Lawful
Food: Islamic Perspective
By Syed Osman Sher
Mississauga, On
Canada
The Muslims world is facing
numerous challenges today. The Muslims have spread
all over the world and are living in a number
of countries as a minority. They are facing difficulties
in passing day-to-day life because of various
restrictions imposed by the Islamic shariah. The
issue of food, especially meat and other food
items which are supposed to be polluted during
production, has become bothersome. It is now difficult
for them to determine which food items are lawful
in accordance with the standard of shariah. Let
us now examine what actually this standard is.
Before delving on the issue I would like to mention
my personal experience in this regard. In the
call of duty in the Government of Pakistan I had
to live in, and also to visit, foreign countries
many times, probably exceeding three scores, which
spanned over a period of more than thirty-five
years and spread over all the continents except
South America. During this period I met with Muslims
living as minorities as well as with the Pakistanis
posted in diplomatic missions. I, and sometimes
along with other members of Pakistani and other
Muslim countries’ delegations, dined with
them in homes, restaurants and official parties,
but hardly a word about halal meat was heard.
If I remember correctly, it was only two times
that somebody from amongst us had raised this
issue. In this regard I may like to mention an
interesting incident. It was 1965 when I and a
colleague of mine were traveling to New Zealand.
When dinner was served in the plane, the red meat
on the plate aroused my suspicion, and I asked
the air hostess if it was pork. She replied that
it was poultry meat. My colleague who was sitting
by my side was a little furious, and admonished
me as to why I had raised that question. His contention
was that without scratching the issue it was alright
for us to eat that meat, but had the hostess stated
that to be pork the meat could have become haram.
That gentleman has now emigrated and come to Canada
where I am living. One day I called him. Her daughter
replied that he had gone to a desi grocery store
to buy meat.
Religion is meant to conquer life and the world,
not to negate, much less to run away from, them.
Shariah is meant to show a path which makes life
easier for its followers. The Qur’an says:
“God doth wish to lighten your (difficulties),
for man was created weak.” (4:28). According
to Abdullah Bin Bayyah, an eminent Mauritanian
scholar, “Developing a special fiqh for
minorities is appropriate.”
While examining what type of food is lawful and
what is prohibited, the following verses of Qur’an
seem relevant:
O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, Lawful and
good; and do not follow the footsteps of the evil
one, for he is to you an avowed enemy. (2:168)
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 willful
disobedience, not transgressing due limits—then
is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful (2:173)
Forbidden
to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh
of swine, and that on which hath been invoked
the name of other than God; that which hath been
killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or
by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death;
that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild
animal; unless you are able to slaughter it; that
which is sacrificed on altars; (forbidden) also
is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows:
that is impiety. This day have those who reject
faith given up all hope of your religion: yet
fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected
your religion for you, completed My favor upon
you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.
But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination
to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful. (5:3)
They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food).
Say: lawful unto you are (all) things good and
pure: and what ye have taught your trained hunting
animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you
by Allah: eat what they catch for you, but pronounce
the name of Allah over it: and fear Allah; for
Allah is swift in taking account. (5:4)
This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful
unto you. The food of the People of the Book is
lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them.
(Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste
women who are believers, but chaste women among
the People of the Book, revealed before your time
- when ye give them their due dowers, and desire
chastity, not lewdness, nor secret intrigues if
any one rejects faith, fruitless is his work,
and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of
those who have lost (all spiritual good). (5:5)
Eat not of (meats) on which God’s name has
not been pronounced: that would be impiety. But
the satans ever inspire their friends to contend
with you. If ye were to obey them, ye would indeed
be Pagans (6:121).
Say: “I find not in the Message received
by me by inspiration any (meat) forbidden to be
eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be
dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the flesh
of swine,-- for it is an abomination — or
what is impious, (meat) on which a name has been
invoked, other than Allah’s.” But
(even so), if a person is forced by necessity,
without willful disobedience, nor transgressing
due limits. Thy Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
(6:145)
So eat of the sustenance which God has provided
for you, lawful and good; and be grateful for
the favors of God, if it is Him whom ye serve
He has only forbidden you dead meat, and blood,
and the flesh of swine, and any (food) over which
the name of other than God has been invoked. But
if one is forced by necessity, without willful
disobedience, nor transgressing the limits, then
God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. But say not
- for any false thing that your tongues may put
forth,- "This is lawful, and this is forbidden,"
so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those
who ascribe false things to Allah, will never
prosper. (16:114-116)
To every people did We appoint rites (of sacrifice),
that they might celebrate the name of Allah over
the sustenance He gave them from animals (fit
for food). But your god is One God: submit then
your wills to Him (in Islam): and give thou the
good news to those who humble themselves (22:34)
Qur’an asks man to eat food ‘lawful
and good,’ and then goes on to define it.
The foods which have been prohibited have been
mentioned repeatedly in various verses, (dead
meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which
hath been invoked the name of other than God;
that which hath been killed by strangling, etc).
From the above quoted verses of the Qur’an
it appears that such foods are abominable per
se, and on no account because God’s name
has not been taken on them.
