Halal is the rule, haram is the short list

Before we talk about what Muslims do not eat, remember the big picture. Allah made almost everything halal (allowed). The list of haram (not allowed) food is short.

• Allah says: He created for you everything on earth¹.
• He says: O people, eat from what is on earth, halal and good².
• He also warns us not to make haram what He made halal: do not forbid the good things Allah has allowed you³.

Ibn Abbas, the great scholar among the Companions, explained it like this: Allah sent His Book and made some things halal and some haram. What He made halal is halal. What He made haram is haram. And what He said nothing about is allowed⁴.

So every food is halal unless there is proof it is haram. This chapter is the short list of exceptions, and how to deal with them calmly.

The four things the Quran names

The Quran names the same short list in four places⁵⁶⁷⁸. Allah says: He has forbidden you only dead animals, blood, the meat of the pig, and what was offered to other than Allah⁹.

Two easy exceptions

Nabi ﷺ said: two dead things and two bloods are halal for us. The two dead things are fish and locusts. The two bloods are the liver and the spleen¹³. So you may eat liver, and you do not need to slaughter a fish.

About pork

• The Quran calls it rijs, something impure¹⁴. We leave it because Allah said so. Read why can't Muslims eat pork.
• Is the pig itself najis (impure to touch)? Most scholars say yes, so wash your hands after touching raw pork. Malikis say every living animal is pure, but they agree with everyone that eating pork is haram.
• Nabi ﷺ also forbade selling pork, dead animals and alcohol¹⁵.

Food offered to other than Allah

• Meat slaughtered for an idol, a shrine or a saint is haram. All scholars agree.
• Plant food offered at a temple or shrine as worship: many scholars say do not eat it. Others say plant food does not become haram this way, but declining politely is better. Follow a scholar you trust.
• Festival food a neighbor made and gave you, not offered to anything, is just food. If its ingredients are halal, eat it and thank them kindly.

Animals the Sunnah adds

Nabi ﷺ explained the Quran, and he named a few more animals that are not eaten.

Hunters with fangs and birds with talons

Ibn Abbas said: Nabi ﷺ forbade every animal of prey with fangs, and every bird with talons¹⁶.

• Animals with fangs means hunters that kill with their teeth: lions, tigers, wolves, dogs, cats, bears and the like.
• Birds with talons means birds of prey that catch with their claws: eagles, hawks, falcons, owls.

The tame donkey

On the day of Khaybar, Nabi ﷺ forbade the meat of donkeys, and allowed the meat of horses¹⁷. This is the tame, working donkey. The wild donkey (onager) is halal: a Companion hunted one, and Nabi ﷺ told the others to eat it¹⁸. The mule, born from a horse and a donkey, is not eaten.

Where the schools differ

• Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis: animals with fangs and birds with talons are haram.
• Malikis: animals with fangs are disliked (makruh) rather than haram, and birds of prey are allowed.
• Horse meat: most scholars say it is halal. Asma said: we slaughtered a horse in the time of Nabi ﷺ and ate it²³. Abu Hanifa and some Malikis disliked it.

Halal animals people sometimes wonder about

• Chicken, duck and other birds that do not hunt with talons. Abu Musa saw Nabi ﷺ eating chicken²⁴.
• Rabbit. Anas caught a rabbit, it was slaughtered, and Nabi ﷺ accepted part of it as a gift²⁵.
• Not liking a food does not make it haram. A roast desert lizard (dabb) was served to Nabi ﷺ. He did not eat it, because it was not food in his land. Khalid asked: is it haram? He said no, and Khalid ate it while Nabi ﷺ watched²⁶. Nabi ﷺ said: I do not eat it, but I do not forbid it²⁷.

Fish and seafood

Allah says: the catch of the sea and its food are halal for you²⁸. A man asked Nabi ﷺ about using sea water for wudu. He said: its water is pure, and its dead are halal²⁹.

• Fish needs no slaughter. You do not need to say Bismillah over each fish, and fish from any shop is halal.
• Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis: nearly everything that lives only in the sea is halal: fish, shrimp, prawns, crab, lobster, squid, mussels and the like. (Some exclude a few animals that also live on land, like frogs and crocodiles.)
• Hanafis: only fish is halal from the sea. Many Hanafi scholars count shrimp and prawns as a kind of fish and allow them. Others among them say leave them. Crab, lobster and mussels are not eaten in the Hanafi school.

