Halal is an Arabic word meaning permitted. In Islam it describes any act or object sanctioned by Islamic law, and in everyday use it refers above all to food. Its opposite is haram, meaning forbidden. For food, the list of things that are forbidden is short and specific: pork, carrion, blood, alcohol and meat from animals not slaughtered in the prescribed way. Most of the rest of the world's larder is open to the halal table, which is why halal food is less a cuisine of its own than a way of enjoying every cuisine.
What does the word halal mean?
Britannica defines halal as "any act or object sanctioned by Islamic law", a term that can apply to almost anything but is used especially for diet. Its opposite, haram, covers what is expressly forbidden in the Quran and the Hadith. One point is worth holding on to: something must be explicitly forbidden to count as haram, while things can be halal without explicit permission. Permission is the default.
The Quran pairs lawful with good. In Surah Al-Baqarah 2:168 it says: "O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good". All Quran translations in this guide are by Saheeh International, as published on quran.com.
What does the Quran say about halal food?
The core list of prohibited foods appears in a few short verses. This is Surah Al-Baqarah 2:173:
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.— Quran 2:173, Saheeh International
Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:3 repeats that list and adds animals "killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death]". Two verses later, 5:5 opens generously: "This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them."
Which foods are haram?
Britannica summarises the prohibitions all schools share. The pig is one of the few animals universally considered haram. Carrion, blood and animals killed other than by draining the blood are also forbidden everywhere. Alcohol is considered haram too, although interpretations of how much alcohol can be consumed have varied over time.
Beyond that, the schools of Islamic law differ in the details. Britannica gives two examples:
- Most jurists consider birds that catch prey with their talons off-limits, but the Maliki school does not.
- The Hanafi and Ja'fari schools consider most shellfish haram, while the other schools do not.
This is why two observant Muslims may order differently from the same menu, and both be following their own school faithfully.
What is zabiha, or dhabiha, meat?
The method of slaughter is called dhabh, and meat slaughtered this way is called dhabihah, often written zabiha. As Britannica describes it:
- The slaughterer first invokes the name of God, the tasmiyyah.
- The neck is cut in one swift motion, severing the carotid artery, the trachea and the jugular vein without full decapitation.
- The animal is hoisted so that the blood drains fully.
Care is also taken to keep the animal calm and to make sure the slaughter is not witnessed by other animals.
Where do scholars differ on halal meat?
Three questions come up again and again. We set out what the sources say, without taking a side; for your own practice, your scholar is the right person to ask.
Stunning. Britannica notes that it remains debated whether stunning before slaughter is halal, even though stunning is overwhelmingly common among halal slaughterers in the Western world. In England, government guidance requires all animals to be stunned before slaughter unless they are slaughtered by religious rites for halal or kosher meat. Even then it must happen in a slaughterhouse approved by the Food Standards Agency, and the slaughterer must be Muslim. The same guidance notes that a significant proportion of halal meat comes from animals that are stunned.
Machine slaughter. In 2012, The Poultry Site reported that some 35 scholars at a UK debate all rejected automated poultry slaughter with rotary blades, insisting each animal be killed with a hand-held knife. The same report noted that some halal organisations took a more pragmatic view, and quoted the president of the Halal Food Authority as saying mechanical methods had become necessary.
Meat of the People of the Book. Verse 5:5 makes the food of "those who were given the Scripture" lawful for Muslims. Britannica notes that many jurists accept the slaughter used in the other Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Christianity, when it is done with an invocation and according to that religion's own rules, which is why many Muslims consider kosher meat halal. As with stunning, ask your scholar where they stand.
How does halal certification work?
A halal certification mark means a certification body has assessed the product or the premises behind it. The details vary by country and certifier, so it helps to see one system up close.
New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries gives a clear example, for exports. Companies follow a halal programme, which is checked by an approved halal organisation: an independent body the government has approved to assess and certify halal programmes. Those organisations must employ Muslim staff trained and qualified for the work. Their reviewers approve the programme for each premises, and issuing officers issue the halal certificates.
Internationally, there are shared standards. OIC/SMIIC 1, the general requirements for halal food, was prepared by a standardisation expert group of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and is published by the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries. It was first published in 2011, with a second edition in 2019, and covers halal food production at every stage of the food chain. A companion standard, OIC/SMIIC 2:2019, sets the rules that halal certification bodies themselves must meet.
The point is the plate
The rules fit on a page; the cooking fills a lifetime. Halal food can be Moroccan tagine and Malaysian rendang, Turkish kebabs and Pakistani biryani, and equally a Sunday roast, a bowl of ramen or a Neapolitan pizza made with care. Find something to cook tonight in our recipes, or let someone else do the cooking with our guide to restaurants.
Edited by Jeloni, editor-in-chief. Researched and drafted with AI assistance; every fact in this article was checked against its sources.
