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Dietary regulations in Islam

Summary of dietary regulations

Food and drink have direct effects on our physical and spiritual state. Islam has prohibited certain types of   food and drink. The prohibition of these things is due to their impurity and harmfulness.

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 behavior with the exception of acts of worship that can only be done in accordance with the divine text.

• 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)

• 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.