What Is Halal All About?

The term ‘Halal’ has been thrown around very loosely these days and although most of us are aware of this term, a vast majority of us still do not understand the true meaning of Halal.
In Arabic, Halal means lawful, or permitted. The notion of being Halal places an emphasis on acting in ways which are good, pure, and clean, and is contrasted with “Haram” — that which is forbidden or prohibited — often characterized by violence or carelessness.
So, Halal isn’t just about the label. It is the entire process, it starts at the treatment of the animal, all the way until the meat reaches your burger — but it all really boils down to the cleanliness and quality of the meat.
Today, we will be debunking a few of the common myths pertaining to Halal food.
Myth #1: Halal Food is only for Muslims
Although the concept of Halal stems from Islam and just because it’s permissible for Muslims, it doesn’t mean it’s only for Muslims.
So, YES, anyone and everyone can eat Halal food! Just like how vegan food is prepared in a special way, that doesn’t mean that only vegans are allowed to eat it.
What makes a piece of meat Halal is actually the way the animal is treated, slaughtered and how it is prepared. This meticulous preparation involves draining all the blood out of the meat, this helps prevent it from contracting any food-borne diseases, making it a much safer choice.
Thus, many non-Muslims choose Halal meat because it is healthier, cleaner and more economical.
Halal food is not limited to only Middle Eastern, Malay or Indonesian restaurants. On the contrary, there is a significant number of Chinese, Western and European restaurants that are also Halal certified. These restaurants are commonplace in non-Muslim countries with Muslim populations such as Singapore, Eastern China, Canada, USA and etc.
Myth #2: No Pork = Halal
In terms of Halal consumption, a mistake often made by non-Muslims is that food is Halal so long as it does not contain pork, lard, or alcohol, and indeed, these are expressly Haram — forbidden — for Muslims. But truly Halal food is held to specific standards at every step from processing to preparation to consumption, in other words, from farm to fork.
How the animal is being reared, slaughtered and how the meat is being handled from start to finish is what essentially makes a piece of meat Halal or Haram.
There are a handful of requirements that make a meat permissible in Islam and having no pork is just one of those many requirements.
In addition, the butcher must also be a practicing Muslim — this will ensure that the true integrity of Halal is being upheld.
Myth #3: The Halal Slaughter is Barbaric
Now, this is a tricky topic. Some people have an issue with animals being ritually slaughtered; others (animal lovers) have an issue with slaughtering any animal for food and regard it as barbaric. But everyone is entitled to their own opinions; so the focus here should not be who is right or wrong but rather understanding why people do what they do differently and learning how to be tolerant towards one another.
Oftentimes, the bigger picture of how animals are sacrificed is overlooked; in fact, the Islamic way is a truly humane way of handling the animal during slaughter (and before). Here are a three commonly overlooked points with regards to the Halal way of animal slaughter:
- Besides making sure that the meat is clean, it’s also required that the animal feels as little pain as possible, both physically and emotionally. The butcher needs to be skilful in the way he slaughters the animal — that means slitting its throat with one swift cut — and killing it almost instantaneously — and this must be done with no other animals around watching (this prevents them from being scared or nervous).
- Animals must be treated humanely; this includes proper food, clean air and ample room to roam around, and kind treatment (no kicking, abusing or mishandling of them).
- Stroking, petting or talking to the animal before it is brought to slaughter is a common protocol to keep the animal calm.
With Halal food becoming increasingly high in demand in the Muslim world, many fake Halal certifications and accreditations have been sprouting in the market. But worry not, if you want to learn how well Halal standards are met in the food you consume, you may check out Whatshalal. Whatshalal saw an urgent need for transparency in the Halal community, and has created an app that enlightens users on anything Halal and also allows end-users to report fraud in cases where the printed Halal logo has not actually been awarded by a Halal certifier.
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If you want to find out more about the food you are eating, look no further. Check out WhatsHalal. Its objective is to be the definitive guide and provider of unquestionably Halal Thoyiban food for the Muslim community.
Lastly, for those of you who are in search of the most delicious Halal food delivery around the island, download the WhatsHalal app on the App Store or Google Play to stay updated on the best Halal food stalls island wide.
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