بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
“In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
“O people! Eat of what is in the earth, Halal and Pure, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, for you he is an open enemy.” Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 168)
All things are permissible unless proven to be unlawful. However, the case with meat is different, in that it is unlawful until proven to be Halal. The proof for this is the narration of Adi ibn Hatim (r.a) where he said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ “O Messenger of Allah! At times, I let go of my hunting dog but I find with it another dog and I am unaware which of the two hunted the animal? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Don’t eat (from the hunted animal), for you have pronounced the name of Allah on your dog and not on the other.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no 5486)
This Hadith clearly indicates that when there is doubt in the animal being Halaal, it will be unlawful to consume it, which signifies that meat is originally unlawful until proven to be Halaal.
With the increase in restaurants & our interest in going out to eat, it is very important that we ensure we know that the food were are eating is ‘halal’. We all must have heard of the term ‘You are what you eat’. Many argue & say but the sin is not on us, rather on the owners. Yes, although that may be the case, one’s body & life will still have the effects of eating haraam foods. Eating haraam foods affects one spirituality, the ability to do good deeds & weakens the memory. Moreover du’aas are not accepted due to consuming haraam foods. There are many different methods of slaughtering in the food industry, regarding which many of us, including restaurant owners are unaware, that slaughtering in that manner does not make the animal halal for consumption. Therefore it’s each individual’s responsibility to find out if their food is halal & not just rely on the حلال sign or owners simply saying they are halal.
Currently in the UK, the HMC criteria meets the conditions that are required for meats to be permissible for the consumption of a believer. It is the most trusted organisation in the UK with the support of over 600 Mosques & many scholars. Alhamdulillah if a restaurant/ takeaway has an HMC certificate, then you can rest assured that your food is 100% halal.
But what if a restaurant / takeaway is not HMC certified?
That doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t eat from there . Here are a few questions you can ask if the restaurant / takeaway is not HMC certified to ensure your food is 100% halal.
Is your meat hand slaughtered or machine slaughtered?
Slaughtering animals mechanically is becoming widespread in many countries. Consuming machine slaughtered meat is haraam (forbidden). The reason for this is that the conditions that need to be fulfilled during slaughtering are not fulfilled such as pronouncing the name of Allah ﷻ (tasmiyah) on every chicken, tasmiyah being pronounced by the one who is slaughtering the animal, the time in between tasmiyah & slaughtering, the veins of all the birds and chickens being slit in a proper manner etc
Click here to read Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam’s detailed explanation on mechanical slaughter.
Do you use stunned or non-stunned meat?
Stunning the animal before it is actually slaughtered is a common practice in many western countries. It is claimed to be more comforting and causing less pain to the animal. Now if the animal, especially smaller animals like chicken die prior to the actual Islamic slaughter taking place or there is a fear of it dying, then it would be unlawful (haram) to consume its meat.
As the act of stunning renders the animal doubtful, one must avoid consuming the meat of animals that are stunned. It is known that the Jews abstain from consuming stunned animals, thus a Muslim should be more precautious in what he eats. However, if it is determined in a particular animal that it did not die prior to being slaughtered, then it would be Halal. This of course, is very difficult to determine whilst buying from meat shops, thus one should avoid it totally.
If a shop / takeaway / restaurant uses stunned meat, but has certifications assuring you that the animal does not die in the stunning process, such as HMB (halal monitoring board), then it will be permissible to consume.
Do you use European / imported frozen foods?
Most imported meats are mechanically slaughtered & as discussed previously it is completely haraam to consume mechanically slaughtered meats. You will surprised at how many of our local takeaways / restaurants are unaware that they are using these meats. From frozen chicken nuggets, chicken strips, chicken popcorn, chicken burgers etc. Ask them what brand they use & do your own research! Even if one does not order these items, most of the time they are fried in the same oil as everyone’s favourite – chips! Due to this cross contamination even the chips will be impermissible to consume.
Are your chips fried in the same oil as the chicken nuggets / European frozen meats?
If the takeaway / restaurant fries the chips in the same oil then the chips would not be permissible to consume.
However if they have a completely different fryer & no cross contamination between the two, the chips will be permissible to consume.
If a restaurant / takeaway ticks all the boxes, but use imported meats that are mechanically slaughtered, it’s very important that you ask this question so you know whether you can eat the chips or not.
Do you sell alcohol?
It is impermissible for a believer to eat in a restaurant wherein alcohol is served. “Whoever truly believes in Allah and the day of Judgment, he will not sit at a table where alcohol is served” (Musnad Ahmed, Hadith 14651)
It is also worth noting that there are many “halaal” Instagram food pages, however due to them also being unaware of these above points, not all the places they share are always halaal. Alhamdulillah, there is one page on Instagram which I personally refer to, if I’m looking for somewhere to eat out & that is @halalfoodgastro. Everything is well explained on their website. Click here to check them out!
Tayyibah Tree 