Throughout history, some foods and beverages have been considered haram, both religiously and culturally. The prophets sent for every period also conveyed the orders and prohibitions related to daily life, along with the basic principles of belief, and set as a model for people by applying them in their own lives.
According to Islamic, Allah forbade the things that harm the body and cause negative effects on people, and instead ordered us to eat clean things and give thanks.[1] However, in the 168th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah ordered; “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.” This verse informs people that unclean and prohibited food is actually a test and that the devil will encourage people to lose their test. In addition, with the expression “halal and tayyib”( lawful and good) mentioned in the verse, it has been suggested that the food and beverages consumed should be clean and healthy products that are compatible with their original identity, that is, genetically protected.
Foods that are not considered appropriate to be eaten are explained in four verses in the Quran.[2] The forbidden foods mentioned in these verses are as follows;
- Carrion (the decaying flesh of dead animals.)
- Blood (drinking the blood that flows out of the meat)
- Pig
- Animal slaughtered in the name of other than Allah
In addition, drinking alcohol and using narcotic plants are also prohibited by verses and hadiths.[3] The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) drew attention to the fact that alcohol and drugs are haram regardless of the amount or type, with the words ” Every intoxicant is Khamr and every intoxicant is forbidden.”and “Every intoxicant is unlawful and whatever causes intoxication in large amounts, a small amount of it is (also) unlawful.” [4]
Regarding sea products, in the 96th verse of Al- Ma’idah Surah, it is declared as halal and The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stated that, ” Its (the sea) water is pure and its dead (animals) are lawful (i.e., they can be eaten without any prescribed slaughtering).” And the hadith shows that the sea creatures caught are also halal.[6] The imams of the Islamic sects, who adjudicate according to the verse and hadith, considered all fish species as halal. However, they disagreed on the eating of animal species such as crocodiles, water snakes, crabs, frogs, squid, shrimp, and mussels, which are considered predatory and harmful, and others which are considered unclean.[7]
In addition, it is not considered halal to earn illegal income that is obtained through illegal ways which are works prohibited by Allah. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emphasized that the food bought with such a profit would prevent the acceptance of prayers and worship with the following words: “a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying “O Lord! O Lord!,” while his food is haram (unlawful), his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can [his supplication] be answered?”[8]
As it is reported in the verses and hadiths, while there are a lot of halal things and the things that can be eaten and drunk are quite many in Islam, the prohibited food and beverages are very few compared to the halal ones. Prohibiting such things were related with Benefits such as the protection of health or public peace were considered.