Rulings on Food
Just as there are Halal (lawful) and Haram (unlawful) categories in human actions, there are Halal and Haram distinctions in food consumption.
Halal is an Arabic term referring to what Islam permits. Everything made permissible by God for the well-being of humanity is Halal.
Haram is an Arabic term referring to what Islam prohibits. Everything forbidden by God for the well-being of humanity is Haram.
Items that fall into uncertainty regarding whether they are permissible or forbidden are referred to in Arabic as Shakk (doubtful/suspect).
Islam has established certain guidelines to maintain a balance between the needs of the physical body and the soul. It is an obligatory duty for every Muslim to know what is Halal and what is Haram regarding both earning a livelihood and consuming food.
Whatever Allah has designated as Haram must never be consumed under any ordinary circumstances. Furthermore, attempting to make the forbidden permissible is a major sin. No one has been granted the authority to alter the laws ordained by God.
“I have not eaten to full satiety for sixteen years. For overeating bloats the body, hardens the heart, dulls the intellect, makes a person lazy, and obstructs one from walking the spiritual path.”
— Imam Shafi’i (RA)
It is impermissible to purchase meat from shops without verifying whether it is Halal. Likewise, eating meat slaughtered without invoking the name of Allah (Bismillah) is Haram.
Allah states in the Qur’an:
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ
“Prohibited to you are dead animals (carrion), blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah, and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death]…”
— Surah Al-Ma’idah: 3
The consumption of certain animal meats is forbidden in Islam:
- Carnivorous animals with canine teeth/fangs, and birds of prey that hunt and tear flesh with sharp talons.
- Meat of animals that died naturally or were not slaughtered with the invocation of Bismillah (carrion).
- Pork and the entirety of the pig.
- Flowing blood.
- Animals slaughtered in the name of anyone other than Allah.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The consumption of all fanged beasts of prey and all birds with talons is forbidden.”
— Sahih Muslim
Eating cooked or fried blood is Haram for Muslims. Islam prohibits these items primarily because they induce illnesses in human beings.
Naturally dead fish and sea creatures found in oceans, rivers, and water bodies are permissible to consume. Marine life is exempt from the slaughtering requirements that apply to land livestock.