As far as being careful to eat halal vs non-halal foods.
Do you not worry about halal/ haram?
Do you go by the labels? If it says Halal, is it halal?
Do you place blame on packaging company if it isn’t halal and labeled as halal?
If it isn’t clearly labeled as halal, as most packaged western foods aren’t, do you check the ingredients for any “possibly” haram ingredients?
How thoroughly to you check/ research?
What are some steps we should/ could take to avoid unknowingly consuming haram foodie foods?
i buy meat from Halaal Store but when i eat outside in a restaurant i eat mostly fish...when i go to fast food outlets i eat their meat because i do NOT consider that meat Haraam. itn NON zabeeha but Halaal as it is slaughtered by ahl-e-kitaab.
I am very cautious about food I buy meat from halal shop. Only dine or eat takeaway that is halal certified or investigate myself.
I rather not eat than eat haram or non zabbah. For example first time I ate pizza from pizza Hut in pakistan in oct 2013 as I couldn't find halal in aus.
My granny often emphasizes that the consumption of haram food cripples Dua made by that particular consumer. In my opinion, haram ingestion is step number one towards the corruption of your character as a Muslim, and the contamination of your religious standing. Afterall, refraining yourself from food that's been forbidden, requires self control in the very least quantity.
*Do you not worry about halal/ haram?
*
Alhamdulillah I find myself rigorously watchful of what I eat, has a lot to do with my upbringing. I don't want my food touched with any kitchen utensils that came in contact with pork/ham/bacon/haram meat. That's one reason I don't always eat out during my time in the United States.
*Do you go by the labels? If it says Halal, is it halal?
*
[Excluding foods like bread, milk etc] if it doesn't specifically say 'halal' I won't touch it. In case it happens to have a 'halal' label, I will take my time to research about it instead of buying the product right away.
Do you place blame on packaging company if it isn't halal and labeled as halal?
**
If the sources of my research [prior to a product's consumption] tell me that a product labeled halal is **not halal, I do make phone calls to the company. I have written some infuriating letters as well. I take dishonesty very personally.
*If it isn't clearly labeled as halal, as most packaged western foods aren't, do you check the ingredients for any "possibly" haram ingredients?
*
I always read the nutrition and ingredients labels. Being a Biology major, I go into microbiological grounds when reading ingredients. [e.g alcohol solvents, specific yeast extracts, confectionary glaze, specific monophosphates, etc]
**What are some steps we should/ could take to avoid unknowingly consuming haram foodie foods?
When it comes meat, I'll be more diligent. Some of my practices in this regard:
If a restaurant claims to be halal, I will not eat there unless I can get further confirmation. I know people who are in the meat supply business as well as the restaurant industry so I'll check with them. Sometimes, I'll see if certain religious people I know will eat from a certain place or not.
A halal label itself is not good enough for me to take something as halal. There are certain brands that I know who carry these certifications, but I still avoid them. There are certain bodies I trust, so if they were to certify something, I'd go with it.
A lot of times, I will not eat meat at houses of Muslims, because I know they have the mentality that meat you buy from the supermarket of fast food places is not haram. Sometimes, I'll ask them point blank where they're getting their meat from.
As for western foods, I'll check ingredients of everything I buy. Sometimes we'll call the manufacturer to confirm if their ingredients are from plant sources or animal sources.
How do you know that the animal was not slaughtered by a Parsi or Sikh or an atheist?
first of all...the animal is NOT slaughtered on the name of any Ghairullah. if the meat comes from a Christian or Jewish source, it's Halaal [but not zabeeHa]...
having said that, we are NOT supposed to emgage in 'justuju' as it makes life unnecessarily harder on Muslims and this act is NOT encouraged in Islam. if you engage in justuju and you find something out then that becomes farz on you...if not investigated, you will NOT be held accountable and Allah will iA forgive you. if you tell others about what you found out with your justuju then it becomes obligatory on that person as well.
