About Halal & Haram Food & Drink

Introduction

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In providing a complete code of life, Islam teaches ways of clean eating, drinking, dressing, appearance, and habits. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, sharing the same lineage of prophets along the monotheistic chain, all follow that which Prophet Mussa/Moses (AS, عليه السلام) forbid humans to eat: that which dies of itself and that which was torn by beasts (Reference: Leviticus 17:15, Leviticus 7:24, Exodus 22:31, Qur’an 2:173), the blood of animals (Leviticus 7:26, Leviticus 3:17, Acts 15:20, Qur’an 2:173), and the flesh of swine (Leviticus 11:7, Qur’an 2:173). Judaism has a set of rules called Kashrut regarding what may and may not be eaten - what is permitted to be eaten is called kosher. In Islam, things that are forbidden are called haram (حرام), and things that are permitted are called halal (حلال). In Islam, haram and halal are universal terms that respectively apply to all permitted or forbidden facets of life, including food. While many things are clearly haram or halal, items that are questionable are often referred to as motashabiha (متشابهة). 
"Nu'man b. Bashir (Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon himn) as having said this (and Nu'man) pointed towards his ears with his fingers): What is lawful is evident and what is unlawful is evident, and in between them are the things doubtful which many people do not know. So he who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his animals round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things God his declaced unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and hearken it is the heart." (Reference: Hadith in Muslim Book 10 #3882)

Foods deemed halal (حلال) or haram (حرام)

Islam has 6 primary verses in the Qur’an regarding the guidelines of food:
“O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) - Islâmic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى), if it is indeed He Whom you worship. (172) He has forbidden you only the maitah (dead animals), and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) (or has been slaughtered for idols, on which Allâh's (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (173)” 
(Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Baqara 2:172-173) 

“Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-maitah (the dead animals - those that have not been slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allâh’s (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) name has not been mentioned while slaughtering, (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) , or has been slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns - and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal - unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death) - and that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on An-Nusub (stone-altars). (Forbidden) also is to use arrows seeking luck or decision (e.g. as in activity of superstition or gambling); (all of) that is Fisqun (disobedience of Allâh and sin)...But as for him who is forced by severe hunger, with no inclination to sin (such can eat these aforementioned meats), then surely, Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (3) They ask you (O Muhammad, PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) what is lawful for them (as food). Say: "Lawful unto you are At-Tayyibât [all kind of Halâl (lawful-good) foods which Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits)]. And those beasts and birds of prey which you have trained as hounds, training and teaching them (to catch) in the manner as directed to you by Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) ; so eat of what they catch for you, but pronounce the Name of Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) over it, and fear Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) . Verily, Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) is Swift in reckoning." (4) Made lawful to you this day are at-tayyibât [all kinds of halâl (lawful) foods, which Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits). The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals,) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them.”
(Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Maeda 5:3-5) 

“O you who believe! Make not unlawful the tayyibât (all that is good as regards foods, things, deeds, beliefs, persons) which Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) has made lawful to you, and transgress not. Verily, Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) does not like the transgressors. (87) And eat of the things which Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) has provided for you, lawful and good, and fear Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) in Whom you believe. (88) ...(89) O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, and al-ansâb, and al-azlâm(arrows for seeking luck or decision, as in activity of superstition) are an abomination of Shaitân's (Satan) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful. (90) Shaitân (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) and from As-Salât (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain? (91)” 
(Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Maeda 5:87-91) 

“So eat of that (meat) on which Allâh's (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) name has been pronounced (while slaughtering the animal), if you are believers in His ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) (118) And why should you not eat of that (meat) on which Allâh's (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) name has been pronounced (at the time of slaughtering the animal), while He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity? (119)...(120) Eat not (O believers) of that (meat) on which Allâh's (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) name has not been pronounced (at the time of the slaughtering of the animal), for sure it is fisq (a sin and disobedience of Allâh)...” 
(Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Anaam 6:118-121)

“So eat of the lawful and good food which Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) has provided for you. And be grateful for the favour of Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) , if it is He whom you worship. (114) He has forbidden you only al-maitah (meat of a dead animal), blood, the flesh of swine, and any animal which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allâh (or has been slaughtered for idols or on which Allâh's (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, and not transgressing,- then, Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (115) And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: "This is lawful and this is forbidden," so as to invent lies against Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى). Verily, those who invent lies against Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) will never prosper. (116) A passing brief enjoyment (will be theirs), but they will have a painful torment. (117)”
(Reference: Qur’an Surat An-Nahl 16:114-117) 

"Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-game (hunt what’s in sea) and use for food, a provision/benefit for you and for seafarers/travelers; but to hunt on land is forbidden you so long as ye are in the Sacred Precincts or in pilgrim garb. Be mindful of your duty to Allah, unto Whom ye will be gathered.” 
(Reference: Qur’an, Surat Al-Maeda 5:96)
Through these verses in the Qur’an, one finds the following general guiding principles:

