Muslims follow a set of dietary laws which are outlined in the Qur'an. Everything is permitted (halal), except what God specifically prohibited (haram). Muslims do not consume pork or alcohol, and follow a humane process for the slaughter of animals for meat. Within these rules, there is wide variation among the eating habits of Muslims around the world.
Rules and Tips
Muslims are allowed to eat what is "good" - that is, what is pure, clean, wholesome, nourishing, and pleasing to the taste. In general, everything is allowed (halal) except what has been specifically forbidden. Muslims are enjoined by their religion to abstain from eating certain foods. This is in the interest of health and cleanliness, and in obedience to God. Here are some tips on following Islamic law when eating at home or on the road.
Islamic Dietary Law
Rules about halal eating and drinking
Halal
Muslims are allowed to eat what is "good" (Qur'an 2:168) - that is, what is pure, clean, wholesome, nourishing, and pleasing to the taste. In general, everything is allowed (halal) except what has been specifically forbidden.
Haram
Muslims are enjoined by their religion to abstain from eating certain foods. This is in the interest of health and cleanliness, and in obedience to God. In the Qur'an (2:173, 5:3, 5:90-91, 6:145, 16:115), the following foods and drinks are strictly prohibited by God (haram):
dead meat (i.e. carcass of an already-dead animal)
blood
flesh of swine (pork)
intoxicating drinks
meat of an animal that has been sacrificed to idols
meat of an animal that died from strangulation or blunt force
meat from which wild animals have already eaten
Islamic Slaughtering
Muslims are enjoined to slaughter their livestock by slitting the animal's throat in a swift and merciful manner, reciting God’s name with the words, "In the name of God, God is Most Great" (Qur'an 6:118-121). This is in acknowledgement that life is sacred, and that one must kill only with God's permission, to meet one's lawful need for food. The animal is then bled completely before consumption. Meat prepared in this manner is called zabihah, or simply, halal meat.
Some Muslims will abstain from eating meat if they are uncertain of how it was slaughtered. They place importance on the animal having been slaughtered in a humane fashion with the remembrance of God and gratefulness for this sacrifice of the animal's life. They also place importance on the animal having been bled properly, as otherwise it would not be considered healthy to eat.Some Muslims living in predominantly-Christian countries hold the opinion that one may eat commercial meat (apart from pork, of course), and pronounce God’s name at the time of eating it. This opinion is based on the Qur'anic verse (5:5) that the food of Christians and Jews is lawful for Muslims.
Halal Eating: Use Ingredient Lists
Checking food labels to ensure compliance with Islam's dietary laws
With the complication of today's manufacturing and food production, it's hard to know what goes into the food we eat. Food labeling helps, but not everything is listed, and what is listed is often a mystery. Most Muslims know to look out for pork, alcohol, and gelatin. But can we eat products that contain ergocalciferol? What about glycerol stearate?
Dietary laws for Muslims are very clear. As outlined in the Qur'an, Muslims are forbidden from consuming pork, alcohol, blood, meat dedicated to false gods, etc. It is easy to avoid these basic ingredients, but what about when the ingredients are disguised as something else? Modern food production allows manufacturers to start out with one basic product, then cook it, boil it, and process it, until they can call it something else. However, if its original source was a forbidden food, then it is still forbidden to Muslims.
So how can Muslims sort through it all?
Some Muslim dieticians have published books and lists of products, from Burger King hamburgers to Kraft cheese, to indicate which things are forbidden and which are permitted. The soc.religion.islam newsgroup compiled a FAQ file using this approach back in the 1990s. But as Soundvision points out, it is nearly impossible to list every possible product. In addition, manufacturers often change their ingredients, and international manufacturers sometimes vary the ingredients from country to country. Such lists often become outdated and obsolete rather quickly.
As another approach, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America has compiled a list of ingredients that is very helpful. You can use this list to check labels for items that are forbidden, permitted, or suspect. This seems to be the most reasonable approach, as the short list is not likely to change over time. With this list in hand, it can be very simple for Muslims to purify their diets and eat only what Allah has permitted.
Halal Eating and Drinking During Travel
Tips for keeping halal on the road
Every Muslim who travels or moves to a new city faces the dilemma of finding places to eat. Those Muslims who only eat zabihah meat have an especially difficult time finding acceptable local cuisine in an unfamiliar city.
For car travel and day trips, it's advisable to pack your own food from home. It's less expensive, and you know what you're eating. You can find some great recipes at the Food and Drink Channel of About.com.If you desire or need to eat out, make sure you're eating halal!
