Zahid et al., 2021. Journal of Agriculture Environment & Food Security.2.

41-48

A Brief Study of Islamic Laws Regarding Halal Foods and Halal Assurance in
Food Processing

Malaika Zahid1*, Saboor Khalid2 Page 41

1
Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan

2
Department of Chemistry, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan

*Corresponding Author Email: malaikazahid90@gmail.com

Abstract: Keywords:

The need for Halal food is now being increased
throughout the world, as now people know that,
Halal food increases immunity and saves us
from diseases. The Muslim consumers need a
Halal certification on their concerning food
products. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) greatly
emphasized eating only Halal food in a suitable
combination. In Islam, food is only considered
Halal when it follows eleven instructions
provided by Islam to Muslim consumers. Allah
(SWT) also taught us by Quran that eating
Halal food is much more essential for Muslims
for their health and their Eman. Furthermore,
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said, eating food
not in an appropriate manner causes
intoxication in the body and causes different
problems in the body. This is mandatory to
check that Halalness of food remains intact
during the whole food supply chain besides
checking inside the industry. As sometimes,
food becomes Haram during the food supply
chain. Halal certification of authorized Islamic
organizations on foods is indispensable to save
people from frauds.
Halal Foods, Hala Assurance, Islamic laws and
Halal Foods, Halal Food Processing.
Introduction:
Food choices vary from one religion to another
religion. Most religions prescribe or prohibit
some food commodities, as Muslims prefer
only Halal foods. The one thing that Muslims
consider before intake of food is the Halalness
of foods (Mohamed et al., 2008). For Muslims,
it is more essential that a food commodity is
having a Halal logo rather than having an ISO
logo or other verified certifications on food
products (Blackler et al., 2005). Halal
certification or Halal logo is the assurance that
not only the food product is Halal but is also
Shariah-compliant. Halal certification is now
not only confined at the slaughtering point but
is also considered at the processing stages.
Halal foods are now in demand of Muslims, but
now this is also a worldwide demand by the
consumers as Muslims know very clearly, that
Allah Almighty said in Quran to the Muslims
about eating only food that it is Halal. Eating
 Zahid et al., 2021. Journal of Agriculture Environment & Food Security.2. 41-48
Halal foods is beneficial for them regarding
their health and their Eman.
Quran says to Muslims that:
O, Ye men! Eat of what is in the earth,
lawful and wholesome and follow not the
footsteps of Satan; for
Verily he is an open enemy to you (Al-
Baqara 2: 168).
Imam Ali (AS) said about safe eating and
drinking that a person should not drink water in
a broken bowl or in a bowl having a hole. In
that bowl in whole, Devil sits, in modern time
(nowadays) this Devil is named as
microorganisms (Fakhar et al., 2016). Imam
Baqer also forbade drink water in pots that have
holes in them (Abdullah Shobbar). The
current pandemic situation showed that the
immune system of an individual should be
robust. Coronavirus was originated from
Wuhan, the city of China, due to the ingestion
of meat of bat by Chinese.
The most exciting thing about this virus is this
virus does not cause any physiological change
in people with a robust immune system. From
research, it was concluded that living on only
Halal foods had a tremendous strong immune
system. The reason behind this truth is Halal
foods have some such nutrients that boost our
immune response, and these are categorized as
alpha-Lipoic acid, Phytoestrogens,
Flavonoids, Black tea makes our immune
system brawny (Naficeh et al., 2020).
The life of Muslims is just about a rotary
motion around Halal and Haram. Muslims
follow pre-decided clear guidelines set by
Islam related to Halal foods. There are 11
accepted principles in Islam about Halal Page 42
foods and Haram foods that provide us a
transparent image about being Halalness of a
food commodity.
Islamic instructions:
If food follows the following 11 instructions,
then for Muslims, it is Halal; on the other hand,
food is tagged as prohibited.
➢ All things that Allah creates are permitted
with few exceptions.
➢ To make any edible product prohibited or
permitted is the only right of ALLAH. No
person can take this right into his/her own
hands.
➢ Saying any food permitted as prohibited
and permitted food as banned is the same as
ascribing partners to Allah Almighty.
➢ Some foods that are prohibited would have
some harmful constituents in them. So for
Muslims, it is enough saying that particular
food is Halal for you and any other food is
Haram for Muslims.
➢ This is sufficient knowing that a particular
product is permitted or prohibited, as any
food that is not allowed must contain some
harmful effects.
 Zahid et al., 2021. Journal of Agriculture Environment & Food Security.2. 41-48

