BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR HALAL CONSUMERS

According to the Islamic worldview, all food and drinks can be classified under one of the following categories:

1)Halal

‘Halal’ is an Arabic word which means lawful or allowable. Any food or drink which falls under this category is permitted for consumption. Most food and drinks are considered Halal unless they are stated clearly in the Holy Quran and Hadith as forbidden or non-Halal.

2)Non-Halal

‘Non-Halal’, also traditionally known as ‘Haram’, means unlawful or unallowable. As the name implies, any food or drink which is classified as non-Halal is prohibited for consumption. In general, all harmful things are non-Halal. Examples of these include the meat of dead animals and birds, flesh of swine, intoxicating drugs and alcoholic beverages.

3)Syubhah

Any food or drink which lies within the grey area and does not fall clearly under the Halal or non-Halal category is classified as ‘Syubhah’, alternatively called questionable or dubious.

One example of a Syubhah ingredient is lecithin. Lecithin can be derived from plants or animals. It is considered Halal if the lecithin comes from plants but non-Halal should it come from pigs or animals that are not slaughtered in accordance with the Islamic law.

Until the status becomes clear, Muslims should avoid consuming Syubhah food or drinks. The Prophet (pbuh) has given a guideline concerning Syubhah matters. It is reported by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Ibn Majah and Darimi, as follow:

الْحَلاَلُ بَيِّنٌ، وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ، لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ. فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ. وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ...

Which means: What is Halal is clear. And what is Haram is also clear. And in between those two is a dubious area in which many people do not know about. So whoever distanced himself from it, he has acquitted himself (from blame). And those who fall into it, he has fallen into a state of Haram.


GUIDELINES TO PREPARATION & HANDLING OF HALAL FOOD

1. Sources Of Halal Food

1.1 Animals

Animals can be divided into two categories namely:

i) Land Animals

ii) Aquatic Animals

1.1.1 Land Animals

All land animals are lawful as food, except the following:

animals that are not slaughtered according to Shariah law;
pigs;
dogs;

Animals with long pointed teeth (canines or tusks), which are used to kill prey, such as tigers, bears, elephants, cats and monkeys;
birds with talons or predator birds;
animals that are enjoined by Islam to be killed including mice, scorpions, snakes, crows, centipedes, etc;
animals that are forbidden to be killed including ants, bees and woodpeckers;

creatures that are considered filthy by the public such as lice and flies; and
animals that live both on land and in water (amphibians) such as frogs and salamanders.
1.1.2 Aquatic Animals

Aquatic animals are those, which live in water and cannot survive outside it, such as fish. All aquatic animals are “Halal” except those that are poisonous, intoxicating or hazardous to health.

1.2 Plants

All types of plants products are Halal” except those that are poisonous, intoxicating or are hazardous to health.

1.3 Drinks

All kinds of water and beverages are “Halal” as drinks, except those that are poisonous, intoxicating or are hazardous to health and that are mixed with “najis” e.g. alcoholic beverages, flavouring wines, etc

2. Product Storage, Display And Servings

All “Halal” products that are stored, displayed, sold or served should be categorised and should be labeled as “Halal” or lawful at every stage of the process so as to prevent it from being mixed or contaminated with things that are impure or non-halal.

3. Product Processing And Handling

A processed food is “Halal” if it meets the following conditions:

the product or its ingredients does not contain any components or products of animals that are non-Halal by Shariah Law or animals that are not slaughtered according to Shariah Law;
the product does not contain anything in large or small quantities that is considered as najis according to Shariah Law;

the product is prepared, processed or manufactured using equipment and facilities that are free from contamination with najis; and
during its preparation, processing, storage or transportation, it should be fully separated from any other food that does not meet the requirements specified in items (a), (b) or/and (c) or any other things that are considered as najis by Shariah Law.

4. Hygiene And Sanitation

Hygiene has been given much emphasis in Islam and it includes the various aspects of personal hygiene, clothing, equipment and the working premises for processing or manufacture of food.

The objective is to ascertain that the food produced is hygienic and is not hazardous to health.
Hygienic can be defined as free from najis, contamination and harmful germs.

All foods shall be prepared, processed, packaged, transported and stored in such a manner that they are in compliance to hygiene and sanitary requirements of the relevant authorities.