Some Importants Injunctions Pertaining To Selective Halal Eating For Muslims

1. If a food producer does not have any certification from a certifying body or organisation, that does not mean that their products are Haram. Neither does it mean that the products are Halal.

2. According to Shariah, if an upright, just Muslim who has knowledge of Halal and Haram and he is sensitive to Deen informs you that a particular item is Halal, then based on his information it will be considered Halal.

3. It is not permissible to accept the information of Non-Muslims in matters of Halal and Haram.

4. Therefore, if a Halal certifying body has classified a store as Halal and there is no Muslim to supervise that factory / store, it will be against ones conscious of Imaan to consume anything from such a factory / store as that creates doubt in ones mind.

5. Rasulullah SAW said in the meaning of one Hadith:

"Halal is Clear and Haram is Clear - between them two is doubt, whoever stays away from doubt will protect his Deen, and whoever follows his doubtful taught will soon fall into Haram."

6. Furthermore, the certifying body should be immediately informed as their certification could deceive those who are not careful. It is important for the certifying bodies to be more vigilant and not issue Halal status to non Muslim owned stores. Relative to other Muslim states / communities, our Malaysian Halal Certificate has low reliability.

7. As a golden rule, whenever in doubt - Always Abstain.

8. There is also a great possibility that the kitchens in which Haram foods are prepared would contaminate the Halal food products.

Virtues of Ramadhan - Hadith 06

Abu Hurairah RA reports that Rasulullah SAW said:

"There are three people whose Du'as is not rejected;

(1) the fasting person until he breaks the fast,

(2) the just ruler, and

(3) the oppressed person - whose Du'a Allah lifts above the clouds and opens unto it the doors of Heaven, and Allah says: "I swear by My honour, verily I shall assist you, even though it may be after some time."


COMMENTARY

It is reported from Ai'shah RA that when Ramadhan appeared, the colour of Rasulullah SAW's face used to change. He then used to increase his Solat, become even more humble in his Du'as and exhibit even more fear of Allah. According to another report, he hardly ever lay down in bed until Ramadhan came to an end. Further, it is stated that the angels carrying the Throne (Arsh)are commanded in Ramadhan to leave aside everything else and recite "Ameen" to the Du'as of those who fast.

Numerous are the Ahadith stating that the fasting person's Du'as are answered.

When Allah has so promised, and his truthful Messenger SAW has already informed us, there should be no doubt whatsoever about the truth of these reports. Yet it is strange to many people that, in spite of this, we still find such people who apparently do not get what they make Du'a for. They ask and do not receive; but this does not mean that their Du'as have been rejected. One should at this point understand the significance of a Du'a being answered.

Rasulullah SAW has informed us that, when a Muslim prays for anything from Allah, on the condition that he does not pray for breaking off from his near of kin or for anything sinful, he definitely receives one out of the following three things:

(1) he gets the exact thing which he asked;

(2) if that is not received, then Allah either removes from his path some great calamity in exchange for what he desired; or

(3) the reward for that thing for which he prayed is stored for him in the Hereafter.

Another Hadith states that on the Day of Judgement, Allah will call a servant of His, and say to him:

"O my servant, I used to command you to ask of Me and promised to answer. Did you beg of Me?

The servant will answer:

"Yes I did."

Then Allah shall reply:

"You did not put forth any Du'a which has not been accepted. You prayed that a certain calamity should be removed, which I did for you in the wordly life. You prayed that a certain sorrow should be cast off you, but result of that Du'a was not known to you. For that, I fixed for you such and such a reward in the Hereafter."

Rasulullah SAW says that the man shall again be reminded of each and every Du'a and he shall be shown how it had been fulfilled in the world or else what reward had been stored for him in the Hereafter. On seeing that reward, he shall wish that not a single Du'a of his had heen answered on Earth, so that he could receive the full reward only in the Hereafter.

Yes, prayer is indeed very important, and to neglect it at any time is a matter of great loss. Even when the outward signs seem to indicate that our Du'as is not answered, hope should not be lost.

It is clear that Allah in answering Du'as considers first of all our own good and welfare. Should Allah find that granting us what we beseech from Him is in our welfare and interest, Allah grants it, otherwise not. Actually it is Allah's favour on us that we do not always get what we ask for because very often, due to our lack of understanding, we beg for things that are not beneficial at a particular time.

Here, let us draw our attention to the fact that men as well as women suffer from a bad habit of cursing their children in their anger and affliction. Beware of this. As preordained by Allah, there are certain occasions when whatever prayer be made is immediately answered. So sometimes, due to our own stupidity, the child is cursed and when the effect of that same curse comes upon the child and lands him into a calamity, the parents go about crying and wailing.

Rasulullah SAW commanded us not to curse ourselves, our children, possessions, or servants. It is just possible that the curse is uttered at a time when all requests are granted, especially in Ramadhan, which is replete with such special Mustajab (accepted) moments. Hence, in this month, great care should be taken.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud RA reports that on every night of Ramadhan, a crier from the Heavens calls out:

"O you seeker of good, come near,"

"O You seeker of evil, turn away (from evil) and open your eyes."

Thereafter that Angel calls out:

"Is there any seeker of forgiveness, that he may be forgiven?"

"Is there any one with a Du'a, that his prayer may be heard?"

"Is there anyone wanting anything, so that his wish may be fulfilled?"

Lastly, it should be borne in mind that there are certain conditions under which prayers are accepted; in the absence of these, prayers may be often rejected.

Among these is the consumption of Halal food: When Haraam is consumed, Du'as are not accepted.

Rasulullah said:

"Many a greatly distressed person lifts up his hands to the Heavens. praying and crying:

"O Allah, O Allah."

But the food he eats is Haraam,

What he drinks is Haraam,

His clothes are of Haraam,

then in such cases how can his Solat be accepted?'

A story is related about a group of people in Kufah, whose Du'as used to be always accepted. Whenever a bad ruler was placed over them, they used to pray for a curse upon him, which quickly came to destroy him. When Hajjaj bin Yusuf became ruler there, he invited these people amongst others, to a feast.

After they had all eaten, he said:

"I am no longer afraid of the curse upon me from these people, because Haraam food has now entered their stomachs."

At this stage, let us ponder over how much Haraam is being consumed in these times, when people are even trying to make permissible the taking of interest money. We find out people going so far as to think that bribery and what is obtained through it is permissible, while our merchants very often justify their deceiving people when trading with them.

Important Injunctions Relating To Food

FIQH: AHLUS SUNNAH WAL JAMAAH - TRADITIONAL SHAFI'I SCHOOL

This post will InshaAllah explain - what is lawful (Halal) and unlawful (Haram). This knowledge is among the most important in Deen. Knowing such rulings and injunctions is Fardhu 'Ain (personally obligatory for every Muslim).

Avoiding Doubtful Foods

Anas bin Malik RA relates that the Prophet Muhammad SAW found a date in his path, and said:

"But for fear that it was charity, I would have eaten it." (Riyadhus Salihin)

The above hadith shows that when a person doubts that something is permissible, he should not do it. The question arises, is refraining from it in such a case, is obligatory or recommended?- to which our illustrious Imams explicitly reply that it is the latter, because a thing is initially assumed to be permissible and fundamentally not blameworthy, as long as some prior reason for considering it unlawful is not known about it that one doubts has been removed.

For example, when one doubts that one of the conditions for valid slaughtering has been met, conditions which make a particular piece of meat lawful, the assumption is that it remains unlawful, since initially the animal was alive, a state in which it is unlawful to eat, while it only becomes lawful by a specific procedure, i.e. Islamic slaughtering, so that the meat does not become lawful except through certainty that it has been slaughtered. The case of meats is exceptional in this, since most other foods are initially permissible, and one assumes they remain so unless one is certain something has occurred which has made them unlawful.

