What is Halal ?

          HALAL is a word which denotes the acceptable objects in Islam. This word is Arabic word, which means Lawful or legal. The concept of Halal in Islam arises to protect purity, life and humanity. Allah has put some criteria to follow and look after, living according to these guidelines we obey our Allah and pay tribute and thanks to his obligations.

Islam guides its followers in all facets of life, be it permissible behavior, speech, dress, conduct, manner, financial matters, society etc. Accordingly there is Islamic dietary law which provides its practitioners information of what is good or not, for them to eat. This Halal concept is also applied on our food customs especially on meat products. According to the Islamic Laws we should consume only Halal meat products.

Holy Quran Surah Al-Baqrah verses 173:

“He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”

According to this verse we all are provided a detailed slaughtering method of animals, i.e. “Dhabiha” which is applicable on all the permitted animals except sea food animals.

According to Islamic food law, food from ‘farm to fork’ should be halal. Animal should be slaughtered by Islamic way known as Dabihah, which ensures that no blood is left in meat before it's eaten and any ingredient which is forbidden should not be used in preparation of food. For this purpose, there are many certified bodies set up to inspect, monitor and to certify halal products, in particular halal meat and poultry section like Halal India of India, Halal Monitoring Committee of UK, Halal Monitoring Authority of Canada.

Recommended halal food should be fulfilling these points:

• The animal should be slaughtered in the name of Almighty Allah.

• Main parts of the neck are windpipe, food-tract and the two jugular veins, which should be cut by a sharp knife, in one stroke only.

• The animal should be acceptable by Islamic halal food laws.

• Those animals which hunt with their claws are forbidden like Lion, eagles etc.

• Fish and sea animals need not be cut like Dhabiha.

• Halal animals list includes cows, lamb, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, ducks, game birds etc.

Meat of animal is Haram if it’s not slaughtered in this way. At the time, of slaughtering the animal should be alive, healthy, and free of any disease and the most noticeable thing is that it should not be hungry. The meat of dead animal from any type of accident or animal fight etc is haram.

Verses 168:

"O men! Eat the lawful and good things out of what is in the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of the satan; surely he is your open enemy".