What is Halal ?

Contributed by Muslim Women's Support Centre of WA (Inc)

What does “halal” mean?

The word “halal” simply means “lawful” or “religiously appropriate”. In Islam, rightfully earned income, for example, is considered to be halal, while stolen property or money are labelled as haram (unlawful). Just as a practising Muslim should not buy a cheap but stolen stereo because it would not be halal, he or she should not consume food or meat that is haram.

In Islam, something is by default halal – allowable, unless it is specifically labelled as haram, which is the exception. For example, all drinks are halal, except alcohol or other intoxicating drinks because of their mind-altering nature.

What makes food “halal”? Why can't Muslims eat just any meat?

For food to be halal, it should either not be outright haram or it should not have additives that are haram. Sometimes “gelatine” is added to processed yogurt. While yogurt itself is perfectly halal, “gelatine” may make it haram, when we know that “gelatine” is made from pork and other animal leftovers. Although, all foods are halal in all five general food groups, animal meat is a special case. Meat is generically halal meaning that the consumption of meat is not absolutely prohibited, but it needs to fulfil two simple criteria to be consumable by Muslims.

Firstly, the meat of all animals may be eaten with the exception of “… dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name has been invoked besides that of God. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, then he is guiltless. For God is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful.” (Qur’an, Chapter 2 Verse 173). Notice the remark at the end of this verse that in times of necessity or when there is nothing else to eat to survive, the forbidden meat mentioned in the verse can be consumed. This is called the “principle of necessity” in Islamic Law and extends to all prohibitions. A prohibition is temporarily lifted at times of crisis and survival is at stake.

The second criterion is the way in which an animal’s life ends, which has to be in accordance with Islamic regulations. Life is a sacred blessing of God to creation, animals as well as humans. If the life of an animal has to be ended for survival, then its life should only be taken in the name of God. Hence, the phrase bismillah (in the name of God) must be uttered just before slaughtering an animal. Only a Muslim or a monotheistic person such as a Christian or a Jew can fulfil this criterion. Muslims, therefore, can eat the meat slaughtered according to Christian and Jewish religious guidelines. Muslims cannot consume the meat of animals that are sacrificed in the name of any deity or idol.

When animals are slaughtered for the purpose of food, all blood has to come out of the body. This is achieved by an incision to the jugular vein of the animal. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) also advised that the task is to be completed with one incision while the eyes of the animal are covered so that it does not see the instrument. An animal should not be slaughtered in front of another to prevent unnecessary stress. Some people allege this is inhumane and causes a lot of pain to the animal. They give as evidence the body of the animal convulsing vigorously after the cut. In reality though, as proved by Professor Schultz of Hanover University in Germany, the Islamic way of slaughtering an animal gives no pain while the alternative method of Captive Bolt Stunning (CBS) is quite painful. He did this in an experiment, where the sensations of the brain activity of animals were measured and compared by EEG.

The first three seconds from the time of Islamic slaughter as recorded on the EEG did not show any change from the graph before the slaughter, thus indicating the animal did not feel any pain during or immediately after the incision. The EEG recorded a condition of deep sleep or unconsciousness caused by large quantity of blood gushing out from the body. After 6 seconds, the EEG recorded zero, showing no feeling of pain at all, even though the heart was still beating and the body convulsing vigorously (a reflex action of the spinal cord), driving maximum blood from the body, resulting in hygienic meat for the consumer. Whereas with CBS the animals were apparently unconscious soon after stunning, the EEG showed severe pain immediately after stunning. The heart of the stunned animal stopped beating, resulting in the retention of more blood in the meat, rendering it unhygienic for the consumer. It is for these reasons that Muslims establish halal labelled butcher shops in order to make hygienic and religiously pure meat available to Muslims.

Some Muslims also pay attention to additives in processed foods and check for haram or suspicious ingredients. Foods with animal additives (fats, gelatine, etc.) are usually rejected out of concern that they might come from non-halal animals.

Why aren't Muslims allowed to eat pork?

Consumption of pork is prohibited by the Qur’an as it is considered “impure” (Qur’an Chapter 6: Verse 145). Many health risks are associated with the consumption of pork as it may contain dangerous worms (trichinosis) and germs. Since it is not possible at all times and places to get “healthier” pork, its consumption is prohibited.

There is a direct relationship between our behaviour and what we consume as food. Especially the consumption of pork is thought to adversely affect human behaviour. Since pigs have certain instincts that are necessary for their role in their ecosystem but undesirable if humans were to display them. Therefore, Muslims do not eat pork. Having said that, pigs play an important role in cleaning the environment and becoming a food source for other animals in the ecosystem in which they live.

Article by Mehmet O published http://www.halal.com.au/articles/index.php

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