Permissibility of Food: People of the Book

Introduction:

Muslims living in western countries and other non-Islamic regions more often face a dilemma of adjusting their food requirements whatever is available in such markets. Under such a circumstance, First option would be to consume only vegetarian food where cooking oil, emulsifiers, stabilizers and main vegetables are all of purely vegetable origin. The Second best solution is to consume fish and fish products which are cooked under vegetarian medium which could also include butterfat. The Third option is to investigate which food from the people of the book (Ahle Kitab) i.e. Jews and Christians, is permissible under the circumstance where first two options are not available.

People of the Book are religious Jews and Christians:

In our present generation, the religious Jews and Christians are the same communities which have been mentioned in The-Qur’an. When we talk about religious Jews and Christians meaning they still consider their books Torah and Gospel and invoke Alloh for their benefits irrespective of their frequency to Synagogue or Church. Though they are disbelievers in Islam but by the virtue of Torah and Gospel which they still consider their divine books, they are different to other disbelievers in Islam like Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sikh etc.

Thus Jews and Christians in western hemisphere or any other place, if they consider themselves as religious identity that would suffice there being Jews and Christians who are the people of the book. But many westerners are atheist and do not trace their belief in Christianity or Jewry. The atheist westerners follow innovated form of slaughtering and religious bindings mentioned in Torah, Gospel and The-Qur’an do not concern them. The slaughtered meat from them is Haram for Muslims.

The category of Ahle Kitab would also include Extremist Christian Evangelists, Radical Conservative Christians and Extremist Orthodox Jews who have a history of anti Islamic sentiments and are considered Anti-Islamists.

Secular Jews and Christians:

But there are so called Jews and Christians who are not religious and do not follow any of the remnant laws mentioned in Torah and Gospel, they follow secular laws, they cannot be considered same Jews and Christians of the book. Under such a condition, food obtained from such a source shall be considered not Halal. In most of the western countries, such Jews and Christians who follow secular slaughtering practices, their slaughtered but Islamic permissible animal cannot be considered Halal or edible for Muslims. Thus Supermarket meat available in the west or other regions is not Halal.

Although many self-described atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere. In general, atheist westerners are the one who disbelieve or deny the existence of Alloh and do not and cannot be called people of the book. Thus their slaughtered but permissible Islamic animals are Haram for Muslims.

Act of Slaughtering Permitted Animal:

The act of slaughtering itself should, according to The-Qur'an, be preceded by mentioning the name of Alloh. Invoking the name of Alloh at the moment of slaughtering is sometimes interpreted as acknowledgment of Alloh's right over all things. Furthermore, it is an asking of permission to take the life of the animal to be slaughtered, and endows the slaughterer with a sense of gratitude for Alloh's creation, even prior to partaking in the meat of the animal. Thus, the slaughter itself is preceded by the words "In the name of Alloh, Alloh is Greater (Bismillah, Allohu Akbar).

For permitted animal’s meat to be Halal, it has to meet the requirements of slaughter in the Islamic way. This includes invoking Alloh’s (The-God’s) name before slaughtering it and knife moves on the front of the throat of an animal and does not pierce thoracic bone to avoid damage to spinal cord. This method of slaughtering animals consists of a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife on the neck, cutting the jugular veins and carotid arteries of both sides but leaving the spinal cord intact. The objective of this technique is to more effectively drain the body of the animal's blood, resulting in more hygienic meat, and to minimize the pain and agony for the animal. These principles are derived from The-Qur’an and the Sunan of the Last Messenger Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

The-Qur’anic Commands:

"Prohibited for you are animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than Alloh (The-Alloh). (Animals that die of themselves include those) strangled, struck with an object, fallen from a height, gored, attacked by a wild animal - unless you save your animal before it dies - and animals sacrificed on altars…" {The Qur’an – Surah Al Maa’idah (Chapter: The Table spread) <timeminute3hour17>05: 03}.

"Do not eat from that upon which the name of Alloh (The-Alloh) has not been mentioned, for it is an abomination. The devils inspire their allies to argue with you; if you obey them, you will be idol worshipers (Mushrikoon)" {The Qur’an – Surah Al An’ am (Chapter: The Livestock) 06: 121}.

"Today, all good food (Tayyabat) is made lawful for you. The food of the people of the scripture is lawful for you" {The Qur’an – Surah Al Maa’idah (Chapter: The Table spread) <timeminute5hour17>05: 05}. It is clear from this verse that the food of the Book has to be from among the good food (Tayyabat) that means the meat has to meet the Islamic requirements of slaughter.

"You shall eat from that upon which Alloh's (The-Alloh's) name has been pronounced, if you truly believe in His revelations" {The Qur’an – Surah Al An’ am (Chapter: The Livestock) 06:118}. The invoking of the name of Alloh at the time of slaughtering is very significant. It indicates that life is sacred and even animal life can not be taken except for lawful purposes, and no purpose can be considered lawful unless it is sanctioned by Alloh.

Conclusion:

• Always look for meat slaughtered by invoking Almighty Alloh’s name and by a Muslim.

• Second preference goes to Kosher which is slaughtered according to Kashrus principles which is second best after Islamic principles.

• The permitted cattle slaughtered without invoking Alloh’s name and without Zabih principles is Haram. A Muslim would refrain consuming such meat except under circumstances where eating such a food is only remedy to save personal life.