Insects and locusts

• Locusts are halal, with no slaughter. Ibn Abi Awfa said: we went on seven trips with Nabi ﷺ, and we ate locusts³⁴³⁵. They are one of the two dead things allowed³⁶.
• Other insects (worms, beetles, ants, flies, crickets and the like): Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis say they are not eaten. Most people find them unclean, and the Quran says Nabi ﷺ forbids bad, unclean things³⁷.
• Malikis allow eating insects that do not harm, if they are killed with the intention of eating and with Allah's name.
• A fly in your drink does not make the drink haram. Nabi ﷺ said to dip it in and take it out³⁸. So a tiny insect that falls into food does not ruin it.
• Honey comes from bees, and it is one of the best foods. Allah says there is healing in it³⁹.

Hidden ingredients

Parts of animals, including pigs, can end up inside factory food in forms you would never guess. Here are the ones to know. Most E-numbers and additives are made from plants or minerals and are fine.

• Labels that help: "suitable for vegetarians" or "vegan" usually means no gelatin, lard, animal rennet or animal fat. A trusted halal logo answers the question for you.
• Beef gelatin that is not halal-certified raises the same questions as meat and istihalah (below). Fish gelatin, and plant gels like agar and pectin, are halal for everyone.
• Alcohol in food, like wine in sauces or alcohol in vanilla, is covered in Alcohol, drugs and smoking.

Istihalah: when a thing changes fully

Istihalah means a substance changing fully into a new one, with a new nature and a new name. If something haram changes fully, is the new thing halal? This is the big question behind gelatin.

One case all scholars agree on: wine that turns into vinegar by itself is pure and halal. And Nabi ﷺ said: the best of condiments is vinegar⁴⁰. The disagreement is about everything else.

View 1: a full change makes it halal

• The view of the Hanafis, many Malikis, and scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah. Some modern scholars apply it to gelatin: the skin and bones have become a new substance.
• Their evidence: when the thing is gone, its ruling goes with it, as with wine becoming vinegar. A dead animal's skin becomes pure when it is tanned⁴¹. And Allah brings out pure milk from between waste and blood⁴².

View 2: the change is not enough

• The view of the Shafi'is and Hanbalis, many modern scholars and most halal certifiers. Istihalah only works in the few cases the Sunnah shows. Many add that gelatin has not fully changed: it is still the same protein.
• Their evidence: Nabi ﷺ was asked if the fat of dead animals could be used to grease ships and light lamps. He said no. Then he spoke of people who were forbidden fat, so they melted it down, sold it, and used its price⁴³. Melting it did not make it allowed. Nabi ﷺ also said no when asked about turning wine into vinegar on purpose⁴⁴.

Wine vinegar made in a factory: Hanafis and Malikis say it is halal, as it has fully changed. Shafi'is and Hanbalis say only if the wine turned into vinegar by itself. Apple, rice and plain vinegar are halal for everyone.

Cheese and rennet

To make cheese, milk is set with rennet, an enzyme. It can come from the stomach of a young calf, or from microbes or plants.

• Microbial or vegetable rennet: halal for everyone. Most cheese sold in shops today uses this kind. Labels may say "microbial enzyme", "non-animal rennet" or "suitable for vegetarians".
• Rennet from a calf not slaughtered the Islamic way: scholars differ. Abu Hanifa, and later scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah, said this rennet does not make the cheese haram. They point out that the Companions ate the cheese of the Persians, whose animals were not slaughtered Islamically. Many other scholars, including the Shafi'is, say avoid it.
• Enzymes from pigs (like pepsin) are rare in cheese. The istihalah question above applies to them.

Nabi ﷺ was asked about cheese, fat and furs. He said what Allah was silent about is something He has pardoned⁴⁵. Do not make cheese a source of stress.

Shared grills, pans and fryers

What if halal food touches a grill, pan or oil used for pork?

Abu Thalabah asked Nabi ﷺ: we live in a land of the People of the Book. Can we eat from their pots? He said: if you can find other pots, do not eat from theirs. If you cannot, wash them and eat from them⁴⁶. Scholars explain this was because those pots were used for pork and wine.

• Wash it, then use it. A pan, grill or plate that touched pork is clean after a good wash.
• At a barbecue: ask for a clean part of the grill, or use foil or a tray, and your own tongs.
• Fryers: if the same oil fries pork or bacon, avoid what comes out of it. It is fine to ask.
• Only remove what touched it. A mouse fell into some butter and died. Nabi ﷺ said: throw away the mouse and the butter around it, and eat the rest⁴⁷. If a slice of ham touched one corner of a sandwich platter, the rest of the platter is not ruined.
• Not known? It is clean. Things are pure until you know they are not. Do not question every pan in a friend's kitchen.

