Why Eating Halal Food Is Healthy And Spiritual: A Close Examination Of The Ubiquitous Label
People read “halal” on a variety of food labels and eateries, but only a few know what it means. For our Muslim brothers and sisters, “halal” signifies lawful in Islamic law. The term is used to classify food as permissible according to Sharia, or Muslim law. It is the opposite of “haram,” an Arabic statement which means “forbidden.”.
If a food item has halal on its label, then it means it was cooked in compliance with Islamic laws and is therefore permitted to be eaten by Muslims. According to Islamic dietary rules, food items must not contain haram substances in its ingredients, such as pork meat, blood, carnivore and birds of prey meat, alcohol, and other toxics.
Other haram or forbidden food items include cattle slaughtered in the name of anyone but the Islam god Allah, or those food items that have been offered or dedicated in a sacrifice to other gods. An animal should be killed according to a sanctioned method. In Islam, butchering an animal for food has to be done quickly, in order to kill the animal quickly and evade it from extended agony and pain.
Halal-certified dining establishments in non-Islamic countries also thoroughly ascertain that their cooking process meets the Islamic standards. While a Muslim will definitely not order a non-halal or haram meal, restaurants also need to see to it that the halal-certified meals have been prepared so that the halal foods are not contaminated with haram foods.
Being halal-certified is not a matter to take lightly especially as it means serving a esteemed culture and religious preference. Thus, owners of halal dining places carry upon them a very important responsibility and an honest record of what goes on in the kitchen and what is put into the meal being served.
Eateries in Islam-practcing nations which are halal certified are easy to locate as most are operated by Muslims who adhere to Sharia laws. This may be a dilemma in non-Islam practicing communities, that is why establishments selling or serving halal foods are obliged to pass certification and to place signages where visible with regard to their halal status.
So if a dining establishment labels itself halal-certified, you can be sure that the ingredients used in a meal and the process these had undergone is following Sharia laws. It also means that the halal restaurant gives all their customers the highest regard.
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