FOOD BELIEFS AND

TABOOS IN THE
MUSLIM
COMMUNITY

Raaidah Wahab
19412-CMB
What are food beliefs and taboos?

Food Beliefs Food Taboos

Food beliefs incorporate
individual and societal Abstainence from
ideals about food. They
reflect social and
NOURISHMENT food and/or
culturally acquired FROM FOOD beverage
knowledge on food, consuming due to
carefully selected and
maintained over time and religious and
are essential determinants cultural reasons.2
of food behaviour. 1
Food taboos in the Muslim Community

T he food taboos prevalent in the Muslim community are derived from Qur’ā n and ḥ adīth
(traditions depicting the Prophet Muhammad and his close companions)

A ltough methods of food preparation and habits may differ within various muslim
communities, the main delineation of foods is : lawful (ḥ alā l) or unlawful (ḥ arā m)

Bdaily
oth concepts of ḥ alā l and ḥ arā m not only encompass food and drink, but also all matters of
life.

Only things that are pemitted in Islamic law (Sharia Law) are considered to be lawful (ḥ alā l)
O nly things that are forbinned in Islamic law (Sharia Law) are considered to be unlawful
(ḥ arā m)
Islamic Dietary Laws
Islamic juriprudence is known as “Fiqh” and is known as the human understanding of
Sharia/Islamic law. This includes the Islamic dietary laws.

“Fiqh”
Haram:
Intoxicants (Khamr), Carrion, Blood, Pork, Animals dedicated to other than God,
Beast of cattle, Hunting during pilgrimage, Prohibited methods of slaughtering,
Donkey meat, Animals with fangs, Birds of prey, Meat of mules and horses, Other
prohibited animals- Bats, Lizards

Halal:
Game of Sea, Food hunted by hunting animals and birds, Food of People of the book,
Offal.
“Law of necessity”: where the lack of any alternative creates an undesired necessity to
consume that which is otherwise unlawful thereby making the ‘forbidden permissible’.
1. Islamic Dietary Laws- Alcohol/ Intoxicants
Intoxicants “Khamr”

The prohibition is mentioned in the Quran in the above verses.

• Consumption of alcohol is forbidden.

• Buying & selling alcohol is prohibited.
• Food cooked in alcohol is prohibited.
• Low-alcohol & non-alcoholic beverages (non-
alcoholic beer) is allowed only if: How did the rule originate?
1. The given beverage contains no more than 0.5%
Some scholars belive that alcohol was prohibited through
alcohol
2. There is no effect of the alcohol upon
gradual rulings starting with permissibility and ending with
consumption. prohibition. They base their arguments on four verses from the
3. It does not intoxicate in large quantities.3 Quran that may be interpreted so.4
• Consuming food products that contain pure
vanilla extract or soy sauce is prohibited if these
food products contain alcohol.
2. Islamic Dietary Laws-
Pork
Swine
• Consumption of pork is strictly forbidden in
Islam.
• Consumption of products made from pork is
strictly forbidden in Islam.
The prohibition is mentioned in the Quran in the above verses.
Other intersting facts about this taboo:
Pork and pork products were prohibited in Judaism long
before it was banned in Islam.
Reasons: (Some scholars put forwards the following theories):
• Micro-organisms: Helminthes, roundworm, pinworm, and
hookworm. Of most importance is Taenia Solium;
tapeworm.
• Excess of fat: deposition in the vessels and can cause
hypertension and MI.5
• Cancer: linked with increased cases of colon cancer.6
• Elevated urea & uric acid: due to bad blood filtration
system in pigs, increased urea and uric in the tissues.
• Pain to animal: Pig is intelligent and complex. They will
feel pain and fear. Neck is short which decreases accuracy.7
3. Islamic Dietary Laws-
Animals dedicated to anyone other than God

Permitted method of slaughter:

The prohibition is mentioned in the Quran in the above verses.
“Dhabihah”
Other factors that play a role in ensuring that a meat is
halal:
• Slaughtering must be done by a Muslim, Jew or
Christian.
• Animal must not suffer: not see blade or previous
slaughterings.
• No decapitation: and must not be handled before it has
• This is what makes a meat “halal”.
died.
• The name of God  (Bismillah) has to be called by • Stunning: according to British Halal food authority,
the butcher upon slaughter. certain types of stunning are allowed.8
• Slaughtering should consist of a swift, deep
incision with a very sharp knife on the throat, Allowed Prohibited
cutting the trachea, esophagus, jugular veins and  Water-bath stun (poultry only) Captive-bolt stunning
carotid arteries of both sides but leaving the  Electric-Tong stun (larger animals) Percussion stunning
spinal cord intact (death by exanguination) Electronarcosis Gas stunning
• Not applied to aquatic animals.
Islamic Dietary Laws-
4. Carrion- an animal that dies of himself/ 
the decaying flesh of dead animals.
The following reasons also constitute
for prohibition:
• strangled to death
• beaten to death
• died due to falling
• killed by being smitten by horn
• eaten by wild beast

5. Blood & its by products

6. Beast of cattle- grazing

terrestrial animals

7. Animals Hunted while on pilgrimage

- hunting land animals is prohibited8

8. Primates, reptiles & amphibians

9. Donkeys, mules and African wild dog

(horses are not forbidden)

10. Animals with fangs and tusks

11. Rodents & insects

 Additives which are usually of animal origin are
12. Islamic Dietary Laws- prohibited:

• E120 Cochineal : a red colour obtained from female insects

By products of anything taboo  
• E441 Gelatine : derived from the bones and/ or hides of cattle
and/ or pigs
Any food product  
• E542 Edible Bone Phosphate : an extract from animal bones
that is  
• E904 Shellac : a resin from the lac insect
derived from
• Glycerol / Glycerin / Glycerine (E422): if obtained from pork
a prohibited animal. or non-halal meat sources.

