3.10.1 Foods

In addition to rules and regulations for the perfection of self and for the better relations of man with man, there are certain restrictive regulations of a general nature the object of which is to teach man the ways of clean living. These regulations relate to foods, drinks, dress and a number of other things, and have both a physical and a moral value. It is a recognized fact that the food which a man eats, or even his dress, affects not only his constitution but also the building up of his character, and hence in a complete code of life it was necessary that men should be taught ways of clean eating, clean drinking, clean dressing, clean appearance and clean habits of all kinds. These regulations are sometimes obligatory but very often of a recommendatory nature.

The first general rule regarding foods, and which applies to drink as well, is laid down in the following words in the Holy Qur’an: “O men, eat the lawful and good things from what is in the earth” (2:168). The first condition therefore is that the food and drink should be lawful. Lawful things are not only those which the law has not declared to be forbidden, but even unforbidden things become unlawful if they are acquired unlawfully, e.g., by theft, cheating, bribery, etc. The other condition is that it should be good (tayyib). The word tayyib carries the significance of pleasant, delightful, delicious or sweet, and pure or clean (LL.). An impure or unclean thing or a thing which offends good taste should, therefore, not be used as an eatable. The same rule applies to drinks.

The above rule, to avoid unlawful and unclean things, is supplemented by two other equally important directions of a general nature. The first is an interdiction against excess “And eat and drink and be not prodigal; surely He loves not the prodigals” (7:31). Immoderation may either be in the taking of diet, when one over-loads the stomach with food, or may be in the taking of particular kinds of food. Any food, however good, is injurious to health if taken in excess. Moderation in eating is a guarantee of health. And just as overfeeding spoils the system, underfeeding undermines the health. Hence the direction is given: “O you who believe, forbid not the good things which Allah has made lawful for you and exceed not the limits” (5:87). In these words, all self-denying practices, by which a man either deprives himself of the necessary quantity of food or of certain kinds of food are denounced. Good things which are helpful in building up the system should not be denied.

Four things are expressly prohibited in the Holy Qur’an: “O you who believe, eat of the good things that We have provided you with, and give thanks to Allah, if He it is Whom you serve. He has forbidden you only that which dies of itself, and blood and the flesh of swine, and that over which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked. Then whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring nor exceeding the limit, no sin is upon him; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” (2:172, 173). The same prohibition had already been revealed in 16:115, while the Holy Prophet was yet at Makkah, in nearly the same words, whereas in 6:145, another Makkah revelation, reasons are added for the prohibition, and 5:3, which is the latest revelation on the point, adds several things by way of explanation.

The prohibited foods thus are:

1. That which dies of itself. According to 5:3, the following are included: “The strangled animal, and that beaten to death and that killed by a fall and that killed by goring with the horn, and that which wild beasts have eaten.”

2. Blood, explained as “blood poured forth” in 6:145.

3. Flesh of swine: This was also forbidden by the law of Moses (Lev. 11:7). Jesus Christ, like a true Jew seems to have held the swine in abhorrence: “Neither cast ye your pearls before swine” (Mt. 7:6). He is also reported to have cast out a number of unclean spirits which he then allowed to go into a herd of swine, causing it to perish thereby (Mt. 8:30-32; Mk. 5:11-13). This shows that he looked upon the animal as unclean. St. Peter compares sinners who relapse into evil to swine who go again to wallow in the mire after they are washed (2 Pet. 2:22).

4. The fourth kind of forbidden food is that over which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked at the time of slaughtering it. In 5:3 “what is sacrificed on stones set up (for idols)” is added, and it evidently comes under this description.

The Holy Qur’an speaks of the first three forbidden foods, carrion, blood and pork, as unclean things, while the fourth the invocation of other than Allah’s name at the time of slaughtering an animal, is called fisq or a transgression of the Divine commandment. The reason for this distinction is that there is uncleanness in the case of first three, since they have a pernicious effect upon the intellectual, the physical or the moral system; while in the fourth case, the spiritual side is affected, as the invocation of other than Allah’s name, or sacrificing for idols, associates one with idolatry. In this case the thing is not unclean in itself, like blood or carrion or pork; it is forbidden because the use of such food associates a man with idolatry.