there is a Hadees where in regards to a question by a Sahaabii [r.a.], our Nabii e Kareem [saws] kept quite...the saHaabee [ra] asked three times and the Prophet [saws] kept quiet. on the the fourth try, Rasool [saws] said if i answer your question then it will become obligatory on the entire umma.
in short, justuju [in minor issues] is NOT encouraged in Islam because that will make Deen unnecessarily harder on Muslims...Allah wishes easiness in Deen.
how would you know that if you buy meat in India is zabihofied by a Muslim? there is a chance that it may NOT be. how about meat imported by middle eastern countries from the western world? there is no end to this game of justuju.
first of all...the animal is NOT slaughtered on the name of any Ghairullah. if the meat comes from a Christian or Jewish source, it's Halaal [but not zabeeHa]...
How can you say that? The meat of the people of the book is not only something that is slaughtered by people who associate with people of the book. It has to be slaughtered the way they were told to do it. Also, it has to be done by someone who believes in their religion. I know you're from Canada as well. If you see the census data, it shows that many people do not consider themselves as part of any religion. Sure there is still some meat that will be available that could be eaten as meat of the people of the book. Jews are slaughtering and certifying their meat as kosher, but if you were to ask any of the fast food chains about if their meat is certified kosher. However, fast food chains would want to maximize profits. Meat that is certified and inspected as being kosher would have a higher cost to it.
[quote]
having said that, we are NOT supposed to emgage in 'justuju' as it makes life unnecessarily harder on Muslims and this act is NOT encouraged in Islam. if you engage in justuju and you find something out then that becomes farz on you...if not investigated, you will NOT be held accountable and Allah will iA forgive you. if you tell others about what you found out with your justuju then it becomes obligatory on that person as well.
[/quote]
This is not justuju. This kind of thing was done by the sahaba themselves. They would carry out their tehqeeq of the food, finding out its source. So you do need to practice due diligence in these matters.
[quote]
in short, justuju [in minor issues] is NOT encouraged in Islam because that will make Deen unnecessarily harder on Muslims...Allah wishes easiness in Deen.
how would you know that if you buy meat in India is zabihofied by a Muslim? there is a chance that it may NOT be. how about meat imported by middle eastern countries from the western world? there is no end to this game of justuju.
[/QUOTE]
Sure, we need to have ease in deen, but this is not ease, it's plain old slacking and wishful thinking. This is not a joke--eating haram will have consequences on our ibadaat, whether we eat it knowingly or unknowingly.
Yap..it has to be halal period. No compromise on that. Thankfully, in Toronto..ya have got lots of halal restaurants. Even then..i confirm with the source and check the certification.
As far as being careful to eat halal vs non-halal foods.
Do you not worry about halal/ haram? Yes, all the time. Alhamdollillah.
Do you go by the labels? If it says Halal, is it halal? Not really. I avoid most of the Halal produced in North America. I do my research to ensure its not those machine slaughtered ones with or without bismillah played on convener belt.
Do you place blame on packaging company if it isn't halal and labeled as halal? Yes. I can name few brands and Fatwa behind them.
If it isn't clearly labeled as halal, as most packaged western foods aren't, do you check the ingredients for any "possibly" haram ingredients? Yes, for non meat iteams, I check the labels for ingredients and also UD or K sign in addition. As an example in most cases mono or diglyciride sources are correctly identified in UD or K labels. Verified with the manufacturer. Some other such as gelatin cannot be trusted unless vege source is mentioned specifically. Also if its certified for Vegans than I take it.
How thoroughly to you check/ research? As much as possible.
What are some steps we should/ could take to avoid unknowingly consuming haram foodie foods?
If its a local bakery product, it is easier to verify the source.
If its a Halal restaurant, I check zabihah.com and also check their certificate and ask about the supplier of each meat.
There is always a 1800 number at the back of the products available on the shelves in grocery stores.
Soaps, lotions and other house hold items can be easily verified by emailing or calling the manufacturers. By now, all major manufacturers know Halal, Kosher, non-Dairy and Vegan restrictions very well. This was not the case 8 years ago, things have changed.