In cases of doubt, only likely possibilities are taken into consideration, since it appears probable in the above hadith that dates for charity were present at the time.

As for remote possibilities, taking them into consideration only leads to a blameworthy extremism and departure from how the early Muslims were; for the Prophet Muhammad SAW was given some cheese and a cloak by members of a non-Muslim Arab tribe, and he ate the one and wore the other without considering whether they might have mixed the former with pork, or whether the wool came from a slaughtered or unslaughtered animal. Were one to take such possibilities into consideration, one would not find anything lawful on the face of the earth.

This is why the Ulama say:

"Complete certainty that something is lawful is only conceivable about rainwater falling from the sky into one's hand."

Let us be reminded too that the above statement is not an excuse for being lax in efforts to ensure pure eating habits.

Animals Lawful and Unlawful to Eat

It is permissible to eat the oryx, zebra, hyena, fox, rabbit, porcupine, daman (a Syrian rock badger), deer, ostrich, or horse.

It is unlawful to eat:

1. Any form of pork products;

2. Cats or disgusting small animals that creep or walk on the ground such as ants, flies, and the like. Disgusting being used here to exclude inoffensive ones such as the jerboa, locust, and hedgehog, which are small creeping animals, but are recognised as wholesome, and are pure;

3. Predatory animals that prey with fangs or tusks, such as the lion, lynx, leopard, wolf, bear, simians, and so forth - and this include elephants and weasels;

4. Those which hunt with talons (claws), such as the falcon, hawk, kite, or crow, except for the barnyard crow, which may be eaten;

5. The offspring of the cross between an animal permissible to eat and one not permissible to eat, such as a mule; which is a cross between one eatable i.e. the horse, and one uneatable i.e. the donkey.

6. It is permissible to eat any aquatic game (Sayd Al-Bahr) except frogs and crocodiles.

Other Substances Unlawful to Eat

It is unlawful to eat anything harmful, e.g. poison, glass, or earth. If something has been proven harmful, it is unlawful to consume, while if suspected to be harmful, it is offensive to. Such rulings are similar with cigarette smoking.

It is unlawful to eat anything impure; whether impure in itself, or because of being affected with something impure, as is the case with befouled milk, vinegar, or honey.

It is also unlawful to eat substances which are pure, but generally considered repulsive, such as saliva or semen.

If forced to eat from a unslaughtered dead animal, and this was done out of fear of losing one's life or fear of an illness growing worse, then one may eat enough only i.e. the necessary minimum to avert destruction - meaning enough to keep life from ending. One may not eat to repletion from a dead animal unless one believes that confining oneself to the survival minimum entails dangerous consequences, in which case it is obligatory to take the edge off one's hunger.

Should circumstances force one to choose between a dead animal and some permissible food belonging to someone else who is not present, one is obliged to eat of the dead animal. This ruling clearly explains the injunction of using other people's possessions only with their permission; and there are no excuses however, even at the edge of potential death due to lack of food.

Why Pork Is Haraam - A Logical Explanation

Food and drink have direct effect on our health. That is why Islam has prescribed regulations about our food and drink. It lays great emphasis on our physical as well as moral health, because both of these are equally important for a healthy society. The abstention from eating pork is one of the steps taken by Islam to practise hygiene and to attain purity of soul.

Islam, for the cultivation of inner faculties, insists upon the cleanliness of body and the purification of soul through Solat (prayers) Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and other devotional duties. Islam teaches us how to attain the virtues and how to give up bad habits because both good and bad grow in the man according to his upbringing, education and environment.

A human being has natural desires: food, sleep and sex being the three primary ones. He has also natural emotions: sorrow, happiness, love, fear, disgust and avarice etc. Islam doesn't recommend the complete abrogation of these impulses but offers a method of controlling them through religious education and discipline.

The prohibition of eating pork in Islam is relevant in this context. There is a saying in English that "a man becomes what he eats." According to physicians and medical experts, pork is a harmful diet. Consumption of swine-flesh creates lowliness in character and destroys moral and spiritual faculties in a man.