  1. The food should be lawful halal. (Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Baqara 2:168, 2:172) This means it should be earned lawfully (not by theft, cheating, bribery, or using money earned from a non-halal job or activity such as selling drugs or alcohol,etc.) and not be prohibited by Islam.
  2. Flesh should be from an animal properly slaughtered in the name of Allah (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى). (Reference: Qur’an 6:118).
  3. Slaughtering should be conducted in a specific manner. (Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Maeda 5:3). No strangling, violent blow, gunshot kill, etc, or any method that keeps the blood trapped within the animal by its death. The legitimate method is typically a slaughter by swift severing/laceration of the both jugular veins (and perhaps the carotid arteries if readily reached by the cutting tool) in the neck so as to instantly drain pressure and oxygen provision to the brain and have the animal lose sensation of any pain, even though motor nerves may continue to be receive impulses from the brain that cause movement, and autonomic nerves will continue to function temporarily, keeping the heart beating (and other control compartments active) to drain the blood out of the jugular veins (which is the essence of slaughtering). The slaughtering technique also includes absolutely no torture beforehand to the animal, such as avoiding the slaughtering of another animal around it (it should not witness or smell or sense a similar act), not having the animal see or notice the knife or blade even as it is being laid down in the last minute, making sure the knife or blade used is very sharp so as not to stall or hamper a smooth and rapid cut through both jugular veins (for chicken the job should not exceed a single slicing motion in one direction and for lamb/sheep no more than a single back-n-forth slicing motion should be required, with no iterations).
  4. The food should be good (tayyib). (Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Baqara 2:168) This is understood to mean it should be fit for eating, not unclean or unpalatable. The word tayyib carries the significance of being of good status, pleasant, sweet, and pure or clean.
  5. Do not eat foods that are explicitly prohibited. (Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Maeda 5:3) This refers to that which dies of itself, gets killed by a predator, the blood of any animal, the flesh of swine, and that over which any other name than that of Allah (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) has been invoked.
  6. Do not self-deny permitted foods. (Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Maeda 5:87).
  7. Intoxicants are prohibited in any amount. This includes alcoholic beverages or any other drug. (Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Maeda 5:90, Hadith in Bukhari Volume 7 Book 69).

Hadith provides further clarification regarding eating animals that are predators - note above that eating animals killed by a predator is explicitly prohibited in the Qur'an.  The Prophet (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) forbade eating the flesh of:
  • predatory animals that have fangs (أنياب), e.g. cat, dog, raccoon, bear, wolf, etc (Reference: Hadith in Muslim - Book 021, #4748-4755) and hadith in Bukhari Volume 7, Book 71, Number 672). Note that the hadith says “predatory animals”, and being that predatory animals are ones that prey on other animals, this means omnivores and carnivores with fangs are forbidden. The swine family is a special case, since they are omnivores, and could be predators (e.g. a boar) or not (e.g. Yorkshire swine, or mini-pigs), and not all have fangs (a boar has fangs, but Yorkshire swine or mini-pigs are domestic-like and do not have fangs) and could prey on other little animals, but all swine are specifically and explicitly forbidden in the Qur’an, as a case of its own (Reference: Qur’an Surat Al-Baqara 2:173, Surat Al-Maeda 5:3, Surat An-Nahl 16:115). As per verse 5:96 above, the animals that are forbidden/excluded by the hadith do not include all creatures that exclusively live in the sea, which are all halal.
  • predatory birds that have talons (مخالب), e.g. eagle, hawk, falcon, vulture, bat, owl, etc (Reference: Hadith related by Ibn Abbas, in Muslim - Book 021, Number 4752, 4754). Similarly, the usage of “predatory” automatically subsumes carnivorous birds, e.g. eagle, vulture, and some omnivorous birds, e.g. raven, crow. As per the hadith, the bird needs to be predatory and have claws, and so many are halal to eat, e.g. chicken, pigeon, sparrow, etc.

How to determine if an item is halal

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Some items in stores are indicated to be halal with a halal symbol, which means it has been certified to be halal by one of several organizations. Sometimes, it is not obvious whether a food product is halal, because processes in slaughtering, packaging, processing, sanitizing, etc. may deem a food product haram. For example, some foods have alcohol added for preservation, some meats are sold in pork intestine wrapping, and some foods are sprayed with haram chemicals. 

Some food products labeled as kosher are also halal, but one must check the ingredient list. Some items that are kosher but considered to be haram include: (1) Gelatin from pork and or a non-thabiha (not properly slaughtered) cow, (2) Kosher Gelatin, (3) L-Cysteine made from human hair or chicken or duck feathers, (4) Wine, (5) Liquor, (6) Beer batter, (7) Rum flavor, (8) Ethyl Alcohol as a main ingredient appears on the ingredient list, (9) Cochineal or Carmine, a red color from insects, (10) Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce, (11) Yeast Extract or Autolyzed Yeast made from brewer’s yeast, a by product of beer making, (12) Torula Yeast grown on alcohol, (13) Nucleotides (building block of nucleic acid) are obtained from yeast cells grown on alcohol, used in Infant Milk formulas to help babies build a good immune, digestive system and decreased incident of diarrhea, (14) Vanilla Extract with alcohol, (15) Wine Vinegar, (16) if ethyl alcohol is used as a solvent in natural or artificial flavors. 

This 'Guide to Understanding Halal Foods' is an excellent succinct reference to selecting halal foods. 

Note that a product being imported from a Muslim country is not necessarily a guarantee that it is completely halal.

There are several apps available that allow you to scan a food item's barcode and it will indicate if the ingredients are halal or haram. This is one such app. 

Where to purchase/eat halal foods

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Additional resources