim and Arab populations in the United States, some fast-food restaurant chains such as the McDonald's Corporation have introduced halal chicken nuggets and chicken sandwiches.Popeye's Chicken in Ontario is mostly not halal-certified ; however, in 2012 a legal dispute broke out between a group of 14 Muslim franchisees and the chain over the company's decision to use machine-slaughtered birds. The fourteen Toronto area outlets are instead using hand-slaughtered halal birds, and are suing the company so that they can continue to do so.
Halal Food is generally available in Trinidad and Tobago, but not all fast food outlets and poultry shops are halal certified.