According to the law of Islam, all animals that are allowed as food must be slaughtered in such a manner that blood flows out. The approved method is to cut off the windpipe, the oesophagus and the two external jugular veins. The idea underlying this particular manner of slaughter is causing the blood to flow so that the poisons contained in it should not form part of food. The same appears to be the reason for prohibition of blood as food. Fish, or other watergame does not require to be slaughtered, and it is allowed irrespective of who has caught it; so also fish which has been thrown out by the sea or river on dry land or which has been left by the water having receded from it, and which has therefore died before it is caught, provided it is not spoiled.

It should be further noted that, when an animal is slaughtered, it is necessary that the name of God should be invoked. The Holy Qur’an lays down plainly: “And eat not of that on which Allah’s name has not been mentioned, and that is surely a transgression” (6:121). Hence it is necessary that at the time of slaughtering an animal, the following words should be pronounced: Bismillah Allahu Akbar — In the name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest of all. This practice is traceable to the Holy Prophet. If the man who slaughters the animal forgets to pronounce these words, the flesh of the animal is allowed, but if he omits the words intentionally, there is a difference of opinion. Imam Shafi‘i allows it even in this case against the Hanafi view. In slaughtering an animal, any sharp instrument may be used which causes the blood to flow, and the flesh of an animal which was slaughtered by a maid with a stone was allowed. The food of the followers of the Book is expressly allowed in the Holy Qur’an: “And the food of those who have been given the Book is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them” (5:5). A Muslim may therefore invite the followers of the Book to his own table and he may eat at their table. But Hadith makes it further clear that the animal slaughtered by the followers of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab) is allowed in this verse. Zuhri adds the condition that, if the slaughterer is heard uttering a name other than that of God, the flesh is not to be eaten, but if he is not so heard then it is lawful for the Muslims to eat it. An animal slaughtered by an un-circumcised person is also allowed. As stated elsewhere, the words Ahl al-Kitab are applicable to followers of all revealed religions, including the Magi, the Hindus, etc. A certain food (cheese) prepared by the Magi was allowed by the Holy Prophet, though he was told that in its preparation use had been made of what died of itself; and he only said: “Mention the name of Allah over it. Dhabihat al-A‘rab — Animals slaughtered by desert Arabs — is the heading of one of Bukhari’s chapters, and under this is mentioned a hadith from ‘A’ishah, according to which certain people came to the Holy Prophet and enquired of him about meat which was brought to them by other people, about which they did not know whether the name of God had been mentioned over it or not. The Holy Prophet’s reply was: “Mention the name of Allah over it and eat it” (Bu. 72:21). This gives a wide latitude in doubtful and difficult cases where a Muslim must depend on food provided or prepared by other people.

The Holy Qur’an expressly allows game: “The good things are allowed to you and what you have taught the beasts and birds of prey, training them to hunt — you teach them of what Allah has taught you; so eat of that which they catch for you, and mention the name of Allah over it” (5:4). Hadith makes it clear that the name of Allah is to be mentioned when letting off the beast or bird of prey. The animal caught may be eaten even though it is killed by the beast or bird of prey. The killing of game by throwing pebbles and hazelnuts is however forbidden. Killing it by arrow is allowed, since the arrow causes the blood to flow. Game shot with a gun must follow the same rule, but in both cases the bismillah must be uttered before letting off the arrow or firing the gun, and if the game is killed before it is caught and slaughtered, there is no harm. As regards the game of sea or water, it is all to be taken as slaughtered.