BODY & SOUL

The life of a man is a compound of body and soul. Anything, which is harmful for the body, hurts the soul as well. Consumption of swine-flesh reduces the feeling of shame and as such the standard of modesty. Those nations, which consume pork habitually, have a low standard of morality with the result that virginity, chastity and bashfulness are becoming a thing of the past in the West today. The number of unwed mothers is on the increase despite the use of pills and other contraceptives. According to report, 60 to 70% girls in Sweden become mothers before marriage. The formula of "skin to skin is no sin" is having its toll but there is hardly and feeling of shame and remorse over the end-result. Since Western nations have become addicted to wine and pork, sexual freedom with all its attendant evils has got ingrained in their culture. Consequently, homosexuality has been legalised by the British Parliament.

The Holy Qur'an has prohibited the swine-flesh, hence the Muslims would not dare touch it. The Bible has also forbidden swine-flesh, but Christians disregarded this order and started consuming it. The Europeans now proclaim that pork is a very powerful diet, rich in protein. Some of them further argue that since there is a great scarcity of food-stuffs in the world and swines are available in abundant quantity, they should be consumed in diet to overcome the food shortage. If this argument is true, why don't they use dog's meat as dogs too are available in plenty? The Europeans perhaps hate the mention of dog's meat in the same way as the Muslims shun pork.

Another stupid notion about swine-flesh is that its consumption lengthens life-span - obviously this is pure myth and absolutely absurd. On the contrary, people, who abstain from pork and liquor, have a longer span of life. The Muslims in Central Asia bear a testimony to this truth.

In the consumption of flesh, Muslims are required to be selective and distinguish between Halaal (Lawful) and Haraam (Unlawful). This step leads automatically to the deeper understanding of the need for the cultivation of a pure human nature. As blood is virtually our life-stream and whatever we consume ultimately affects the blood system, it is, therefore, necessary to exercise choice in the selection of our food and drink as per the requirements of the Shari'ah. There are certain foods and drinks specified by Allah, and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad SAW as forbidden. The prohibition of these foods and drinks is not by any means an arbitrary action or an unwarranted decree of Allah. It is the first and foremost a divine intervention in the best interest of man and for his own benefit. The reasons behind the Divine intervention are numerous. They are of a nature intellectual and spiritual, moral and mental, physical and economic. And the sole purpose is to show man how to develop himself according to an upright course of life in order to be a healthy unit in the structure of the family, then of society and eventually of humanity at large.

Reliable medical doctors and social scientists are able to realise how those foods and drinks forbidden by Islam are harmful and destructive to the human spirit and morality as well as to the physique and moral fibre of man and to verify the benefits of Islamic legislations on the subjects. The prohibition is based on the aim of the purification of one's nature, because food, when consumed, does not merely enter the stomach and intestines and become excreta. It is absorbed and metabolised into the system and circulated to all parts of the human body, including the brain, and this in no small way affects man's nature. The pig is naturally lazy and indulgent in sex, it is dirty, greedy and gluttonous. It dislikes sunlight and lacks the spirit and will to "fight." It eats almost anything, be it human excreta or anything foul and unwholesome. Amongst all animal flesh, pork is the favoured cradle of harmful germs. Pork also serves as a carrier of diseases to mankind. It is for this reason that its flesh is not suitable for consumption.


A MEDICAL POINT OF VIEW

Some people have argued that the "modern pig" reared in farms is given only clean foods, therefore, its flesh should be consumable. The answer is that you may feed the pig on clean, wholesome food, but you can't change its nature. It is still a pig. A pig is not a plant and you cannot change it by bud-grafting. The pig is a scavenger. It is an omnivorous animal. It eats everything. There are many diseases carried from swine to man, particularly parasite infestations.