➢ If something is prohibited, anything that is

leading to it is also prohibited.
➢ It is unlawful to declare anything that is
lawful by Allah as prohibited
prohibited food as permitted.
➢ Good intentions do not matter in making
unlawful foods lawful. As any food that is
said Haram by Allah Almighty can never
become Halal. Whenever any food is said
Haram by ALLAH, it must contain some
constituents that would impose disastrous
effects on human heaths and human brains.
➢ Lawful and unlawful are two clear areas.
The area in between them is doubtful.
(Sakar, 1994) Islam says that anything that
is in doubt, either lawful or unlawful,
should not be ingested. People who
consume these doubtful food commodities
are included in those who consume
prohibited products; on the other hand,
people who do not get involve in eating
these doubtful commodities are innocent.
➢ The concept of Halal or Haram food is
circulated not only among the Muslims,
while this concept is for the whole of
humanity. As Muslims and Non-Muslims
both can avail benefit from this concept.
➢ Prerequisite speaks exceptions. Islam is not
unconscious about exigencies. It permits
the Muslims to eat prohibited food under
the obligation of necessity, to eat Haram
food in quantities that are enough to remove
the need and helps human beings for their
survival.
Halal foods:
and As the discussion about Halal food is Page 43
circulating not only in Islamic countries,
but it is an essential topic of attention about the
food chain in Non-Muslim countries. Muslims
eat Halal food as it is the teaching of their last
Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and they know
that eating Halal food is favorable for them in
respect of their health plus for strengthening
their Eman. On the flip side, Non-Muslims
consume Halal foods because eating Halal food
symbolizes hygiene, quality, and safety product
when food is prepared us strict conditions of the
Holistic Halal Assurance Management System
(Ambali et al., 2014).
Allah (SWT) creates his creatures with so many
benefits and disadvantages. Allah (SWT) has
made so many things for his beloved animal,
human beings, to benefit from them. He has set
some rules for human beings to spend their
lives in this temporary world without facing
any problems and any confusion. One of these
pre-set rules is eating only Halalan Tayyiba in
food, especially to his Muslim servants
(Mohammad, Khairuldin., 2018). It is forced
for Muslims to take clean, safe, and Halal food
(Zulaekah and Kusumawati, 2005). In Quran,
the concept of Halal food is given by the word
Taiyyiba. In the verse of surah Al-Baqarah,
168, Allah (S.W.T) says that:
 Zahid et al., 2021. Journal of Agriculture Environment & Food Security.2. 41-48
O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth
[that is] lawful and good and do not follow
the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a
clear enemy.
Muslims pays full attention to the selection of
their food commodity to satisfy their hunger
(Wahab and Azhar, 2014). From the beginning,
Islam takes care of the Halalness of food. Islam
considers the source of food, its preparation
methods, its processing methods; these all
stages should follow Halal only procedures.
Food is the need of all Muslims as well as Non-
Muslims. The food that contains ingredients
that all are Halal provides energy to the
consumers. Food is the grace of Allah as a sign
of love and affection for his creatures. Allah
(SWT) commanded man to search and eat only
Halal foods (Hadi Rohadi Abdul Fatah, 2010).
Food does not become Haram in the case when
ingredients used in them are Haram, while food
also causes toxicity when it is consumed in
more significant amounts. Hadith narrated by
the Prophet's wife S.A.W. She said that the
Prophet SAW said:
"Every intoxicant drink is haram."
(Riwayat Muslim, no hadith 2001)
Halal food indeed contains all the essential
ingredients such as carbohydrates, proteins, etc.
These nutrients maintain health and
concentration. Therefore consumption of food
is vital for physical and spiritual health. Our Page 44
Prophet Mohammad (SAW) ate food with
proper care and combination. He (SAW) ate
food with proper food combinations. In Sahih
Bukhari, many examples show how