• Emulsifiers (E470 to E483): if obtained from pork or non-

halal sources.

• L-cysteine: from anim hair and chicken feathers

• Magnesium strearate: from animal fat. Found in medicines.

• Vanilla extract: if alcohol is used for extraction.

Halal Accreditation Other uses of halal accreditation:
• Consumer confidence: By displaying
halal logo. Consumers can make an
International
informed choice.
Organizations
• International export: Middle Eastern
and South East Asian countries. Bigger
IIHO GHI WHA WHFC market for producers to target.

• Ensures quality and hygiene:

Halal requirements meet conventional
quality standards: ISO, Codex
Country Specific Regulatory Bodies Alimentarius.

New emerging halal market also

encompasses:
Sri Lanka Malaysia Emirates
United
Kingdom
America Dry foods, soups, ready to eat foods,
(HAC) (HM) (ENAS) (AALA)
(UKAS) grains, cosmetics, enhancers,
pharmaceuticals, prepared foods, and
Halal food certification refers to the examination of food processes in its
preparation, slaughtering, cleaning, processing, handling, disinfecting,
other industries, as well as hotels,
storing, transportation and management practices. restaurants, airlines, hospitals.
“Farm to table”
Food Beliefs:
• As a rule, Muslims can eat foods of the ‘People Of The Book’ 
Christians and Jews.

• Plant/ plant parts that contain intoxicating and toxic substances, that
affect nervous system should be avoided. (e.g., opium, cannabis etc.)

• Honey is prized as a health promoting food.

• In preparation of halal food and drink, cross contamination with

utensils and kitchen surface used for non-halal food will make the
halal food not permissible.

• Eating as a family or group is believed to be good.

• It is always good if the amount of food cooked for the main meal
exceeds the need; in case of unexpected guests.
Food Beliefs Between Different Muslim Communities:
• In Yazidizm (minority that lives in Northern Iraq), the eating of lettuce and butter beans is is believed to be bad.
(Reason: Historical theory claims that when a Yazidi saint was executed, the crowd then pelted the corpse with heads

of lettuce)

• Sunni Islam permits Muslims to consume the flesh of whales that have died of natural causes. However, whale meat is
believed to be bad in Shia Islam as whales do not have scales.

• The Ja’fari school of  Islamic jurisprudence in Shia Islam, prohibits non-piscine (lacking scales) seafood, except for
shrimp.
•  
• The Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence in Sunni Islam, does not allow consumption of seafood other than "fish" and
disagree regarding the consumption of shrimp, prawns, lobster and crab (Reason: no scales)
•  
• The Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence in Sunni Islam, permits eating insects with the condition of it being dead by
any means.

• A difference of opinion remains on whether consumption of horse, mule and donkey are permitted between certain
Muslim communities.
•  
• Turkish Muslims believe that colostrum is deemed unsuitable for babies. Some also believe that babies should not be
fed anything before ‘three calls to prayer (azan)’ or that sugar water should be introduced first, before breast milk, to
‘clean’ the stomach. Exclusive breastfeeding is very rare in Turkey .10
 CONCLUSION:
• In every society, there are dietary customs which play
sociocultural and symbolic roles that go far beyond the
mere nourishment of the body for those in the
community.
• So it is extremely important for health workers to
understand these roles and their implications when
seeking solutions for a community’s nutritional and
food safety problems.
References
1. Beagan B, Chapman G. Meanings of food, eating and health among African Nova Scotians :‘certain things aren’t meant for black folk. ’
Ethn Health. 2012;17(5):513–29

2. McNamara, K., Wood, E. Food taboos, health beliefs, and gender: understanding household food choice and nutrition in rural
Tajikistan. J Health Popul Nutr 38, 17 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-019-0170-8

3. https://www.islamweb.net/ar/fatwa/

4. Qurtubi, Al-Jami Ahkam al-Qur'an, Vol. 4, p. 2283

5. (Sources: Islamic Research Foundation, Mumbai, India

6. Zhu H, Yang X, Zhang C, Zhu C, Tao G, Zhao L, Tang S, Shu Z, Cai J, Dai S, Qin Q, Xu L, Cheng H, Sun X. Red and processed meat intake is
associated with higher gastric cancer risk: a meta-analysis of epidemiological observational studies. PLoS One. 2013 Aug
14;8(8):e70955. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070955. PMID: 23967140; PMCID: PMC3743884.

7. www.swinegenomics.com

8. https://halalfoodauthority.net/

9. Al-Quran 5:96

10. Ertem M. (2011) Infant Feeding Beliefs and Practices in Islamic Societies: Focusing on Rural Turkey. In: Liamputtong P. (eds) Infant
Feeding Practices. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6873-9_18
Thank you!