A Guide to HalalFood Selectionby HALAL FOUNDATION
Disclaimer : This list was prepared by the organization mentioned above. Cookeryonline is not able nor qualified to make any fatawas on Halal or Haram. Any questions should be addressed to the Halal Foundation or some other qualified individual(s).
"Oh people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good" (Quran)
Instructions
For a product to be Halal(lawful) for Muslim consumption all its ingredients should be Halal. Follow the following list:
Glossary:
Halal: Halal is a Quranic term which means allowed or lawful. Halal foods and drinks are permitted for consumption by Allah-the Supreme Law Giver. Eating Halal is obligatory on every Muslim.
Haram: Haram is a Quranic term which means prohibited or unlawful. Haram foods and drinks are absolutely prohibited by Allah. Eating Haram is forbidden for every Muslim.
Mushbooh: Mushbooh is an Arabic term which means suspected. If one does not know the Halal or Harm status of a particular food or drink, such a food or drink is doubtful. A practicing Muslims prevents himself from consuming doubtful things.
Prophet(s) Muhammad is reported to have said:
"Halal is clear and Haram is clear; in between these two are certain things that are suspected. Many people may not know whether those items are Halal or Haram. Whosoever leaves them, he is innocent towards his religion and his conscience. He is, therefore, safe.Anyone who gets involved in any of these suspected items, he may fall into the unlawful and the prohibited. This case is similar to the one who wished to raise his animals too close to a restricted area, so that the animals may step into that area. Indeed for every landlord there is a restricted area. Indeed the restriction of Allah are the Haram." (Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)
One of the biggest problems for Muslims who just moved into a new city is finding a restaurant that serves genuine Halal food. This is especially true for Muslims who follow the strict “zabihah” meat preparation– because the food will come to them cooked and ready to eat and it will be impossible to tell for sure how that dish was prepared or did it violate any laws of preparing Halal food. So if you are one of these people and need help in finding the right Halal restaurant in your area, then this is the perfect read for you! This article will introduce to you one of the best ways to find the right Halal restaurant in your new area.
The best thing that you can do is to turn to Halal restaurants section from OpenRice Singapore. This website provides a comprehensive list of certified Halal foods all over the country. The website owners have gone out of their way to find out if restaurants who claim to serve Halal food do indeed follow the right cooking procedures; and if they do, they post the names of these restaurants online to get this message across to people who need it. So do not let this opportunity pass you by. This is indeed a great place to go to for Muslims who want to strictly follow their special tradition on Halal food and preparation. Since you really cannot tell how the food was prepared, the reviews that you get online from fellow Muslims, who like you, are also looking for genuine Halal restaurants can be of huge help. Aside form that, they also offer discount coupons on selected Halal restaurant all over the country and even restaurant reviews on how the food tastes and the ambience the featured restaurant online – the perfect place to go restaurant hunting indeed!
Halal food is defined as a kind of food that is considered to be clean by Muslim laws and beliefs. Muslim religion generally prohibits the consumption of pork meat and other pork-associated food. Aside from that, they also follow a certain method in slaughtering their meat, called “zabihah” – where animals are killed by single cut to the jugular vein and positioned in such a way that all of the blood is drained out without touching the meat used for cooking. Although this may sound very strange for people outside the religion, this kind of belief is actually very much similar to Jewish beliefs.
In Jewish beliefs, the food that they prepare is termed as “kosher”. Jewish law also prohibits the eating of pork, just as the Muslims do because as it is stated in their Bible. A certain verse in Qur’an even mentions that it is permissible to eat the same food that Jews put on their table. Because of this, some Muslims in the East, particularly in the States are starting to buy their meat right form the supermarket – although not all Muslims follow this practice. For processed and supermarket foods, Muslims however are considered to be more careful. The Muslim community has created a Halal certification which is a seal that their authorities give out to food manufacturers and restaurants to certify if they do make Halal food and follow the right standards of food preparation or not. Today, there are quite a number of products that possess this seal in grocery shelves, used by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. People who practice Halal also do not consume gelatin or any kind of food that contain emulsifiers. Why? This is because they are not certain if these ingredients came it contact with pork products or not. Jews on the other hand are not really that strict and consider these kinds of products as kosher food. For many Muslims, they usually seek out Halal grocery stores to get their items from. With this, they can be one hundred percent sure that the ingredients that they are using are all “pure” and accepted for eating. But if you come to think of it, there are actually some scientific evidences that show advantages of a no pork diet. Scientific studies have clearly shown that of all the meat products that humans consume, it is swine meat that is least clean and healthy. Pork meat has one of the highest amounts of cholesterol, something that everyone would not want to have. This is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure and other heart related diseases. But aside from that, pork meat is also known to be more resistant and absorbent to toxins than any other kind of meat. And because pork can be easily digested by the human body, the transfer of toxins from the meat to our system is also very efficient. Some studies have even shown that pork meat with a certain strain of bacteria can potentially lead to death. And lastly, pig meat is most prone to a wide number of parasites – all of which can easily be transferred from the meat to the human body upon ingestion of the contaminated food. Although some can be killed during the cooking process, the danger of improperly prepared food makes pork eaters vulnerable to such infections. So you see there are more advantages than one that Muslims can get out of eating Halal food. Not only does it keep them spiritually pure – under their beliefs, but it also keeps them safely away from swine-associated health problems that pork eaters are encountered with today.
