Summary of Dietary Regulations

The dietary regulations in Islam can be summarized as follows:

All things that Allah has created for humankind are permissible except what He has prohibited by an authentic and explicit text of the Qur’an and Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.) Accordingly, the sphere of prohibited thing is very limited in Islam. This principle of natural permissibility applies to all human actions, transactions and behaviour with the exception of acts of worship which can only be done in the prescribed manner in accordance with the divine text

Animals permitted for human consumption under Islamic law include: cattle, sheep, goats, camels, deer, poultry, etc. Carnivorous animals and birds of prey are not permitted. Animals permitted for human consumption must be slaughtered in a certain manner.

Fish and seafood is Halal for Muslims

All vegetables are Halal and therefore vegetarian food is acceptable to Muslims if it is free from alcohol and other Haram ingredients.

Prohibited Food

Basically four types of food have been deemed Haram ("unlawful") for Muslims in the Qur’an. These are:
• The flesh of a dead animal (carrion)
• Blood
• Pig meat
• Meat from any animal on which the name of someone other than Allah was invoked when it was slaughtered.

Intoxicants of any kind (alcohol, drugs etc.) are prohibited for Muslims to consume, even in small quantities. Alcohol should not form part of the ingredients of any food prepared for Muslims.

By implication, any product derived from the above prohibited food and drinks or any food containing ingredients from them will also be unlawful(Haram).

Summary of conditions for Halal slaughter

Islamic law requires that animals intended for human consumption be slain in a certain manner. The conditions for Halal slaughter can be summarized as follows:

The animal to be slaughtered must be from the categories that are permitted for Muslims to eat.

The animal must be alive at the time of slaughter.

The animal must be slaughtered by the use of a sharp knife. The knife must not kill due to its weight. If it kills due to the impact, the meat may not be permissible.

The windpipe (throat), food-tract (oesophagus) and the two jugular veins must be cut.

The slaughtering must be done in one stroke without lifting the knife. The knife should not be placed and lifted when slaughtering the animal.

Slaughtering must be done by a sane adult Muslim.

The name of Allah must be invoked (mentioned) at the time of slaughtering by saying: Bismillah; wa Allahu Akbar. (In the Name of Allah; Allah is the Greatest.)

If at the time of slaughtering the name of anyone else other than Allah is invoked (i.e. animal sacrificed for him/her), then the meat becomes Haram "unlawful."

If a Muslim forgets to invoke the name of Allah at the time of slaughtering, the meat will remain Halal. However, if he intentionally does not invoke the name of Allah, the meat becomes Haram.

The head of the animal must not be cut off during slaughtering but later after the animal is completely dead, even the knife should not go deep into the spinal cord.

Skinning or cutting any part of the animal is not allowed before the animal is completely dead.

Slaughtering must be made in the neck from the front (chest) to the back.

The slaughtering must be done manually not by a machine, as one of the conditions is the intention, which is not found in a machine.

The slaughtering should not be done on a production line where pigs are slaughtered. Any instrument used for slaughtering pigs should not be used in the Halal slaughtering.