What are the halal and haram foods in Islam?
This article provides a clear and straightforward explanation of the dietary rules in Islam, designed for anyone new to the topic. Based on the Qur'an, these laws form a complete system that is clear in its rules and merciful in times of need.
Legal terminology
We must start with the two key terms:
Halal
This means 'permissible'. It represents all foods by default. This must be understood in line with the good things as the Qur'an consistently pairs halal with good/wholesome.
Haram
This means 'forbidden'. It refers to a small, specific list of food items explicitly prohibited by Allah.
Avoiding excess consumption
Before diving into specifics, the first and most important principle of consumption in Islam is to avoid excess in all forms including in eating. The Qur'an repeatedly states "...do not overindulge. He does not like the overindulgers" and (6:141) "...eat and drink and do not overindulge; He does not like the overindulgers" (7:31) A person who over indulges is akin to pharaoh who "...was high in the land, and was from the overindulgers" (10:83).
Overindulgence is so severe that the Qur'an warns those "...who overindulges..." (20:127) with "...the retribution of the hereafter..." (20:127). In the past, Allah warns us by telling us how He has "...destroyed the overindulgers" (21:9).
These verses without a doubt show that excess in all its forms is condemned by the Qur'an.
All good things are permissible
The main rule of Islamic dietary law is one of permission. The Qur'an repeatedly instructs believers to "...eat from what is on the earth as good and permissible..." (2:168), or "...eat from the good things We have provided for you..." (2:172), or "...all the good things have been made permissible for you..." (5:4), or "... good things have been made permissible to you..." (5:5), and "...eat from what Allah has provided for you, good and permissible..." (5:88).
This establishes a default state where food is always halal unless it is explicitly made haram by the Qur'an or deemed harmful by society.
The term 'good things' primarily refers to foods that are not harmful to a person. While the Qur'an provides a list of specific haram foodstuffs, the general principle of avoiding harm to oneself is also major consideration. Eating deadly mushroom or smoking cigarettes or taking poison is not on the explicit list of haram items themselves. However, because they are harmful to consume, they would be deemed haram under this framework.
Always be thankful to Allah
Consuming the good provisions from Allah is viewed as an act of service that should be met with gratitude. The Qur'an tells the believers to ".. be thankful to Allah..." (2:172), or "...provided you with good provisions, so that you may be thankful..." (8:26), or "...Allah is with great bounty to the people, but most of them are not thankful" (10:60), or "...you may seek from His bounty, and that you may be thankful" (16:14), or "...eat from what Allah has provided you, that which is good and permissible, and be thankful..." (16:114), or that the animals "...have commissioned them for you, that you may be thankful" (22:36), or "...you may seek of His provisions; and perhaps you may be thankful" (28:73), or "...seek with Allah the provision and serve Him and be thankful to Him..." (29:17), or "...eat from the provisions of your Lord, and be thankful to Him..." (34:15), or "...seeking His provisions; and perhaps you may be thankful..." (35:12), or "...be among the thankful" (39:66), or "...you may seek of His provisions, and that you may be thankful" (45:12)
One of the ways people show ingratitude is by failing to eat from Allah's good provisions and thereby becoming ungrateful. One form of ingratitude we see commonly is to make haram what Allah has made halal and therefore rejecting "....the blessing of Allah..." (16:114).
What is forbidden (haram)
The Qur'an outlines a small list of haram food items. The phrase "He has only forbidden for you..." (2:173 and 16:115), emphasises that the list of haram foods is exclusive and is not open to further human additions. For example, if a person were to clearly state 'I only eat apples', then they would immediately violate that statement if they went on to eat an orange.
The following four categories are consistently mentioned as the core forbidden items in the Qur'an:
Carrion
This refers to any animal "...that which is already dead..." (2:173, 5:3 and 16:115) and "...that it be already dead..." (6:145). This would be all animals found dead before they were ritually slaughtered or hunted.
Blood
This refers to the "...blood..." (2:173, 5:3 and 16:115) and more specifically "...running blood..." (6:145). This is blood that flows from an animal after slaughter. Blood that remains within the flesh after slaughter is not included in this prohibition.
The meat of pig
The Qur'an explicitly makes haram the "...meat of pig..." (2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115) and goes on to describe the meat as "...foul..." (6:145). The Qur'an's precise wording is significant as the haram part of the animal is the meat only.
The prohibition on the meat of the pig is covered in detail in our article here.
Food sacrificed to other than Allah
The final haram item is anything "...what was sacrificed with to other than Allah..." (2:173, 5:3 and 16:115) or anything that "...has become nasty by being sacrificed to other than Allah..." (6:145). This is referring to any animal or food which has been dedicated or sacrificed in the name of an idol, deity, or to any entity besides Allah.