Halal is a Muslim belief that focuses of certain ways of cooking and food preparation. Literally, the word means something that is lawful or permitted; and the opposite of which is called “haram” which in turn, means prohibited and not allowed. Although this term can be applied to practically all areas in Muslim life, this word is most well associated with food and cooking.
In Muslim beliefs, there are some clear lists on what products are considered Halal. But with the number of products that are available in the market today, not all of the things are completely under this list and covered under the don’ts and do’s of Muslim law. Although you can clearly tell if a fresh ingredient (such as meat and fresh produce) is Halal or not, one cannot really be certain in the case of pre-processed foods such as canned goods and the likes. But generally, all foods are considered Halal aside from these exemptions: pork and all its related products; food that has been in contact with pork or its by-products, animals that were slaughtered improperly, meat or any kind of food that has or has been in contact with blood, animals that feed on other animals (carnivorous), alcoholic drinks or food that has alcoholic ingredients. For the processed foods, the best thing that people who practice Halal can do is to buy them from certified Halal distributors. These distributors have been certified by designated authorities from the Muslim community. Distributors who are certified are given the Halal seal of certification which they can print on to their product packages, this way, customers will have an idea whether the food is safe for consumption or not. But for those who do not know of certified Halal distributors around their area, there are still some Halal certified products that are also sold in regular grocery stores. All you need to do is to find that Halal certification on their product covers for assurance. But if not, then the next best thing that you can do is to stay away from prohibited or questionable ingredients such as gelatin and some emulsifiers. Halal Food and the Beauty of Muslim Traditions
People who belong to non-Muslim religions may think of Halal as a different kind of food, but in reality – it really is not different from the rest of the food that people belonging to other beliefs have. The word “Halal” actually literally means “acceptable” to Muslim language. These are the kind of foods that are acceptable for eating in the Muslim religion. But the only thing that really makes it very different is the way the food is cooked and prepared,singapore restaurants reviews get the latest restaurant reviews in singapore.
This Muslim tradition is really no different from the other beliefs practiced by other religions such as the Jews – where their specially prepared food is termed”Kosher”. Muslims treat their bodies as a temple for Allah and hence, will fill only their stomach and nourish their bodies with the purest kind of food that they can find. This explains why Muslims go through all these steps just to prepare their everyday dishes. So the next time you hear about Halal food and Muslim traditions, we hope that you have a change of perspective – and a change that is for the better. This tradition has been carried over from generation to generation and is one of the most beautiful parts of human culture. So do not treat this practice any differently – now that you have a deeper understanding of why they do such practices. Today, there are now hundred of Muslim organizations that offer to give Halal certifications in different parts of the world. Although this may be a good thing for food companies, there is still the issue of organizations and their credibility to issue such certifications. Since there really is no single body to monitor their activities, there are some organizations that may not be as strict as they need to be. So for all you who really desire to follow this religious law, then take it upon yourself to research on the different products available in your area and try as best as you can to find out if the certification is indeed valid or not. This may be a little sacrifice on your part but will all be worth it knowing that the food that you eat will not violate any of your traditions and laws. Aside from that, there are some countries that have national organizations that have also come up with their own list of products which pass the Halal standards today. In America, there is the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America that have compiled a list of common ingredients that their fellow Muslims can use in their day to day dishes. This information is usually available online in their official website. So there you have it: simple but effective and easy ways to get genuine Halal food from your regular supermarket. So do not feel limited just because of your religious tradition. Get a hold of this list and get better assurance in shopping for ingredients for your Halal dishes! |
No comments:
Post a Comment