According to Hadith, the Holy Prophet prohibited all beasts of prey with a nab (the canine tooth) and all birds of prey with a claw. The tame ass is also prohibited, but not the wild ass which is allowed, the mule is prohibited but not the horse. Dzabb (lizard) is not prohibited, but the Holy Prophet did not eat it when it was brought before him. In one hadith it is said that the Holy Prophet did not eat the hare, though he did not prohibit it, as if he did not like it personally, but this is the view of ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar and some others as against the universal view; and Bukhari has a clear report that when the hare was hunted by Abu Talhah and he sent a part of it to the Holy Prophet, it was accepted by him, and therefore there is no reason to suppose that he disliked it. To the list of prohibitions mentioned in Hadith, the jurists add hyenas, foxes, elephants, weasels, pelicans, kites, carrion-crows, ravens, crocodiles, otters, asses, mules, wasps and all insects. As shown at the very outset of this section, among things which are allowed much depends on personal likes and dislikes; a thing which may be good (tayyib) as food for one man or one people may not be so for another. Certain things may be good and even useful as food, but their use might be offensive to others; it was due to this that the Holy Prophet said that whoever ate raw onions and garlic, he should not approach the mosque, because the odour would be offensive to others: but there is no harm in taking them in a cooked form, or in some other form in which it may not give an offensive odour, or on occasions when one is not likely to appear in public.

It is recommended that hands should be washed before the taking of food and after finishing it, and that when one begins a meal, he should do so with the pronouncement of bismillah, and that when he finishes it he should give thanks to God or say al-hamdu li-llah.

In another hadith, the man who gives thanks to God after taking a meal is compared to the man who fasts and is patient in suffering. It was the Holy Prophet’s practice to cleanse the mouth with water after taking food. There is also a direction that a man should eat with the right hand. To blow on food or drink is prohibited. Taking of food when in a reclining posture is not recommended, nor eating and drinking while standing, but Bukhari reports that ‘Ali intentionally drank water while standing, and added that people did not like it but he had seen the Holy Prophet drinking water while standing. It is also regarded as good manners in eating that a man should take only so much in his plate as not to leave anything on it after eating, and that he should take a morsel from what lies near his hand. Of the Holy Prophet it is related that he would never find fault with the food which he was offered; if he liked it he would eat of it, and if he disliked it he would leave it. There is nothing to show that helping oneself with a spoon or a knife is disapproved of. On the contrary, the Holy Prophet is spoken of as helping himself with a knife to cut cooked meat. Feeding the hungry when one sits at a meal is also regarded as good manners in eating. Eating and drinking in vessels of silver and gold was prohibited, because it is a luxury which can be enjoyed by the rich at the expense of the poor, and is against the democratic spirit of Islam.

For fostering good relations it is recommended that a man should have no hesitation in eating at the house of his relatives or friends: “There is no blame … that you eat at your houses or your fathers’ houses or your mothers’ houses or your brothers’ houses, or your sisters’ houses, or your paternal uncles’ houses, or your paternal aunts’ houses, or your maternal uncles’ houses, or your maternal aunts’ houses, or houses whereof you possess the keys, or your friends’ houses” (24:61). Apparently, it is meant that among near relatives and close friends, one may eat at another’s house if the time has arrived for a meal, though he may not have been invited beforehand. Stress is laid on the acceptance of an invitation to a feast: “The Holy Prophet said, When a person is invited and he does not accept (or reply), he disobeys Allah and His Messenger”. Entertainment of guests is also emphasized. It is stated that when the Holy Prophet came to Madinah, he sacrificed a camel or a cow (to feast his friends); from this it is concluded that when a person comes home from a journey, he should entertain his friends at meals. Inviting the followers of other religions, and accepting their invitation, is expressly spoken of in the Holy Qur’an: “And the food of those who have been given the Book is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them” (5:5). The Holy Qur’an speaks of eating together or separately as one likes: “It is no sin in you that you eat together or separately” (24:61). Hadith recommends social functions in which people should eat together: “Gather together at your meals, you will be blessed therein”. The levelling influence of Islam asserts itself even in eating, and it is recommended that a servant may be seated at the same table as his master, or at least he should be given a part of the food which the master eats. Islam therefore allows no distinction between superiors and subordinates in sitting at the same table at meals, as in standing in the same row at prayers. In its physical as well as spiritual aspects, it is essentially the religion of democracy.