Islamic dietary laws

Encyclopedia : I : IS : ISL : Islamic dietary laws

Part of a of articles on
Islam

History of Islam
Beliefs and practices
Oneness of God
Profession of Faith
Prayer • Fasting
Pilgrimage • Charity
Major figures
Muhammad • Ali
Abu Bakr • Umar
Household of Muhammad
Companions of Muhammad
Prophets of Islam
Texts & Laws
Qur'an • Hadith
Jurisprudence • Theology
Biographies of Muhammad
Esotericism (Sufism) • Exotericism (Sharia)
Branches of Islam
Sunni • Shi'a • Ibadi
Societal aspects
Academics • Theology
Philosophy • Science
Art • Architecture • Cities
Calendar • Holidays
Women • ..in the Qu'ran
Leaders • Politics
Islamism • Liberalism

See also
Vocabulary of Islam

This box: [ view] • [ talk] • [ edit]

Islamic dietary laws provide a set of rules as to what Muslims eat in their diet. These rules specify the food that is halāl, meaning lawful. They are found in Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, usually detailing what is unlawful, or harām.

There are some more rules added to these in fatwas by Mujtahids with various degrees of strictness, but they are not always held to be authoritative by all.

Islamic law prohibits a Muslim from consuming alcohol, eating or drinking blood and its by-products, and eating the meat of a carnivore or omnivore, such as pork, monkey, dog or cat. For the meat of an animal to be halāl it must be properly slaughtered by a Muslim or a Person of the Book (Christian or Jew), while mentioning the name of God (Allah in Arabic); for instance, the animal may not be killed by being boiled or electrocuted, and the carcass should be hung upside down long enough to be blood-free.

The proper Islamic method of slaughtering an animal is called thabiha. According to some fatwas, the animal must be slaughtered only by a Muslim. However, some different fatwas dispute this, and rule from the orthodox Qur'anic position, that according to verse 5:5 of the Qur'an (which declares that the food of the People of the Book to be halāl), the slaughter may be done by a Jew or a Christian. Thus, many observant Muslims will accept kosher meat if halāl options are not available. Other main references in Qur'an include 2:173, 5:3, 5:5, 6:118, 6:145, 16:115.

In recent years, due to a cultural phenomenon that has encouraged young Muslims to find common ground between Islam & Science, there have been numerous studies undergone to try and find altruistic benefits in living a life in adherence to Islamic dietary laws. One example of this is studies that were done on trichinosis, which can be caught from consuming undercooked pork.

Food Certification

Due to the recent rise in Muslim populations in the United States and Europe, certain organizations have emerged that can certify Halal food products and ingredients for Muslim consumers. The Muslim Consumer Group is an example of an organization that places certification labels such as the H-MCG symbol to identify the Halal status of different edible and non-edible consumer products.