On Halal Food

fudgester SG

Note: I wrote this article in my blog some time ago. Thought I might want to share it with you guys.

Introduction

Whenever I'm out dining with my non-Muslim friends I often get asked the same few questions. Those questions would be: Why is there a need for food to be Halal-certified before it can be consumed? Is there any rationale behind it? Is there anything special behind the Islamic way of slaughtering animals? What types of food are considered halal and what foods are not? As such, I think it's about time I devote a full article to this issue.

Truth be told, as far I can tell there is no clear rationale in the Quran regarding the need for classifying the foods as either 'halal' or 'haram'('forbidden' - the reverse of 'halal'). One of the more popular rationalisations put forward by scholars has to do with health. As we shall see later, this rationalisation does have truth in it.

Another line of reasoning has to do with the need to have reverence for life. Having these dietary laws acknowledge that life is sacred. When we say a short prayer before every animal is slaughtered, we acknowledge that one of God's creatures is being killed not in vain, but to fulfill the biological necessity for food.

With all that in mind let's go into the details. I'll go point by point so that it's easier for everyone to follow what I'm saying. Where necessary, the verses in the Quran which I'm quoting are from the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation.

(to be continued)

fudgester SG

(continued)

Method of sacrifice

The Islamic method of sacrifice (known as 'Tabiha') involves pointing the animal in the direction of Mecca and killing it with a single swipe of the blade to the neck. The logic behind this is that this method allows for a large amount of blood to be drained from the body by severing the jugular veins, and I suppose, the carotid arteries as well. Now this is where the health reasoning comes in - blood is rich in uric acid. Uric acid is toxic in nature and is excreted as a waste product by the body. In fact, about 98% of the uric acid which is excreted by the human body is in fact extracted from the blood by the kidneys.

It has been charged by animal rights activists that the Islamic method of slaughtering causes needless suffering for the animal. They charge that it would be far better to stun the animal first with an electric shock so as to render it unconscious, thus sparing it from the pain. Well, the thing is, studies have shown that may not be the case.

A study conducted by Professor Wilhelm Schulze and his colleague Dr Hazim at Hannover University, Germany actually shows that the Islamic way of slaughter may be more merciful to the animal. In the study, several animals had electrodes which measure pain levels surgically implanted in their brains. Several animals were then slaughtered the Islamic way (one swift incision to the throat) while others were electrically stunned first.The electroencephalograph readings showed that the animal did not feel any pain during the Islamic way of slaughter, while the other animals showed severe pain immediately after stunning. Also, the electrocardiogram readings showed that the heart continued beating for a long time in the former case (leading to major blood loss), while it quickly stopped beating in the latter case.

In addition, researchers at the Texas A&M University have found that the pneumatic stunning of the head of animals forces brain tissue into the bloodstream. Now this is of concern as the brain and spinal cord are the most infectious parts of an animal afflicted with BSE, or in layman terms, mad cow disease.

You can read all about these studies here: http://www.eat-halal.com/articles/islamicslaughter.shtml

(to be continued)

[email protected] SG

Why Muslims can't eat pork? You guys don't know what you are missing out. Laughing

mhcampboy SG

Funny, you dun ask the jews tat...

fudgester SG

(continued)

Meat

Pigs and their byproducts (lard, gelatin, etc) are explicitly prohibited in the Quran. The same goes for carrion. Blood also can't be consumed (which is why the animals must be slaughtered in the manner I previously mentioned). The following verse says it all:

'He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.'
-Surah Al Baqarah (The Cow), Verse 2:173

Seafood

There's a bit of dispute on this matter. Some scholars have claimed that shellfish (including prawns, crabs, etc) are not permitted, or at least discouraged. Most scholars, though, agree that all seafood is permitted, as per the following verse:

To hunt and to eat the food of the sea is made lawful for you, a provision for you and the seafarers
-Surah Al-Maidah (The Table) Verse 5:96

Since everyone else around me has no qualms eating crabs and prawns, I'm going to go along with the majority viewpoint.

Vegetables

Absolutely no restrictions here. As you guys can see, in the absence of any Halal-certified alternatives, I can go seafood or vegetarian.

Alcohol

No go here. Anything which can intoxicate the mind is prohibited, and that includes alcohol and illicit drugs. As the following verse goes:

'O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination,- of Satan's handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper.'
- Surah Al-Ma'ida (The Table) 5:90

Of course, this does complicate things somewhat, considering that are several substances and food essences which do contain alcohol. It's not just about abstaining from drinking alcohol - it's also about abstaining from consuming it in any way. That's part of the reason why I stay away from food stalls which proudly label 'no pork, no lard' but without a valid halal certificate from MUIS. For all I know they could be using alcohol in the marinate for the meat (which was what I discovered with a certain restaurant in town several years ago). In addition, absence of pork and its byproducts still doesn't account for the requirement that all meat must be slaughtered the Islamic way.