Prohibitions based on method of death
In addition to the core categories, an otherwise permissible animal such as cattle becomes forbidden if it dies in one of several ways. If animal dies which "...has been strangled, and that which has been
bludgeoned, and that which has fallen from a height, and that
which has been gored, and that which a wild animal has savaged..." (5:3), then these become forbidden "...unless it was slaughtered while it still lived..." (5:3). Furthermore, if an animal "...has been
slaughtered on altars..." (5:3), this also becomes forbidden to eat. The Qur'an clearly states that animal that is killed on the alters "...is all nasty..." (5:3)
Remembering Allah's name
A requirement for all food to be halal is that Allah's name is mentioned upon it. The Qur'an commands believers to "...eat from that on which the name of Allah has been remembered..." (6:118) and warns "...do not eat from that which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for it is wickedness..." (6:121). This condition is restricted to mentioning "...the name of Allah for what He has provided for them
of the animal livestock..." (22:34) and when eating the hunted animals "...they have captured for you
and mention the name of Allah upon it..." (5:4). This is specific to living creatures and not extended to food items like vegetables and fruits.
The timing of mentioning Allah's name on the animal depends on the type of animal being slaughtered.
Animal livestock (e.g., cattle, sheep, goats)
In connection with livestock, the time to "...remember the name
of Allah upon them..." (22:36) is when the animals "...are lined up..." (22:36) for slaughter and only to eat them "...once their bodies
have become still..." (22:36).
The animal must be killed in a way which allows for the running blood to drain away as running blood is one of the core haram items.
Hunted animals and all other foods (e.g., fish, wild animals)
When it comes to hunting animals, the rule is amended so the animal is hunted first and then "...mention the name of Allah upon it..." (5:4).
All animals which are not deemed animal livestock can be hunted and consumed such as whales, tigers, eagles, dogs etc, provided the animal was already alive at the time of the hunt and any running blood is drained subsequently.
We can see the wisdom of the Qur'an in both of these scenarios. When slaughtering cattle, the animal is known and identified beforehand so mentioning the name of Allah is the practical rule.
When it comes to hunting, the animal is not identifiable beforehand and it usually is what is killed first. For example, when a fishing net is cast, the fish being hunted are caught at random. Trying to mention the name of Allah name before killing each random fish is not a practical way, hence only mentioning Allah's name before consumption is the rule.
Seafood
The Qur'an clearly tells the believers that "permitted for you is the catch of the sea, to eat it as enjoyment for you and for those who travel..." (5:96) without any restrictions. One of the benefits of the sea among many is "...that you may eat from it a tender meat..." (16:14). Even when "...the two seas..." (35:12) are not identical, "...one is fresh and palatable, good to drink, while the other is salty and bitter..." (35:12), but Allah says "...each of them you eat tender meat..." (35:12).
Without any further restrictions, all seafood is deemed halal provided it does not cause harm to the person and Allah's name is mentioned before eating.
As we will go on to see, the Qur'an makes a distinction between hunting land and sea animals. Therefore, the definition of seafood is restricted to all creatures which cannot survive out of the water.
Hunted land animals
Hunting and eating animals which are not considered livestock is halal as the Qur'an says "...eat from what they have captured for you and mention the name of Allah upon it..." (5:4). This includes all land animals provided they are not harmful to eat and to be on the safe side, would also include all amphibious creatures and the flying birds.
The only difference between hunting land animals and seafood is that hunting land animals is forbidden in a specific scenario. Allah order the believers to "...kill no game when you are under ihram..." (5:95) because "...forbidden for you is the catch of the land as long as you are under..." (5:96). Ihram is a state a person enters when intending to perform pilgrimage to the Kaaba.
If a person does hunt an animal on the land and "...kills it deliberately..." (5:95), then they must pay compensation. This should be "...to make it as a offering to reach the Kaaba..." (5:95) to the equivalent value of "...that hoofed animal which was killed..." (5:95) as "... judged by two equitable persons from you..." (5:95).
The Qur'an defines what it considers are the hoofed animals. These are "...from the sheep two..." (6:143), "...from the goats two..." (6:143), "...from the camels two..." (6:144) and "...from the cattle two..." (6:144). The 'two' in each description is referring to the male and female of each animal type.
This means if a lion was hunted whilst the person was under ihram, then the its equivalence could be judged to be a cow from amongst the hoofed animals, and the cow is made as a offering to reach the Kaaba.
If a person does not choose this option, then they are to pay compensation by "...feed the needy ones..." (5:95). Based on the judgement of the "...two just men from among you..." (5:95), the number of needy can vary. If it was judged that a cow can feed fifty people, then the person guilty of hunting during ihram will have to feed fifty people. This could be by feeding the meat of the hunted animal itself to avoid waste. This is so that they "...suffer the results of his deed..." (5:95) and cannot benefit from the illegal hunt personally. The meat is not haram for the people being fed as long as they all mention the name of Allah before eating. It is only haram for the person who undertook the hunt whilst in ihram.