Lately extensive research has been focused on senility-old age is characterised by hardening of inner lining of the blood vessels of the heart, brain etc. a process called atheroselerosis. When a clot forms, it results in coronary thrombosis or a heart attack, cerebral thrombosis or stroke. Different dietary factors are responsible for atheroselerosis. Gross atheroma may be produced in rabbit by feeding it with cholesterol, but when you add lard (derived from hog fat) to the cholesterol, the incidence of atheroma is increased and thus you would produce coronary thrombosis, and myocardial infraction. Besides, lard contains 2800 units of vitamin D per 100 grams and no vitamin A at all. Lately vitamin D has been held responsible for atheroma, by causing increased absorption of calcium in the blood vessels. In human beings, serum cholesterol is not dependent on the intake of cholesterol in the diet, but depends upon the proportion of animal fats in the diet, which elevate the beta-lipo protein level in the blood. Animal fats contain saturated fatty acids and these saturated fatty acids have been found to be as one of the causes of atheroma in man. Medium fat bacon contains 25% proteins and 55% fat." According to medical research, the fat content in pork is more than any other meat (beef, mutton etc.) and it takes longer to digest.

At least 16 kinds of harmful germs, which have been discovered in pork in modern researches and the diseases, which could be caused by them. The number of patients suffering from tapeworm disease is the highest in the world among pork eating nations. Other diseases attributed to pigs are caused by tri-chinelia spirates and intestinal worms occupy first place among such nations too.

Dr. Glen Shepherd wrote the following on the dangers of eating pork in Washington Post (31 May 1952):

"One in six people in USA and Canada have germs in their muscles - trichinosis 8 from eating pork infected with trichina worms. Many people so infected have no symptoms. Most of those, who do have, recover slowly. Some die; some are reduced to permanent invalids. All were careless pork caters".

He continued:

"No one is immune from the disease and there is no cure. Neither antibiotics nor drugs or vaccines affect these tiny deadly worms. Preventing infection is the real answer."

After reading the statement of Dr. Shepherd, one can realise that there is no real guarantee of safety when eating pork that one would not be affected by trichina worm. That is why modern doctors advise three prohibitions during illness: no liquor, no pork and no smoking.

Muslims follow the divine law which is much higher than the medical advice.

The Glorious Qur'an says:

"So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you, and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is Him you serve. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swine-flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah; but he who is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, Lo! then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (Surah 16: Ayat 114-115)

The above is the order from the Creator of the universe and Supreme Law-Giver. All Muslims are under the obligation to obey it. This is a plain and straightforward answer to those, who usually ask why Muslims abstain from eating pork.

Prawns & Such

This short message has been written to help us have a better understanding of rulings with regards to the eating of prawns, crabs, squids and other related seafood of the like - so that we are aware and conscious when our Muslim Hanafi brothers/sisters are eating in our company.

According to the three Madhaahib i.e. Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali, prawns and other seafood of the like is permissible, irrespective of it being a fish or not.

However, according to the Hanafi Madhab, prawns is not permissible as it is not a fish. This is the general consensus in the Hanafi school.

So for those of us who are adherents of one of the other three schools; when we are preparing dishes / taking our Hanafi Muslims for a meal, let us be aware of this rule, as it is an integral part of their school of jurisprudence.

REMINDER:
All of the four schools of taught of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah are correct. A Muslim must choose one school and adhere to that one to avoid being tempted to use different rulings for different situations inter-madhab to suit one's desires. Also, the mechanism of deriving Islamic Law for the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools are all slightly different. However let us also be aware that 70% of all rulings are the same for these four schools.

Is It Okay To Eat Sushi / Raw Fish ?

As a basic principle, it is prohibited for any Muslim to consume anything that is harmful to one's health.

If eating raw fish is harmful to one's health, then it is prohibited.

Nevertheless, it is also generally well known that eating sushi does not cause detriment to the health when it is carefully prepared. It is thus permissible to eat sushi and foods of the like.

This is the case in most situations.

Zabah By Women Is Valid

It is permissible for a Muslim woman to perform Zabah (slaughtering of an animal according to Islamic law) even though when men are available.

