H a l a l and H a r a m?
The Importance of a Halaal Diet
In a Hadith Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is reported to have said :"Search for Halaal (i.e. money or food) is also Fardh (obligatory) along with other Fardh things from Allah" (Mishkat Sharif)
Here are a few important verses from the Holy Quran that very clearly describe the Islamic laws regarding Halaal and Haraam.
1. O Mankind ! Eat the lawful (Halaal) and good things from what is in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Surely he is an open enemy to you. (2: 168).
2. O believers ! Eat of the good things that We have provided you with and give thanks to Allah. (2: 172)
3. He has forbidden you what dies of itself (carrion), and blood, and the flesh of swine and that over which any name other than (that of) Allah has been invoked. (2: 173)
4. And eat of the lawful (Halaal) and good things that Allah has given you and keep your duty to Allah. (5: 88)
5. O believers ! Intoxicants, and game of chance, and idolatrous practices and divining (of the future through) arrows are abominations devised by the Satan. Shun it then !, so that you may prosper. (5: 90)
Our beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has taught us to be very careful about our food in terms of Halaal and Haraam. His sayings indicate that Haraam food makes our Faith terminally damaged and our soul and heart extremely weak. Here are a selection of meanings and extracts of his sayings :
1. A person after travelling a long distance, with dispersed hairs and covered with dust, raises his hands for the prayer and says O Allah !, O Allah! But his food is Haraam, his drink is Haraam and his dress is Haraam. So how can his prayer be accepted by Allah ? (Mishkat Sharif)
Note : It means that without Halaal food our Duas are not accepted at all.
2. Sadaqah (charity) from Haraam wealth is not accepted by Allah, and there is no Barakah (Blessing of Allah) in such things and the Haraam wealth will take one to Hell. (Imam Ahmed).
3. Those persons whose bodies are nourished with Haraam food will not enter paradise. (Mishkat Sharif)
4. When Haraam is mixed with Halaal, it ruins the Halaal as well. (Mishkat Sharif)
5. Salah (Ritual Prayers) of a person with Haraam clothes is not accepted by Allah. (Mishkat Sharif)
6. One who drinks Sharab (Wine), Allah does not accept that persons Salah for forty days. (Tirmidhi)
Note: Muslim scholars say that whether a person takes Sharab
directly or indirectly with other edible things in the form of an ingredient,
his/her Salah is barred from acceptance for 40 days in the light of this
Hadith.
Good Sites to Visit
The Muslims Food Board
A good directory of Halal and Haram food available in the market.