Khalil, I know a lot of people who do not dine out in KSA. There are many outlets in Jeddah, Makkah and Medinah who serve locally slaughtered meat and not the Brazil/NZ imported ones. There is a particular fatwa from 80s from a well-known Mufti of KSA which gave Arab world an OK to eat non-Zabihah after saying Bismillah.
The point here is just not 'ghairullah' but Zabihah as well. Zabhiah the way Muslims and Jewish do cleans the meat since it ensures the blood is drained from the flesh. Where as machine slaughtered (in most fast food chains) is unhygienic since machine cuts the spine as well that causes instant death of the animal, leaving most of the blood inside the body.
But again, its personal choice and I respect people's decision. Atleast you used your best judgement.
Hz Umar R.A was asked once, what is Dhikar (rememberance of Allah) and he replied, its 24/7. When you wind up your work to make wudu to perform Salah, that is also dhikar. When you refrain from Haram, its also dhikar. So for a Muslim, from the time he wakes up and goes to sleep almost every moment is dhikar. Since it will be either doing something obligatory or prayers or preparing for it or thinking about making it on time, earning Halal rizq (which is also an ibadah) and refraining from Haram during work, travel, socializing, family time etc etc. From this perspective everything we do or don't do makes it dhikar. SubhanAllah.
If you want to purchase halal meat, it's available in most places. If it has halal certified label on, I think it's well and good. There are some halal KFC and mcdonalds, but the rest are not halal. Personally I think the only thing we can eat from mcdonalds is the ice cream (not sure about gelatine content), even the chips is usually cooked in the same oil as other things. Fish and chips can also have problems , as sometimes it's cooked in wine/beer and other times the utensils used are used for cooking other things too. I think if Muslim places are available, buy things from there. Fish and chips and vegetarian things only if you have exhausted other options. Wallah o alam bil sawab.
Trying to figure out if your food is halal our haram is not a minor thing. It's a very major thing.
If I am buying meat in India or Pakistan from a Muslim, I might assume, but even here at a Muslim restaurant, I ask, and then trust his words.
Sums it well. If the shop is halal certified, still ask him or believe the certificate. I think this is the least one can do. Halal food is very important.
Yap..it has to be halal period. No compromise on that. Thankfully, in Toronto..ya have got lots of halal restaurants. Even then..i confirm with the source and check the certification.
I've heard this before - That even the non-halal restaurants have at least a few things on their menu for Muslims... Meaning most restaurants offer at least something halal.
My question about this, are these halal dishes cooked in different pots/ pans than non-halal foods? Are they served in different dishes? Are the stored in different coolers/ fridges?
What are some steps we should/ could take to avoid unknowingly consuming haram foodie foods?
If its a local bakery product, it is easier to verify the source.
If its a Halal restaurant,** I check zabihah.com** and also check their certificate and ask about the supplier of each meat.
I love zabihah.com! I have their app installed on my phone. A few quick taps and you get an almost immediate "yes" or "no".
There is always a 1800 number at the back of the products available on the shelves in grocery stores.
Absolutely. Last year we bought a frozen turkey from a company that claimed to be zabiha halal. I called the 1-800 number to make sure it was hand slaughtered and not machine.
how would you know that if you buy meat in India is zabihofied by a Muslim? there is a chance that it may NOT be.** how about meat imported by middle eastern countries from the western world?** there is no end to this game of justuju.
Concerning western meat imported in Arab countries, I avoid that as well and would advise anyone who is concerned about eating halal to do the same. I know of people who have investigated slaughter houses where such meats are prepared, and found it to be unreliable, though someone may be certifying these meats as halal.
Sums it well. If the shop is halal certified, still ask him or believe the certificate. I think this is the least one can do. Halal food is very important.
Asking the source is important. I have spotted many halal restaurants where employees or manager couldn't tell the source and one said they buy from super market and its labelled halal.
I never buy super market meat myself as I know a very well known BIG organization that sells certificates without investigation. They themselves believe in reciting Bismillah fatwa, how can they certify a zabihah.