In previous videos we have looked at the dietary laws belonging to both Christians and Jews
– if you are interested in those topics feel free to check them out.
But in this video, we are going to look at the laws specifically to do with Islam.
If I asked people on the street what they thought the dietary laws in Islam are the
two responses I would get would likely be Pork and alcohol.
Both of these are correct response.
But the dietary laws are more complex than that.
In Islam there essentially two types of food ‘halal’ meaning “according to law”
and “haram” which means forbidden.
There are two main places that Muslims find out what foods are halal and haram from – the
scriptures, the Quran and the Islamic equivalent of the Christian apocrypha, or extra biblical
writings, the hadith, which are written oral traditions.
Most types of food are halal in nature and are to many to list, but there is a clear
list of guidelines found in the Quran (2:173, 5:5, and 6:118–119, 121) which says what
foods are forbidden: - Intoxicants and alcoholic beverages
- Carrion (carcasses of dead animals which weren't killed by men or pets trained for
that purpose) - Blood
- Pork - Any food blasphemously dedicated to another
god or Idol - Animals butchered in forbidden ways including:
strangled, beaten, killed by a fall, gored, or savaged by a wild animal.
Many dietary regulations borrow heavily from Mosaic Law – as Muslims acknowledge the
Jewish scriptures as being a forerunner to their own, only having been corrupted sometimes
in the past- and are similar in forbidding consumption of the blood of any animal, the
flesh of swine or of animals that are found dead, and food that has been offered or sacrificed
to idols.
The most radical departure of Islamic dietary laws from those found in the Torah concerns
the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Although Judaism encourages moderation, Jews may consume alcohol, and wine is an important
element in many rituals and feasts.
The Qurʾān, however, absolutely forbids any such beverages.
This ban on alcohol has led to some discussion among Islamic scholars, which some schools
of thought banning anything fermented and others allowing foods cooked with alcohol,
or foods such as chocolate liquors which would never cause anyone to become intoxicated.
There are however a small minority of Islamic sects which only discourage alcohol, but don’t
forbid it, despite the Quran being very clear on the subject, for instance one verse states:
O ye who believe!
Intoxicants and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of
Satan's handiwork.
Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed.
(Al-Quran 5:90) Another interesting banned type of food is
food offered to idols, which can also be found in many Christian teachings.
An interesting thing to note is that it is actually okay for Muslims to eat with Jews
and Christians and to eat food prepared to them as they are also people of the scriptures.
The Quran says: This day are (all) good things made lawful
for you.
The food of those who have received the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful
for them.
And so are the virtuous women of the believers and the virtuous women of those who received
the Scripture before you (lawful for you) when ye give them their marriage portions
and live with them in honour, not in fornication, nor taking them as secret concubines.
Whoso denieth the faith, his work is vain and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter.
(Al-Quran 5:5) In Judaism the dietary laws were set to establish
a separateness between Jews and nonbelievers – in Islam the dietary laws also illustrate
the relationship of such laws to the establishment of a sense of social identity and separateness.
In eastern culture to eat with someone is to express closeness and friendship so it
is fascinating to see that the Quran actually promotes eating with Christians and Jews as
well as marriage to them.
As well as the regulations mentioned before some Muslims also follow some rules which
come from the hadith and other oral traditions including:
- Donkeys - Predators with sharp teeth or fangs – dogs,
cats, crocodiles - Hunting birds – like eagles and owls
- Lizards - Vermin – rats, mice, certain insects like
scorpions and spiders Conclusion
Islam is not only a religion, but is also a way of life similar to Christianity and
Judaism.
And its dietary laws reflect this.
To summarise what we have learnt: There are essentially two types of foods:
halal and haram Muslims learn their dietary laws from the
Quran which derives its laws from the previous mosaic scriptures
Muslims like Jews can’t eat certain unclean animals or blood
They also can’t eat things which died naturally or was butchered in a forbidden way
Or food which was dedicated to other gods or idols