Halaal food

Halaal food is something that is pure and clean and is obtained through a means that the Shari’ah authorised.

According to the Shari’ah, swine, blood and an animal whose Zabah was not carried out according to the principle of the Shari’ah, are impure and filthy. Thus, it is not permissible to consume them.

Similarly, the money that a person receives as interest is Haraam. Thus, it is not permissible to consume it. Besides this, the money that a person receives by horse racing, gambling in casinos or by stealing, is Haraam and it is not permissible to consume.

It is very important to consume Halaal foods. We should not minimise its importance due to the difficulty of obtaining something Halaal. This is so important that the Ambiya (Alaihis Salaam) also received the order to observe it. It is impossible for a Nabi to consume something that is not pure. But despite this, if Allah Ta’ala addressed them on this subject, it is just to show the degree of its importance.

The acceptance of Duas depends on what we consume. The Dua of a person, whose food is not Halaal, is not Qabul (accepted). We must ask ourselves: how can a person be fortunate through his wealth or his fortune, when good fortune lies in the hand of Allah Ta’ala. And Allah Ta’ala renders the lives of people fortunate by accepting their Dua.

A person, who has a lot of money that he received through unlawful means, cannot be fortunate because of his wealth. This fortune is merely something to hoard. There is nothing besides misfortune in it because the blessing of Allah Ta’ala is not showered on such people. This shows that consuming Haraam food makes a person very unfortunate. It is better to eat dry bread that is Halaal, than eating meat, fish or Briani that is Haraam.

[English version of "Nourriture halaal" – Al Jamiat – Vol.4 No.12]