Food and Drink

Islamic law sets out detailed rules concerning what is permissible (halal) and impermissible (haram) to eat and drink. The default ruling for all foods and drinks is permissibility (ibahah) — everything is halal unless explicitly prohibited. Allah Most High says: "O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good” (al-Baqarah 2:168), and: "He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah” (al-Baqarah 2:173).

Prohibited Foods: The following are categorically prohibited: (1) Carrion (maytah) — animals that die without valid slaughter; (2) Blood — flowing blood (masfuh), though traces in meat after proper slaughter are excused; (3) Pork and all products of the pig; (4) Animals slaughtered while invoking a name other than Allah's; (5) Animals that have been strangled, beaten to death, fallen from a height, gored by another animal, or partially eaten by a predator — unless still alive at the time of slaughter; (6) All animals and birds with claws or fangs used for hunting (predatory animals and birds of prey), according to the Hanbali school; (7) Donkeys (domestic donkeys are prohibited; wild donkeys are permitted); (8) Insects and reptiles in general, with exceptions such as locusts.

Permitted Animals: The following are definitively permitted: all domesticated livestock (camels, cattle, sheep, goats); most birds that do not use talons to hunt; fish and all sea creatures are generally permitted — the Prophet said: "Two types of dead animals are permissible for us: fish and locusts” (Ibn Majah); game animals hunted lawfully; and wild land animals that are not predators.

Conditions for Valid Slaughter (Dhabh): For land animals to be halal, they must be properly slaughtered. The conditions are: (1) The slaughterer must be a Muslim or a People of the Book (ahl al-kitab — Jews and Christians); (2) The instrument must be sharp and able to cut; (3) The trachea (windpipe) and esophagus must be severed, along with the two jugular veins in the Hanbali view; (4) The name of Allah (basmalah) must be said at the moment of slaughter — if deliberately omitted, the animal is not halal; if forgotten, it is halal; (5) The animal must be alive at the time of slaughter; (6) No other name besides Allah's should be mentioned at the time of slaughter.

Intoxicants: All intoxicants are absolutely prohibited regardless of quantity. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is haram” (Muslim). "Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a small amount of it is also haram” (Abu Dawud). This includes all alcoholic beverages, recreational drugs, and any substance that clouds the intellect. The prohibition is among the most absolute in Islamic law.