Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

dear Sir,

Assalamualikum,

How we know the halal ingridents in the goods, if we don`t know the souces, can we consume the goods?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Halaal foods

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, Allah and His Messenger (saws) have not provided the believers with a ‘halaal’ food list, for the list of ‘halaal’ foods in Shariah would indeed be limitless.

When one wishes to determine the lawful and the unlawful amongst the foods in Shariah, one needs to look only at the ‘haraam’ list provided by Allah and His Messenger (saws); if one does not find mention of the food amongst the ‘haraam’, then that food would be absolutely lawful for the believers to consume.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verses 3-4:

3 Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah, that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you completed my favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any forced by hunger with no inclination to transgression Allah is indeed Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.

4 They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food): say: Lawful unto you are (all) things good and pure: and what ye have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you by Allah; eat what they catch for you but pronounce the name of Allah over it: and fear Allah; for Allah is swift in taking account.

5 This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you, and yours is lawful unto them.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 157:

157 Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet (Mohamed (saws)) whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures); in the law and the Gospel; for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil: he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him honor him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him, it is they who will prosper."

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 83 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (saws): ‘O Messenger of Allah (saws), we travel on the sea and take a small quantity of water with us. If we use this for ablution, we would suffer from thirst. Can we perform ablution with sea water?’ The Messenger of Allah (saws) replied: ‘Its water is pure and (even) what dies in it is lawful food.’

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.435B Narrated by Az Zuhri

The Prophet (saws) prohibited the eating of beasts having fangs.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4089 Narrated by Al-Irbad ibn Sariyyah

On the day of Khaybar Allah's Messenger (saws) forbade every carnivorous beast which had a fang, every bird which had a claw, and the flesh of domestic asses.’

Thus, in light of the above Aayahs of the Holy Quran and the various authentic narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws), here is the list of the ‘haraam’ foods:

1. The flesh of any animal that dies of itself or is not duely slaughtered (including fall, strangling, gored to death, etc.)
2. The flesh of swine
3. The food on which any name other than Allah Subhanah’s has been invoked
4. The flesh of the lawful animal that is slaughtered by any other than the believers, Jews or Christians.
5. The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the believers to eat the meat of any animal which hunts with its fangs. (eg. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc.)
6. The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the believers to eat the meat of any bird which hunts with its claws. (eagles, crows, etc.)
7. All the impure animals and insects. (rats, cockroaches, pests, etc.)
8. The Messenger of Allah (saws) also forbade the believers to eat domestic donkeys.

If the food does not fall in the list of the ‘haraam’, it will be considered ‘halaa’l and permissible for the believers as food.

It is practically impossible to name each and every’ halaal’ food, as the list is endless. But we will try to compile a list only as an indication. The following are absolutely ‘halaal’ for the believers.

1. All vegetation is ‘halaal’ food.
2. All animals and birds that are not listed in the ‘haraam’ list, are halaal as food for the believers provided they fulfill the requirements of slaughter.
3. All sea-food is ‘halaal’, whether it be fish, crabs, lobsters, prawns, etc.

It is the duty of the believer who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day to ensure that the food he consumes is lawful and ‘halaal’ in Shariah. If one is ‘unsure’, then it would be best and closest to piety to leave alone the doubtful and eat only of what one is absolutely sure is ‘halaal’ and lawful food.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.49 Narrated by An Numan bin Bashir

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying, 'Both legal (halaal) and illegal (haraam) things are clearly evident, but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the ‘Hima’ (boundaries) of someone else, and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a ‘Hima’ and the ‘Hima’ of Allah on the earth are His illegal (forbidden) things.’

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan