For consumers

Basic Halal principles

According to the Islamic worldview, all food and drinks can be classified under one of the following categories:

1. Halal: ‘Halal’ is an Arabic word which means lawful or allowable. Any food or drink which falls under this category is permitted for consumption. Most food and drinks are considered Halal unless they are stated clearly in the Quran (holy book of Islam) and Hadith (prophetic sayings) as forbidden or non-Halal.

2. Non-halal: ‘Non-Halal’, also traditionally known as ‘Haram’, means unlawful or unallowable. As the name implies, any food or drink which is classified as non-Halal is prohibited for consumption. Remember ABCDIS:

3. Syubhah: Any food or drink which lies within the grey area and does not fall clearly under the Halal or non-Halal category is classified as ‘Syubhah’, alternatively called questionable or dubious.

One example of a Syubhah ingredient is lecithin. Lecithin can be derived from plants or animals. It is considered Halal if the lecithin comes from plants but non-Halal should it come from pigs or animals that are not slaughtered in accordance with the Islamic law.

Until the status becomes clear, Muslims should avoid consuming Syubhah food or drinks. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has given a guideline concerning Syubhah matters. It is reported by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Ibn Majah and Darimi, as follow:

...الْحَلاَلُ بَيِّنٌ، وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ، لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ. فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ. وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ

Which means: What is Halal is clear. And what is Haram is also clear. And in between those two is a dubious area in which many people do not know about. So whoever distanced himself from it, he has acquitted himself (from blame). And those who fall into it, he has fallen into a state of Haram.

A processed food is “halal” if it meets the following conditions:

• the product or its ingredients does not contain any components or products of animals that are non-Halal by Shariah Law or animals that are not slaughtered according to Shariah Law;

• the product does not contain anything in large or small quantities that is considered as non-halal according to Shariah Law;

• the product is prepared, processed or manufactured using equipment and facilities that are free from cross-mixing with non-halal substances; and

• during its preparation, processing, storage or transportation, it should be fully separated from any other food that does not meet the requirements specified in items (a), (b) or/and (c) or any other things that are considered as non-halal by Shariah Law.

What about hygiene and sanitation?

• Hygiene has been given much emphasis in Islam and it includes the various aspects of personal hygiene, clothing, equipment and the working premises for processing or manufacture of food. The objective is to ascertain that the food produced is hygienic and is not hazardous to health.

• Hygienic can be defined as free from impure substances, cross-mixing, and harmful germs.

• All foods shall be prepared, processed, packaged, transported and stored in such a manner that they are in compliance to hygiene and sanitary requirements of the relevant authorities.

Religious reference on food & drinks

Click here to read Food Additive Listing [PDF, 634 KB] ↗ (opens in new tab).

List of Halal-certified eating establishments and food preparation areas

Search for Halal-certified eating establishments and food preparations areas here ↗ (opens in new tab).