Halal Standard

BASIC ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES ON HALAL

• Islamic way of life is guided by the principle of Halal and Haram
• Islam refers to Religion
• Muslim a person whose religion is Islam
• Halal is an Arabic word which means lawful and permitted.
• To Muslims is A religious Command
• To Non-Muslims is A religious requirement for the Muslims.
• To Industries – A religious requirement of Muslims that can be turned into profit.
• To Islam – wide interpretation: For food it’s permissible and wholesome while in others it is a way of life
• Haram is the opposite of halal which means unlawful and prohibited.
• MUSHBOH it is an arabic word meaning Questionable
• The living habits and day-to-day affairs of a Muslim is guided by the principle of halal and haram.
• Almighty God has enjoined all human beings to observe the principle of halal and haram in all his actions and behavior.
• All good things in this world is halal and all bad things in this world is haram.
• Hence, performing good deed is halal and performing bad deed is haram.
• It can be said that the concept of halal and haram is a quality control system by itself.
• However, halal and haram is not limited to human actions and behavior. It is also applied to things and objects including food.
• Consuming halal food has a religious significance to Muslims.
• It is an Islamic belief / teaching that no prayers will be heard by Almighty God for forty days for one who knowingly consumed or use haram provisions.
• If he dies within this period, he may not be allowed to enter heaven.

• simply means that it is clean and healthy.
• It is a human provision that fits Muslim consumption. However, it does not necessarily mean that it is exclusively for Muslims.
• A product that is fit for Muslim consumption is definitely fit for human consumption.
  
  Provisions that are permitted in Islam for human consumption and production are divided into three categories:
  
  
  1. Plants: all kinds of plants are halal except those that are poisonous, hazardous to health and intoxicating.
  2. liquids: all kinds of liquids are halal except those that are intoxicating, hazardous to health, poisonous and those that are mixed with filth (najis)
  3. Animals: Halal animals are divided into two categories
     
     AQUATIC ANIMALS:
     
     

          all animals that live in water or marine animal dependent on water are halal except those that are poisonous, hazardous to health and intoxicating.

     LAND ANIMALS:
     
          All land Animals are Halal except the following:
     
     
     1. Animals that are not slaughtered according to Islam method
     2. pigs or swine or boars
     3. dogs
     4. animals with claws and pointed teeth (canines/tusks) which are used to kill preys
     5. birds with talons or predator birds which include carnivorous birds with sharp claws
     6. animals enjoined in Islam to be killed like scorpions, snakes, centipedes, mice
     7. animals that are forbidden to be killed like bees, ants, woodpecker
     8. animals that are considered to be filthy by the public like lice, flies
     9. animals that both live in land and in water(amphibians, frogs, crocodiles)

• In Islam, HYGIENE means free from najis and from any form of contamination with haram components and harmful organism
• Najis an Arabic term which means filth or unclean. Islamic law(Shariah) details that are:
  
  
  1. those that are themselves not permissible such as swine and all its derivatives, blood and carrion;
  2. halal food that is contaminated with najis;
  3. halal food that comes into direct contact with things that are non-halal;
  4. any liquid and objects discharged from orifices of human beings or animals such as urine, excrement, blood, vomit, pus, sperm and ova of pigs and dogs except sperm and ova of lawful animals
  5. carrion or halal animals that are not slaughtered according to Islamic (shariah) law.
     
     
• NAJIS refers to three things:
  
  
  1. Mughallazhah which is considered as severe najis which are dogs and pigs including any liquid and objects discharged from orifices, descendants and derivatives;
  2. Mukhaffafah which is considered as light najis. The only najis in this category is urine from a baby at the age of 2 years and below who has not consumed any other food except his mother’s milk; and
  3. Mutawassitah which is considered as medium najis which does not falls under severe or light najis such as vomit, pus, blood, alcoholic drinks, carrion, liquid and objects discharged from the orifices,etc.
     
     
• FILTH refers to all forms of impurity.
• There is contamination when traces of undesired substances entered the product during handling, processing and storage.

     A product is considered halal when it was prepared, processed, stored, transported and served under the strict observance to halal standard.
     There must be a permanent area / place exclusively dedicated for processing halal products and must be free from najis and from any form of contamination with haram elements.
     There must be equipments and utensils exclusively dedicated to process halal products and must be free from najis and from any form of contamination with haram elements.

• Rule: all ingredients are halal except those that are poisonous, hazardous to health, intoxicating and those that are mixed or contaminated with filth or haram elements.
• Animal Base: the ingredient must not contain any component of animals that are considered haram or halal animals that are not slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law
• Plant Base: the ingredient must not be poisonous, hazardous to health or intoxicating
• Others: the ingredient must have been prepared, processed, and stored with due observance to halal standard.

• Rule: all liquids are halal except those that are intoxicating, poisonous, hazardous to health and those that are mixed with najis.
• All liquids that are intoxicating are basically haram. Therefore, alcohol drinks or wine is not halal and cannot be used for producing halal food and cannot be even stored with halal products or inside a halal premises.

• The purpose of slaughtering is to let the blood out and use the flesh of the animal as food and thereby remove the slaughtered animal from the category of “dead animal”.
• There must be an area or place exclusively dedicated to process or serve halal products.
• There must be a storage equipment or room dedicated exclusively for halal products/materials/ingredients.
• The halal premises must be manned with halal assurance officers or halal crew who must be Muslims.
• In all of its operations, the halal standard /GMP / Hygiene and Sanitation and other safety management system must be strictly and properly observed.