carefully Prophet Mohammad (SAW)
combined food correctly (Ghazali et al., 2014).
Hazrat Ayesha (RA) Ummul-Mu'minun said
that:
"The Apostle of Allah (SAW) used to eat
melon with fresh dates, and he used to say,
"The coolness breaks the heat of the one of
the other, and the coolness of the one by the
heat of the other."
The proper eating habit should be adopted.
When we eat food not correctly, then food
causes trouble in our stomach, then food rather
than becoming energy it becomes a toxicant in
our body and causes diseases (Mustapha et al.,
2014). Our Prophet Mohammad (SAW) ate
food with some sequence, as He (SAW) did
not drink water with eating.
"The Apostle of Allah (SAW) came out
from the valley of a mountain... there were
some dried dates on a shield before us. We
called him, and he ate with us. He did not
touch the water." Experts in the field of
food combining inform us that water
 Zahid et al., 2021. Journal of Agriculture Environment & Food Security.2. 41-48
impedes the digestive process in the
stomach when eaten within a half-hour of a
meal." (Sahih Bukhari)
Halal Assurance:
Now food consumers are more about the food
chain inside food manufacturing industries.
They try to know or to get acknowledge about
the stages which are carried out or through
which food passes during processing
operations. As people know now that for
boosting immunity, Halal food is much more
essential, and Halal food demand has been
increased worldwide (Zulfakar et al., 2012).
When people know that processed food items
are procured from Non-Muslim countries, their
concern about either permission or prohibition
about food also increases. Readymade food
items are mainly delivered from Argentina,
Brazil, Australia, Canada, France, and New
Zealand (Wan Hassan & Awang 2009). In the
food supply chain, it is not to satisfy the only
costumers but to maintain the Halalness of
transported food throughout the Halal food
supply chain (Bahrudin, Illyas & Desa 2011). If
at any point of supply, the integrity of Halal
meat is compromised, then that product is no
more called a Halal product. This importance
of the integrity of Halal meat can be understood
with this example: It is acceptable for the Non-
Muslims to place Halal meat with Haram ones,
pork, or any other one. But for Muslims, it is an Page 45
unfair practice to carry a Halal product with
Haram ones.
According to some authors, to understand
the integrity of Halal food, the complexity of
the Halal food supply chain process needed to
be understood accurately (Lodhi, 2009), (khan,
2009), (Tieman, 2011). Here is a question
raised: whose responsibility to take care/
maintain the Halal integrity of food? Is this the
responsibility of the food producer? Or of a
supplier? Or of handler? So, the answer to all
these arising questions is just one only: It the
responsibility of every member who is
concerned with the maintenance of the integrity
of Halal food. As long as food remains in the
industry, then to look after the integrity of Halal
food is the responsibility of the producer, but
when food is transported and does not remain
in the custody of the producer, then it is not the
responsibility of the producer to maintain the
integrity of Halal food (Jaafar et al., 2011).
Halal Certification:
Halal certification logo on Halal food products
is the main reason that Muslim buyers purchase
food products. This Halal certification logo
provides confidence to the consumers about
food that what they are eating is Halal. When
further research was done on this topic, then it
was concluded that Halal certification gives
sooth to consumers that product has been
 Zahid et al., 2021. Journal of Agriculture Environment & Food Security.2. 41-48

appropriately meeting Islamic dietary (Abdul, logo of Halal certification on food commodities Page 46
2008) and (Riaz, 2004). Halal certification is should be authorized by any reliable Islamic
not only applied to the purchase of groceries organization to protect consumers from fraud,
and meat but is also applied to catering. The fake and misleading logos (Riaz, 2004).
 Zahid et al., 2021. Journal of Agriculture Environment & Food Security.2. 41-48

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