The Halal Process

Yahya Shake is a student that memorized the Islamic text of the Holy Quran at an early age, and he leads the prayer in a mosque in Long Island. He discusses the topics of halal and haram, kosher and halal and certifications of halal. He shares the perspective of Islam that he learned from his teachers in the interview below.

Halal and Haram

Halal, meaning permissible in Arabic, may be thought about when thinking about food but is used to describe all actions that are allowed according to the Holy Quran. The Islamic text also discusses actions that are haram, meaning impermissible in Arabic. Yahya explains how everything that is not permissible is for a reason. He provides an example of alcohol. One reason why alcohol may be haram is that people may get addicted and harm themselves or others. He discusses that God made things haram because they are harmful. On the other hand, everything that is halal is something that is good for people. For food to be halal, there is a particular procedure that is used to follow the teachings of the Quran. There are many perspectives on the exact step by step method in allowing food to be halal. For meat to be halal, the animal must be fed before the killing. Also, the animal must be alive and healthy during the time of the slaughter. Animals shouldn’t be in a space where they can see other animals die.  Furthermore, the razor sharp knife cuts the animal in the jugular vein, carotid artery, and windpipe in one strike, so the animal faces as little pain as possible. The carcass is entirely drained of blood. Yahya discusses that humans slaughter animals in a way where the animal feels the minimal amount of pain. The knife isn’t shown to the animal because then the animal would be afraid. Furthermore, he discusses that cutting the animal through this process is not only helpful for the animal but is useful for humans too. People are benefitting since the blood from animals is drained out which helps our bodies. The method of slaughtering ensures that the meat provided in halal carts is clean. It is clear that this process is more humane for animals, but there is no scientific evidence to prove whether halal meat is more healthy compared to non-halal meat since there have been no studies on the comparison. This may suggest that the halal procedure is for the benefit of an animal rather than humans. Overall, there are many Islamic schools of thought and branches that disagree on the specifics of the halal food cutting process.

Kosher and Halal

The foods permitted in the Jewish religion today are typically agreed to be permissible for Muslims except for alcohol based items. Jews use the term kosher to label food that is in agreement with dietary laws in their religion.  The food laws followed by the Jewish faith include the food laws from the teachings of the Quran but all rules from the Islamic teachings do not cover all of the Jewish rulings. This overlap is why there is nothing wrong with a Muslim eating food that is Kosher except alcohol. However, Islamic teachings do not cover all of the steps required during the kosher cutting process. Yahya discusses that in his perspective the animal must be slaughtered while facing the house of God which is called the Kaaba and recitation of the Quran must be said. When people follow the teachings of the kosher method, recitation of the Quran is not in use, but there is an intention that the cutting is for God. Many Islamic scholars believe that since there is an intention for God when slaughtering the animal that Muslims can also eat food that is Kosher.

Certification

Regarding halal food, there are many certifications including Pilgrims, Zabiha Halal Meat Processors, and the American Halal Foundation. Each certifies meats based on different criteria. For example, the Zabiha Halal Meat Processors require slaughter by a Muslim without pre-stunning, and the cut must include Tasmiyah, an intention that the meat is for God.  The certification for Zabiha Halal Meat Processors is in the image below.

According to NYC.gov, halal carts are required to post halal certification and have it readily visible to customers. Yahya explains that if a cart says that the food is halal, then Muslims should respect their saying. However, in his perspective, he believes that you should do research ahead of time before eating in a place with no certification. Furthermore, he firmly believes that halal cart owners shouldn’t list their food as halal if it isn’t and owners don’t have the right to say that it is halal unless it is certified.

Ahmed, the cook in the Habibis halal cart near Madison Square Park, in his interview above discusses how Muslim cooks that state that their food is halal when it isn’t will face the consequences in the next world. He believes that life is short and that humans shouldn’t be working for the money when they compromise religion. He thinks that when cooks allow customers to eat food that they think is halal that isn’t the cook is committing a great sin. Ahmed says that all owners should be getting the food from halal providers like the garage.