Islamic dietary laws

Islamic dietary laws are laws that Muslims follow in their diet. Islamic jurisprudence specifies which foods are halal (Arabic: حَلَال, romanized: ḥalāl, lit. 'lawful') and which are haram (Arabic: حَرَام, romanized: ḥarām, lit. 'unlawful'). The dietary laws are found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as well as in collections of traditions attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Herbivores, cud-chewing animals like cattle, deer, sheep, goats, and antelope are some examples of animals that are halal only if they are treated like sentient beings and slaughtered painlessly while reciting the basmala and takbir. If the animal is treated poorly or tortured while being slaughtered, the meat is haram. Forbidden food substances include alcohol, pork, frog, carrion, the meat of carnivores, and animals that died due to illness, injury, stunning, poisoning, or slaughtering not in the name of God.
Quranic verses that have information regarding halal foods include: Q2:173, Q5:5, and Q6:118–119, 121.
Livestock or cattle, i.e. grazing beasts, are lawful except those that are explicitly prohibited. Hunting is prohibited during "the pilgrimage".
This means that most herbivores or cud-chewing animals like cattle, deer, sheep, goats, and antelope are considered halal to consume.
Animals hunted by other animals (such as trained birds) are also permitted.
In Islamic law, dhabīḥah (Arabic: ذَبِيحَة) is the prescribed method of slaughter for halal animals. It consists of a swift, deep incision to the throat with a very sharp knife, cutting the wind pipe, jugular veins and carotid arteries on both sides but leaving the spinal cord intact.
The carcass should be hung upside down for long enough to be free of blood.
Slaughtered animals must be acknowledged as sentient beings and slaughtered painlessly while reciting the Basmala and Takbir. The butcher is required to call upon the name of Allah (Bismillah) individually for each animal. If the animal is treated poorly, or tortured while being slaughtered, the meat is haram.
Conversely, animals slaughtered for food may not be killed by being boiled or electrocuted. Animals strangled or beaten to death, or that died by falling or due to a wild animal are also expressly forbidden.
Game of water (i.e. fish and other sea creatures) is generally permitted in most of the schools of Islam, based on their interpretation of the Quran 5:96; the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence forbids consumption of seafood other than true "fish", and considers other sea creatures, such as crustaceans, to be makruh. Fishing is permitted during pilgrimage.
Some Hanafi scholars are in disagreement over whether or not prawns and shrimp constitute as true "fish"; comparatively, many scholars do agree that crocodile, crab, lobster, or any mollusk is not.
In Shia hadith, there is a prohibition on the consumption of eels. Any fish without scales are haram (forbidden) but fish that do have scales are permissible. (see List of halal and kosher fish - Wikipedia)
According to the Maliki school, all types of seafood including seahorses, lobsters and crabs are permitted.
According to Shafi school, every type of fish that is not poisonous (i.e. puffer fish, rock fish etc.) is permitted and crustaceans that do not live on land such as soft-shell crabs and lobsters are permitted, while hermit-crabs, crocodiles and sea-snakes are haram.
Food of Jews and Christians (other than those explicitly forbidden) is lawful for Sunni Muslims.
A variety of substances are also considered unlawful (haram) for humans to consume and therefore, the consumption of them is forbidden by the Sharia (Islamic law).
Certain animals are considered haram, including land animals without blood, including all insects except locusts. Most reptiles are also considered haram, as well as most pests (hasharat al-Ardh) such as mice and rats.
Differences of opinion exist as to whether the consumption of horses, mules, and donkeys is permitted. In the Quran, one finds this verse: "And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use for show; and He has created (other) things of which you have no knowledge". Some scholars have interpreted this as limiting the named animals for riding and show only, prohibiting their consumption. Predatory animals, such as lions, tigers, falcons and hawks are forbidden as well.
However, a person would not be considered guilty of sin in a situation where the lack of any alternative creates an undesired necessity to consume that which is otherwise unlawful, such as a famine.
Alcoholic drinks are generally prohibited under Islamic thought, with the Quran including several verses that admonish the consumption of khamr, an Arabic term meaning intoxicants that is interpreted to include most forms of alcohol and psychoactive drugs:
There is some debate about whether the prohibition extends to dishes in which the alcohol would be cooked off, or if it would be practically impossible to consume enough of the food to become intoxicated, but it is generally accepted that the inclusion of any alcohol should be avoided and alternatives used.
Substances that contain intoxicants but are not consumed are not prohibited as such. For example, alcohol can be used as a disinfectant or for cleaning.
The Alevi Muslims of Turkey permit alcohol, unlike many other denominations. The Zaidi and Mutazili sects believe that the use of alcohol has always been forbidden and refer to the Qur'an Ayah (4:43) as feeling of sleepiness and not to be awake.