Only in verse 22:34, which is related to animals
to be sacrificed at the time of Hajj, people have
been asked to “celebrate the name of Allah
over the sustenance.” Allah Himself says
that this sacrifice is a rite so one should invoke
God’s name thereon. Therefore, the eminent
commentator of Q’an, Abdullah Yusuf Ali,
says, “The solemn pronouncement of Allah’s
name over the sacrifice is an essential part of
the rite.” As such we may not bring into
consideration this verse while discussing the
issue of slaughtering animals.
However, in verse 6:121, a prohibition has been
made to eat (meats) on which God’s name
has not been pronounced. Commenting on this Maulana
Fatah Muhammad Khan has said that “Imam
Shaafai says that the phrase ‘God’s
name has not been pronounced’ means the
animal which has been slaughtered in the name
of other than God, because only such meat has
been prohibited. In defense of this argument he
(Imam Shaafai) presents verse 6:145. There is
no doubt that slaughtering without invoking Allah’s
name renders it unlawful. A group of sahaba, their
followers, and jurists believe that if God’s
name has not been taken, either deliberately or
otherwise, at the time of slaughter such an animal
is unlawful to eat. But there is one hadith, narrated
by Hazrat Ayesha, that if it is not known about
some meat whether Allah’s name was taken
at the time of slaughter or not, the name of Allah
can be taken and the meat be eaten. According
to the hadith, one day some people submitted to
the Holy Prophet that people often brought meat
to them as gift but they did not know if God’s
name was taken on them or not. The Prophet then
advised them to consume the meat after pronouncing
Allah’s name.” (Qur’an with
Urdu translation and commentary by Fatah Muhammad
Khan Jalandhari, Taj Company Ltd., Lahore, 1952,
p.285} It is the same Imam Shaafai who has said
in respect of ijtehad, “Only that policy
or expediency is reliable which is in consonance
with Shariah”
Further, verses 2:173 and 16:116 may also be referred
to in this regard which, with the word “iennama,”
meaning as only, prohibit the things listed. This
list does not include the food on which God’s
name has not been taken. Also in Verse 6:145 the
prohibition is made with the word illa meaning
unless or except. Here too meat on which God’s
name has not been taken is not prohibited. Rather,
it is the other way round; the food on which Allah’s
name has been pronounced must not be unlawful,
it has to be eaten. The Qur’an in verses
6:118-119 says: “So eat of (meats) on which
Allah's name hath been pronounced, if ye have
faith in His signs. Why should ye not eat of (meats)
on which Allah's name hath been pronounced, when
He hath explained to you in detail what is forbidden
to you - except under compulsion of necessity?”
The question thus arises: if the meat on which
God’s name has not been taken at the time
of slaughter has definitely been prohibited by
God, how the Holy Prophet could have allowed that?
That was also not a situation of extreme hardship.
Was it an ijtehad of the Prophet, or he knew that
taking of God’s name was not ordinarily
necessary? If pronouncing God’s name at
the time of slaughtering an animal is made mandatory
why God has made lawful the food of the People
of the Book, who may or may not take Allah’s
name? Following the direction given in the same
verse if Muslims can marry the women of the Book,
why cannot they follow the other portion of the
verse relating to food (meat)?
According to Abdullah Yusuf Ali, “In the
matter of killing of meat, the general rule is
that the name of Allah, the true God should be
pronounced as a rite in order to call our attention
to the fact that we do not take life thoughtlessly
but solemnly for food, with the permission of
Allah, to whom we render the life back.”
He further says, “The rules of Islam in
this respect being analogous to those of the People
of the Book, there is no objection to mutual recognition
as opposed to meat killed by pagans with superstitious
rites. In this respect the Christian rule [Bible,
Acts 15:29] is the same: ‘that ye abstain
from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and
from things strangled …”. (The Holy
Quran, English Translation and Commentary by Abdullah
Yusuf Ali, p.280, footnote # 698-699, The Presidency
of Islamic Research, IFTA, Mushaf Al-Madinah An-Nabawiyah).
Islam is so lenient in this regard that God has
permitted even eating a quarry, which must necessarily
have been killed at some distance from the hunter,
when brought back by the trained animals who have
been sent forth to prey pronouncing God’s
name, (Verse 5:4).
In Verse 6:138 it has been declared that those
who say that the meat on which Allah’s name
has not been pronounced at the time of slaughter
is unlawful are liar: “And they say that
such and such cattle and crops are taboo, and
none should eat of them except those whom - so
they say - We wish; further, there are cattle
forbidden to yoke or burden, and cattle on which,
(at slaughter) the name of Allah is not pronounced;
- inventions against Allah's name: soon will He
requite them for their inventions.” We generously
declare meat slaughtered by the people of the
Book, or slaughtered without pronouncing the name
of God, as haram. Is it proper to say so in the
light of the above verses, especially in the light
of the verse 6;138 and 16:116 But say not - for
any false thing that your tongues may put forth,-
"This is lawful, and this is forbidden,"
so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those
who ascribe false things to Allah, will never
prosper? Is then the action of the Muslims in
declaring one slaughtered meat as halal and the
other haram appropriate? Should the Muslims be
so fastidious in this regard?
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