1. WHAT IS HALAL?
حلال, the Arabic word pronounced as “Halal”, broadly means permissible. Generally, all fruits and vegetables are considered halal. However, alcohol, pork and its by-products (or any drinks and desserts contaminated with the above) as well as animals not slaughtered according to the proper procedures (see Q3) are considered haram, or forbidden for Muslims to consume.
2. WHAT IS HARAM (FORBIDDEN)?
- Alcohol: Muslims don’t drink because the Quran says: “There is great harm and some benefit for people, but the harm outweighs the benefit (Quran: 2:219).”
- Pork: It is quite possibly the most unhygienic animal alive, is harmful to the human body and has zero nutritional benefits.
- Carnivorous animals: Muslims are forbidden from eating these flesh eating animals, in large part due to its impact on the global food chain.
- Beef, Lamb & Chicken: Meat not slaughtered according to Q3 below is thus considered forbidden.
3. WHAT PROCEDURE MAKES MEAT HALAL?
Broadly, the rules are as follows:
(1) The animal to be slaughtered needs to be healthy;
(2) A short Islamic thanksgiving phrase needs to be recited during the act of slaughter; and
(3) The animal must be slaughtered by a Muslim by a quick cut across the jugular veins and carotid arteries, while leaving the spinal cord intact.Its blood must also be allowed to drain out.
4. IS HALAL ABOUT HOW MEAT IS SLAUGHTERED?
No, slaughtering is only one side of the story. Halal also means how the halal meat was handled, stored, transported and whether it was mixed with other non-halal meat prior, during and after it was cooked, using kitchen utensils that should not be interchangeably used while cooking non-halal meat.
5. DOES MY FISH AND SEAFOOD NEED TO BE HALAL?
Seafood is generally halal and Muslims can generally eat anything from the sea or the river. There are some exceptions to this such as the prohibition of consuming carnivorous animals such as crocodile, snakes, sharks, etc., because of its impact on the global food chain.