An animal that dies by itself, i.e., carrion, is forbidden in Islam:
The consumption of blood and its by-products as food is forbidden in Islam, in the Quran, surah 5, al-Maʼidah, verse 3:
The consumption of pork and products made from pork are strictly forbidden in Islam. The origin of this prohibition is in Surat al-Baqarah:
Animal dedicated to or slaughtered in the name of a human being or saint is prohibited.
In both Sunni and Shia hadith the meat of mules is prohibited but horse meat is allowed in Sunni sources.
Horse meat is especially popular among the Muslims of Central Asia, due in part to their nomadic heritage.
According to Shia hadith, the use of horses for food is prohibited.
Donkey meat is prohibited according to one hadith.
Predator animals possessing fangs are prohibited (e.g. cats, dogs, bears, lions, wolves).
Birds having talons are prohibited (e.g. owls, eagles, hawks).
Lizard is prohibited, except for the dabb lizard according to most scholars.
Likewise snakes, scorpion, and mice are prohibited. There are also no rodents that are considered halal to eat in Islam.
Eating monkeys is prohibited in Islam. According to Shia hadith, metamorphosed animals to which a disobedient, irreverent, or arrogant pre-Islamic nation was converted as a punishment (such as apes and monkeys) are prohibited.
Foods whose halal status is uncertain or debated may be classified as mushbooh (Arabic: مشبوه; 'doubtful'). This includes foods that are seemingly halal but of an unknown source and ingredients for which the halal status is subject to differing interpretation, such as extract from brewer's yeast, which is nonalcoholic but derived from the production of alcohol.
Ramadan, the ninth month on the Muslim calendar, is considered the holy month of fasting. Ramadan begins and ends with the appearance of the new moon. During Ramadan God is said to have delivered the Quran to Muhammad as guidance for the people. During Ramadan, Muslims take time for introspection, prayer, and reading of the Quran. For those who observe Ramadan with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention; God forgives their past sins. During this period, Muslims focus on self restraint or sawm (Arabic: to refrain), which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Ramadan emphasizes sawm, when worshippers have to abstain from food, drink, sexual activity, and immoral behavior between dawn and dusk. After dusk, Muslims break their fast during a meal called iftar with family and friends. Sawm can be negated by breaking fast, however, the lost can be made up with one extra day of fasting. The end of the Ramadan fast is the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr (Feast of Fast-Breaking), one of the two major religious holidays on the Muslim calendar.
Since the turn of the 21st century, there have been efforts to create organizations that certify food products as halal for Muslim consumers in the USA. Since 1991, some mainstream manufacturers of soups, grains, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, prepared foods, and other products, as well as hotels, restaurants, airlines, hospitals, and other service providers have pursued the halal market. These companies purchase halal-certified products. This can allow companies to export products to most Middle Eastern countries and Southeast Asian countries. The oldest and most well-known halal certifier in the United States is called the Islamic Services of America.
In Europe, several organizations have been created in order to certify the halal products. A 2009 survey published by a French association of Muslim Consumers (ASIDCOM) shows that the market of halal products has been developed in a chaotic way in Europe. The European certification organizations do not have a common definition of "halal" nor agreed upon control procedures and traceability. The controls implemented by individual agencies are all very different: they can go from an annual audit of the slaughterhouse, to checking each production with permanent controls in place and on-going independent monitoring.
In South Africa, most chicken products have a halal stamp. The South African National Halal Authority (SANHA) issues certificates and products bearing this logo range from water, snacks, and even meat-free products (which may contain non-halal ingredients). The South African National Halal Authority also licenses the usage of the Halal logo in restaurants where the food is halal, in addition to no alcohol or pork products being served.
In Singapore, halal certification is managed by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), also known as the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore. They are the sole custodian of Halal Certification in Singapore.
In Malaysia, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) is the agency responsible for halal certification in Malaysia.
In 2013, the halal market was estimated to be 26% of world food trade. The Global Halal Institute has a list of Halal certifiers that are approved by most Muslim countries with dietary import restrictions for companies.
In the United Kingdom, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, or Singapore, halal fried chicken restaurants having thousands of outlets, some but not all of which, serve halal foods such as the Nando's, Brown's Chicken, and Crown Fried Chicken companies.
Research claims the method of quickly severing windpipe, jugular vein and carotid artery in one quick move without giving the animal time to panic does have an effect on quality of meat. When animals face trauma or stress, the glycogen in their body is converted to lactic acid. This affects the pH level of the meat, lower pH resulting in lighter colored meat and higher pH resulting in darker meat. This makes the meat tougher and also hard to chew. The halal way of slaughtering ensures the method is believed to be less traumatic for the animal.