Why Are Alcoholic Beverages Haraam ?

Allah Ta'ala says in the Noble Qur'an:

"O you who believe! Verily, alcohol, intoxicants, gambling and worshiping idols are impure and acts of Syaitaan so refrain."

Is Mechanical Slaughter of Chicken Halal ?

Mechanical slaughter is of three types:

1. Chickens are transported to the place of slaughter through a conveyer belt and are manually slaughtered. If there is certainty that the chicken is alive and the Muslim slaughterer recites the name of Allah upon slaughtering, then the chicken is Halaal. In this case, only the transportation is mechanical but the slaughtering is manual. This procedure is unanimously permissible and recommended.

2. Chickens are transported by means of the conveyer belt to the mechanical slaughter blade. Once the mechanical plant comes into operation, the blade also comes into operation and cuts the chicken. This procedure is not permissible. It does not matter if the plant and the blades are controlled together or separately.

3. The chickens are transported by means of the conveyer belt to many slaughter blades and every blade is controlled separately by a Muslim who recites the name of Allah upon effecting the mechanical slaughter. This procedure conforms to the principles of Shari'i Zabah (slaughter method) set out by the Fuqaha. As of current, it is not known as to whether such a procedure exist or not. This method is permissible should the technology be available.

Gelatine Products - Halal or Haram ?

If the gelatine is derived from any part of an animal which can be consumed according to the Shari'ah, e.g. cow, camel, sheep, goat, etc. and the animal was slaughtered according to Shariah, then the gelatine obtained will be Halal.

If the animal cannot be consumed according to Shariah, or was not slaughtered according to Shariah, the gelatine from such an animal will not be permissible.

Any income of a Muslim from selling Haraam gelatine is also Haraam for his use.

Tasmiyah - It's Importance In Slaughtering An Animal

Upon slaughtering an animal, it is fardhu (religously obligatory) upon a Muslim to recite the name of Allah.

If he did not recite the name of Allah intentionally, the meat of the animal will not be Halal. (Surah Al-An'aam: Verse 121)

If he forgot or was under pressure, he will be excused and the meat of such an animal will be Halal.

Food of the Ahlul Kitaab

Is It Permissible To Eat Meat Slaughtered By The People Of The Book?

Allah Taala says in the Noble Quran:

'Today I have made permissible for you pure things and the food of those who were given the Book (Ahlul Kitaab) is also Halal for you'. (Surah Al-Maa'idah: Ayat 4)

Overtly the above ayat reads that the Zabeeha (slaughter) of the Ahlul-Kitaab is permissible, but the fundamental principle must be understood in order to understand the Qur'an i.e.

One part of the Quran explains the other.

Therefore, this verse should be understood in the light of another verse relating to the same matter:

"Do not eat unless Allah's name has been taken and this (not taking Allah's name) practice is transgression" (Surah Al-An'aam: Ayat 121)

While the former verse explicitly states that the Zabeeha of the Ahlul Kitaab is permissible and the latter says, 'Do not eat unless Allah's name has been mentioned.' In the light of both these verses, it is understood that the Zabeeha of the Ahlul Kitaab is permissible only if the name of Allah is mentioned at the time of slaughter.

In the past, the Ahlul Kitaab used to mention Allah's name when slaughtering an animal, therefore, their Zabeeha was also halal for Muslims. It is for this same reason that an animal slaughtered by the Mushrikeen, etc. is not permissible.

In contrast, the Ahlul Kitaab of today are recognised by name, but less faith. There is no guarantee that they take the name of Allah/God when slaughtering an animal. Furthermore, they cannot be trusted anymore in matters pertaining to Halal-Haram. So there is uncertainty in the manner of how they slaughter.

Also the Jurists are unanimous that it is not permissible to consume meat which is doubtful. Only if there is certainty that the Ahlul Kitaab read the 'Tasmiyah' i.e. mentioned the name of Allah when slaughtering an animal, will the meat from their slaughter be permissible.