Reading labels without obsessing

Islam asks you to be careful, not anxious.

• Be careful. Nabi ﷺ said halal is clear and haram is clear, and between them are unclear things. Whoever keeps away from unclear things keeps his religion safe⁴⁸. So if a label shows a pig ingredient, leave it.
• Do not obsess. Some people once said: meat is brought to us, and we do not know if Allah's name was said over it. Nabi ﷺ said: say Allah's name over it yourselves, and eat⁴⁹. He did not tell them to investigate every piece.
• Nabi ﷺ said: the religion is easy, and whoever makes it hard on himself will be overcome by it⁵⁰.

A simple way to shop

• Plain foods (fruit, vegetables, rice, flour, eggs, milk, fish) need no checking.
• Packaged foods: glance at the ingredients for pork, lard, gelatin, wine or other alcohol. A halal or vegetarian label settles most questions.
• Look it up once in a halal app or website. Then you do not need to check it again, unless the recipe changes.
• Eating out: ask a short, polite question if you need to. Then trust the answer and enjoy your meal.

For more on unclear things and how far to go, read Doubtful things, need and mistakes.

Vegetarian food and what is fine

All plants, grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, milk, eggs and fish are halal, unless they intoxicate or cause real harm. Nabi ﷺ said: no harm, and no harming back⁵¹. So poisonous plants and drugs are out. Everything else from the field is fine.

• Vegetarian and vegan meals are a great choice when you are not sure about the meat. Check for wine in the sauce.
• Food made by people of other faiths is halal if what is in it is halal: bread from any bakery, a vegetable curry at a coworker's home. Allah says the food of the People of the Book is halal for you⁵². Their meat is covered in Meat and slaughter.

Things people think are haram, but are not

• Liver and spleen⁵³.
• Rabbit⁵⁴, duck, deer, and horse for most scholars⁵⁵.
• Shrimp and crab, for most scholars. Hanafis differ, as above.
• Cheese from most shops, since most uses microbial rennet.
• Most E-numbers, and apple, rice or plain vinegar.

For more, see things you think are haram, and are not.

If you ate something haram

By mistake

You found out later that a sweet had pork gelatin, or a waiter brought the wrong dish. There is no sin on you. Allah taught us to pray: our Lord, do not blame us if we forget or make a mistake⁵⁶. And He says: there is no blame on you for a mistake, only for what your hearts meant to do⁵⁷.

• Stop eating once you know, and rinse your mouth if you like. You do not need to make yourself sick.
• Your salah, your fast and your good deeds are not harmed. Next time, check that product. That is all.

Out of real need

In each place the Quran lists haram food, it adds: whoever is forced by need, not wanting it and not going beyond the limit, there is no sin on him⁵⁸. For example, someone starving with nothing else to eat may eat enough to survive. Medicine with haram ingredients is covered in Medicine and the body. Ask your doctor about other options.

On purpose, in the past

Maybe you ate pork before Islam, or gave in to a craving. The door is open. Turn to Allah, ask His forgiveness, decide not to go back, and move on. Do not let the past stop you from living halal now.

Common questions

My child came home from a party after eating gummy sweets with pork gelatin. Is that a sin?

No. A child has no sin, and neither do you if you did not know⁵⁹. Next time, pack halal sweets or tell the host kindly. Halal and fish gelatin sweets are easy to find.

My office barbecue had pork sausages on the same grill. Can I eat the chicken?

If the chicken was halal and cooked on a part of the grill the pork did not touch, or on foil, it is fine. If it was cooked in pork fat, leave it. Next time, ask for a clean spot or bring a tray. Washing a grill makes it clean⁶⁰.

A friend says all gelatin is halal because it has changed. Another says it is all haram. Who is right?

Both views are held by real scholars, based on istihalah (a substance changing fully). Neither friend is sinning. If you want to be safe, choose halal, fish or plant gelatin. Do not argue about it or look down on the other person.

I am a new Muslim. My family cooks pork at home. What do I do?

Be patient and kind. Ask if you can have your own pan, or wash the shared one before you use it⁶¹. Vegetarian dishes and fish are easy ways to eat with your family. Never be rude about their food. Good manners are part of your Islam.

Do I have to check every E-number on every label?

No. Most E-numbers come from plants or minerals. Just know the few that can come from animals (E120, E422, E441, E471, E472, E542, E920), or use a halal app once per product. Then relax.