Kosher food

Ok.. this is where things start to get really interesting. Some explanation is needed here. You see, Jews have a certain set of dietary laws themselves, and food which is considered fit for consumption is known as 'kosher'. In many ways, it's similar to Halal, but in many other ways it's even stricter. For example, Jews are forbidden from consuming pork and its byproducts as well. However, they are also not allowed to eat meat and dairy products in the same meal, which strikes out food such as cheeseburgers and tandoori chicken, which are considered Halal so long as the proper slaughtering procedures are followed.

Now, the Quran states that the food of the 'Peoples of the Book' (Jews and Christians) are lawful, as the following verse states:

".... The food of the Peoples of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them...."
- Surah Al-Mai'dah (The Table) Verse 5:6

Christians don't have a codified set of dietary laws, but Jews do. While some take this to mean that kosher food is alright, most believe that it can be consumed only in the case of no halal alternatives. After all, alcohol is considered kosher, but not halal. I guess I'm going to go along with the advice of most Muslim groups: go for kosher only in the absence of halal alternatives.

(to be continued)

hisoka SG

hmmz do halai stuff means higher cost right?

so the non-muslim are subsidizing the muslim at halai places cos they don't need the halai things? Confused

fudgester SG

Hmm.. how does it translate to higher costs?

Fatum SG

if you go to a vegetarian resturant, you can eat totally without worries right ? ...

what about seafood ? ... are all kinds of seafood okay without prep ? ...

fudgester SG

Yes, provided that all other rules of Halal are followed as well.

For instance, fish which is served with sauce that has wine in it is not considered halal.

SBS9828X SG

but then the oil…

[email protected] SG

Got halai pork or not? Laughing

hisoka SG

you need special preparation from normal stuff.

like chicken you need to erm pray or whatever? basically you need to do some thing else to the chicken than if non-halai right? that will incur cost no?

and the halai certification? + the emplyment of muslim staff?? nothing against muslims but the fact that there are places restricted to a certain class of pple means that class/type/group of pple have increased bargaining power and thus potentially higher pay/costs.

correct or not?

fudgester SG

(continued)

Rule Applications & Conclusion

Note that while the rules do seem pretty restrictive, they are by no means totally rigid. Under difficult circumstances the rules can be bent or even ignored altogether if the situation warrants it. To quote again from the Quran:

'.... But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, - then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'
- Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow), Verse 2:173

For example, I once remember returning to camp one full day early from navigation exercise in Thailand. No cookhouse food was indented for me, and I was fresh out of combat rations. There was the canteen, but all the stalls sold pork dishes. Rather than going hungry for 24 hours flat (after being in the jungle for the past 48 hours), I bought some seafood noodles.

I guess if the rules have to be bent, they should be bent as lightly as possible. In the absence of halal alternative, I'd say go for alternatives in the following order (from most to least preferable):

vegetarian -> seafood -> kosher -> non-halal slaughtered meat -> pork

In other words, if there's no halal food but there is seafood, then go for the seafood pasta, I say. No go for the pork chops, though.

Of course, if you're stuck in the desert with nothing to eat but ham sandwiches, then go ahead. Preservation of life takes precedence over dietary laws. Just don't bend the rules too far.

I hope this not-so-brief article helps to enlighten you guys a bit on this whole issue of halal certification.

Disclaimer: I'm not an authority on Islamic issues, and I don't claim to be one. I'd appreciate it if someone were to correct me in case I got the facts messed up.

Resources and References:

'About Halal and Haram' - The Islam Forum @sgforums.com

http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=172028

'Halal' - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halal'

Is Islamic Slaughtering Cruel to Animals? ' - eat-halal.com

http://www.eat-halal.com/articles/islamicslaughter.shtml

Fatum SG

ah ... okie .... know where to bring people liao .... thanks ...

what about exotic meats ? ....

like tortise soup, snake, crocodile meat, kangaroo, ostrich etc ? .... is it just pork that's haram ? ...

mhcampboy SG

halal certification and employment all under MUIS. a government body. praying needs money? defeats the entire purpose of religion.

fudgester SG

Yes, there are special simple ritual procedures to properly slaughter the animals, but they generally do not translate to high costs, as far as I can tell. Comparing halal and non-halal meat at supermarkets I don't seem to find a difference. Even if there is, it won't be a lot.

And also, preparation of halal food does not require that the people preparing the food be Muslim as well. Otherwise, we'd have McDonalds and Burger King restaurants with all-Muslim staff members.

fudgester SG

Reptiles and amphibians are out. So tortoise soup, snake meat, and crocodile meat are all haram.

As for kangaroo and ostrich... they're both herbivorous land mammals. So I don't see why they should be considered as haram.

hisoka SG

hmmz i was under the impression that you need to have a certain number of muslim employees? maybe i mistaken. not all muslims of course.

i really don't know but my rationale tells me theres extra cost.

to the guy 2 posts above:
rituals as noted prob take extra resources. halai cert and etc under government body means no need to pay meh?

fudgester SG

Hmm? Of course not. I've eaten at halal restaurants where none of the employees (at least the ones I saw) were Muslim. Fratello's Fusion Ristorante at the NUS Staff Club (opposite YIH) is one such example.

In addition, if I'm not wrong there are no special charges for accredition from MUIS. Maybe some admin fees for the inspection and paperwork, that's all.

SBS9828X SG

airpork Laughing