ISLAM | Food in Islam
Islamic law (sharia) regulates all aspects of Muslim life: what to eat, what to wear, how to interact with others, how to divide an inheritance and address economic matters in general, etc.
The word halal (halâl) comes from Arabic and, in an Islamic context, can be translated as “permissible,” “lawful” or “legal.” Although it is often contrasted with haram (harâm), “forbidden”, Islamic law also recognises intermediate categories, such as that which is “permitted but not recommended” (makruh).
Halal, then, applies to all aspects of Muslim life. It always depends on will; that is, a Muslim who is forced to consume a forbidden food against their will is not considered to have committed a transgression.
Law is one thing, and human will is another. Islamic law may establish a given act as mandatory or optional, lawful or forbidden, but this act will only be effective if done voluntarily. Islam always defends free will for human beings: “there is no compulsion in religion” (lā ’ikrāha fi d-dīn) (Quran 2:256). Actions are assessed based on intention (niyya), and intentions are assessed based on the ability to choose.
Islamic law allows eating and drinking anything but pork, meat that has not been ritually bled, the actual blood of the animal (except the liver) and any intoxicating substance. From sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan, it is forbidden to eat, drink or have sex.
The Islamic rite for slaughtering an animal consists of turning it to face the Ka’aba in the city of Mecca, reciting the bismillah, a ritual phrase that reflects the believer’s sincere intention, and cutting the animal’s jugular vein to start the bleeding while causing as little pain as possible. As such, animals that have died of natural causes or due to an accident, or those sacrificed as offerings to idols, are forbidden. Jewish kosher meat is also considered halal.
The ultimate purpose of the rules concerning what is and is not allowed is always the protection and preservation of humans’ natural state (fitra). That’s why many Muslims today also interpret halal as that which is healthy and respectful of the environment, and therefore also reject genetically modified foods.