The final option of atoning for hunting whilst in ihram would be through performing "...the equivalent of that in fasting..." (5:95). This can be determined by the size of the animal killed as the fasting must be proportional. For example, if it is determined that a cow can feed fifty people, then the fasting days must be fifty days also.
The penalties for hunting whilst in ihram are designed to be heavy and a deterrent as it constitutes a major transgression of Allah's laws.
Food of the Jews and Christians
Prior to the completion of the revelation of the Qur'an, Allah gave a final concession for the believers to be thankful for. The Qur'an clearly states that "...the food of those who have been given the Book is permissible for you, and your food is permissible for them..." (5:5)
This applies as long as the food does not fall into one of the haram categories already covered previously. A Muslim may eat chicken prepared by a Christian, but not the pork. For their meat to be halal, they must follow their own religious rituals for slaughter because Allah has already "...established a practice that they may mention the name of Allah for what He has provided for them of the animal livestock..." (22:34). Broadly, we know that for Jews, it must follow the kosher laws and the Christians are famous for declaring all foods as permissible.
Furthermore, this concession does not compromise the fourth item on the prohibited list which is food sacrificed to other than Allah. This is because the people of the book and the Muslims all follow the same monotheistic creed.
We see the wisdom for this concession in the Qur'an based on an altogether separate allowance. The Qur'an has made it permissible for Muslim males to marry "...females from those who have been given the Book before you; on condition that you give them their dowries..." (5:5). Without this concession from Allah, it would otherwise cause huge difficulty in such a marriage, as effectively there would be a requirement for having two kitchens in order to fulfil Islamic dietary laws.
Warning against making things haram
The absolute authority to permit and forbid belongs to Allah alone. A recurring and emphatic theme in the Qur'an is that human beings must not declare foods haram that Allah has not declared Himself.
Prohibition on human additions
Believers are categorically commanded to "...not make forbidden the good things that Allah has made permissible to you..." (5:87). Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) addressed those who insisted on making additional dietary laws when he was ordered to ask "...you have made some of it forbidden and some permissible..." (10:59), "...did Allah authorise you, or do you invent lies
about Allah?" (10:59).
Allah warns believers to "... not say, as to what your tongues falsely describe: 'this is permissible, and that is forbidden'..." (16:116) because those who do, only "...seek to invent lies about Allah. Those who invent lies about Allah will not succeed" (16:116).
This act of over-complicating Allah's law is a form of rebellion against His blessings and a sign of ingratitude.
The prophetic example
The dietary rules are so absolute that even our master Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), was corrected in the Qur'an for making something haram without Allah's permission. Allah addresses Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him ) by asking "...O prophet, why do you make forbidden what Allah has made permissible for you, seeking to please your wives? Allah is Forgiver, Merciful" (66:1). This demonstrates that the authority to legislate in matters of diet belongs to Allah alone.
Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) was only authorised to make "...permissible for them the good things, and he makes forbidden for them the vile things..." (7:157) and this was always based on "...the light that was sent down with him..." (7:157), which is referring to the Qur'an. So may argue that "...the vile things..." (7:157) are animals like predators and dogs but this is all guesswork and not should not be based on personal disgust. We should look at the what the Qur'an already labels as vile things. When it comes to food, it describes pork as "...foul..." (6:145) or when halal animals "...become nasty by being sacrificed to other than Allah..." (6:145). In other areas, the Qur'an instructs to "...avoid the foulness of idols..." (22:30), or homosexuality is described as doing "... vile things..." (21:74). Furthermore, Allah orders Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) to say "...I do not find in what is inspired to me to be forbidden for any eater to eat, except..." (6:145) which indicates animals like predators and dogs would fall into the "...do not find..." (6:145) category.
Had Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) made additions without authority from Allah, the consequences would have been extremely severe for Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) as Allah says "...had he attributed anything falsely to Us. We would have seized him by the right. Then, We would have severed his life-line." (69:44, 69:45 and 69:46). This in of itself demonstrates the seriousness of upholding the dietary laws in Islam based on the Qur'an alone. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) was a perfect follower of the Qur'an rather than a source of law independent of it.
Diet based on mercy
The Islamic diet is designed to be clear, straightforward, and based on divine wisdom rather than human invention. It is also merciful, making allowances for human need in times of desperation.
In a situations where "...whoever finds himself forced out of need, without seeking disobedience or transgression, then there is no sin upon him..." (2:173), or "...whoever is forced by severe hunger and not seeking sin..." (5:3), or "...whoever is forced to, without seeking disobedience or transgression..." (6:145), and "...whoever is forced to, without seeking disobedience or transgression..." (16:115), then a person can eat all things haram as the preservation of life is paramount.
Conclusion
All good and non-harmful foods are halal by default as long as it is eaten in moderation. The four haram items are specific and fixed for all times. However, in times of desperation, then even these haram foods become halal for the individual person.
The authority to make dietary rules belongs to Allah alone. A believer's role is not to add to the list of prohibitions, but to show gratitude by accepting and enjoying all the good things Allah has provided.