Why Halal Food?
What Allah (s.w.t.) has decreed as pure and permissible (Halal) cannot be made forbidden (Haram), and what has been declared Haram cannot be considered Halal.
Haram foods not only harm physical health but can also damage a person’s spiritual life and, consequently, their mental well-being.
Especially Muslims living in countries with a Muslim majority or even as a minority want to know whether what they eat and drink is Halal and pure, and they wish to act accordingly.
Not every produced and marketed food item is Halal and pure. Moreover, consuming Halal food is a requirement of Islamic faith. It is also a human and Islamic right.
Verses and Hadiths on Halal and Haram:
The issue of Halal food was addressed centuries ago in many Quranic verses and Hadiths. In the Quran, foods referred to as “Halal” are defined as those that comply with religious rules.
Halal food, for Muslim consumers, refers to food permitted by Allah and prepared entirely according to Islamic rules, from farm to fork.
Allah (s.w.t.), who created humans pure and as Muslims, has also created pure food for them. In many Quranic verses, He calls upon the believers and all prophets to consume Halal, healthy, and pure foods and to stay away from impure, harmful, and Haram things (Bakara, 57).
“They ask you what is lawful to them. Say, ‘The good things are lawful to you’” (Maida, 4-5).
In the Quran, Allah emphasizes in many verses that He is the Lawgiver and that believers must follow His rules. Some of these divine commands include:
“Say, ‘The impure and the pure are not equal, even if the abundance of the impure impresses you. So fear Allah, O you of understanding, that you may be successful’” (Maida, 100).
“O you who believe, eat from the good things which We have provided for you” (Bakara, 172).
“O messengers, eat from the pure foods and do righteous deeds” (Muminun, 51).
“The Messenger enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong, makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil” (A’raf, 157).
“Do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful to you and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors” (Maida, 87).
“Forbidden to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah” (Maida, 3).
“O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy” (Bakara, 168).
“O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah” (Bakara, 172).
“O messengers, eat from the pure foods and do righteous deeds. Indeed, I am Knowing of what you do” (Muminun, 51).
“And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience” (An’am, 121).
In addition to Quranic verses, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.v.) also emphasized the importance of consuming Halal food and demonstrated through his own life how to avoid Haram. His Sunnah serves as a guide for Muslims in this matter.
In a Hadith, the Messenger (s.a.v.) said: “What is Halal is clear, and what is Haram is clear. Between them are doubtful matters which many people do not know. Whoever avoids doubtful matters protects his religion and his honor” (Bukhari, Ibn Mas’ud).
May What We Eat Be Halal:
The verses and Hadiths mentioned above make clear what is permissible and Halal. However, today there are many doubts about the Halal quality of consumed foods. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure, as much as possible, that the foods consumed are safe and Halal.
In this regard, the following points should be particularly noted:
Whether the meat has been slaughtered according to Halal slaughter rules.
Whether companies producing Halal meat have obtained their certificates from trustworthy Halal certification bodies and whether their production is transparent.
Where butchers claiming to sell Halal meat source their meat and how Halal their practices are.
Which E-coded additives in packaged foods are Halal.
Whether suspicious additives are used in packaged foods.
Gelatin is widely used in the food industry and is derived from by-products of cattle, pigs, or fish. It is important to ensure that the source and production method of gelatin are Halal.
Whether pork fat is used in food production.
*In the production and sale of pure and Halal products, it is equally important to be conscious, sensitive, and questioning consumers. Otherwise, Halal certificates will not absolve us of responsibility.
