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Wednesday, June 3, 2009

YOUR HALAAL-HARAAM GUIDE

YOUR HALAAL-HARAAM GUIDE
HALAAL AND HARAAM issues constitute a vital part of Imaan and of the Muslim’s moral character. It is imperative for advance and progress in the spiritual domain to know and act according to the demands of halaal and haraam. These are issues which should affect every Muslim. Indulgence in haraam and mushtabah (doubtful) severely corrodes and corrupts the Rooh.
HALAAL FOOD
Nowadays, the term ’halaal’ is of topical import. It is a word which is greatly misused and misdirected for pecuniary motives. It is no longer discussed in relation to its Shar’i concept. Its importance nowadays is confined to two avenues:
(1) Advertising and promoting the sales of non-Muslim business-houses.
(2) Filling the coffers and pockets of self-styled ‘halaal authorities’.
There is no other dimension of halaal known to the masses in general and to unscrupulous molvis, sheikhs and imaams. Halaal is no longer understood in the context of Taqwa because the term Taqwa itself has become a detestable concept to the molvis and sheikhs of the dunya and to the purveyors of the scrap papers dubbed ‘halaal certificates’.
ACCURSED
These accursed scraps of paper have opened up a wide avenue for consumption of haraam food substances. Haraam meat, haraam chickens and haraam processed foods churned out by non-Muslim factories are all marketed as ‘halaal’. With such carrion the purveyors of these accursed scrap certificates have eliminated whatever little inhibition Muslims of weak Imaan had in the matter of haraam food.
THE GUIDE
Thousands of products are manufactured and marketed by non-Muslims. It is quite natural and necessary for Muslims to desire an awareness of what they are consuming. But, the ‘halaal authorities’ in the haraam certificate game cannot offer true guidance to Muslims in this field.
The best guide is to check the list of ingredients which appears o­n the wrappers. This is a better and a surer method of knowing what o­ne will be consuming. The ‘halaal’ marking and certification is totally unreliable, in fact, misleading. Even pork has been marketed as ‘halaal’ and ‘certified’ by the jaahil unscrupulous ‘halaal’ authorities, intentionally or unintentionally. In the former case it is a matter of kufr. In the latter, it is gross dereliction of duty which is fisq of a dastardly kind.
‘HALAAL’ PORK
A report from Malaysia states:
"In o­ne case, cans of minced pork from China have carried halal logos. In Kuala Lumpur, a restaurant has been raided and sausages and burgers from two food processing plants have been seized and tested for pork……. ‘This kind of thing is going to kill our reputation,’ said Nadzim Johan, chief of a Muslim consumer group that says it has 30,000 members nationwide…...The habitual abuse of this logo is not doing a good thing for the country..’ he added, referring to the halaal certification mark food manufacturers use…… Lawmakers have demanded that manufacturers who falsely claim to meet the standards be whipped…"
In South Africa there has been massive abuse in this field over the decades by both manufacturers and so-called ‘halaal authorities.’ In fact, the worst marauders of the Imaan and Akhlaaq of the masses in this sphere were and still are the haraam ’halaal authorities’.
In view of these haraam authorities being commercially-motivated, the criterion will always be money. Since the focal point of the ‘halaal’ certificate game is money, the different ‘halaal authorities’ have developed deep-rooted antagonism for o­ne another, not o­n the basis of any Deeni issue, but purely pecuniary considerations. o­ne ‘halaal authority’ even offered ‘halaal certificates’ at cut price in its bid to expand its nefarious trade.
Muslims should understand the following facts to avoid being bamboozled by the ‘halaal authorities’:
• A Muslim trader does not require a halaal certificate from anyone. It is accepted that a Muslim will stock o­nly halaal. However, if it transpires that any Muslim trader is dishonest and violates his Imaan by stocking haraam as well, then it becomes the duty of those who are aware to expose the miscreant.
• Paying a fee for the scrap of paper called ‘halaal certificate’ is baatil— not permissible. If anyone wishes to inspect o­ne’s premises, such inspection should be unhesitatingly allowed. o­nly o­ne who has haraam to conceal will object to an inspection.
• It is haraam to pay for such inspections. The miserable haraam ‘authorities’ perpetrate major sins by their extortion of tens of thousands of rands for their scraps of paper and outings.
• It is not permissible to buy any meat products and chickens from any non-Muslim business irrespective of any ‘halaal certificate’ which the business possesses. A ‘halaal’ certificate does not transform the non-Muslim’s meat products into halaal. It is Waajib to totally refrain from purchasing any meat products from non-Muslim shops and outlets.
• Place no credence o­n ‘halaal’ certificates, ‘halaal’ emblems, logos and the like. Do no consume products o­n the strength of anyone’s scrap certificate nor o­n the basis of a ‘halaal’ logo, stamp or emblem appearing o­n a label. Pork has been marketed under ‘halaal’ emblems o­n a number of occasions.
The Arab countries are notorious for importing meat products from a variety of kuffaar countries, from even communist countries. It is impossible to adequately supervise the numerous plants manufacturing thousands of different products. Abuse, malpractice and downright crookery have happened and happens frequently at the plants and within the ranks of the haraam ‘halaal’ authorities.
Not so long ago, Kuwait had to ban certain products when pork was discovered mixed in the meat. Pork sausages were also o­nce given to a South African Muslim at a shop in Makkah Mukarramah.
• Check the list of ingredients o­n the labels of products. If gelatine or alcohol is listed, the product is obviously haraam. There is no such thing as halaal animal gelatine in South Africa. All South African gelatine is haraam carrion. This haraam carrion has been certified ‘halaal’ by the haraam ‘halaal’ self-styled authorities.
• If the ingredients consists of a string of chemical names or symbols which you are unable to decipher, the best course is to abstain. If a haraam ingredient is recognized in the cleverly disguised list, then obviously the product is haraam.
If unable to ascertain whether camouflaged ingredients are haraam, then the product enters the mushtabah (doubtful) zone. It becomes mushtabah, not o­n account of unawareness of the ingredients, but o­n the basis of awareness of the widespread use of haraam ingredients, and the fact that many substances with these chemical symbols are haraam animal products.
The rule pertaining to mushtabah, is abstention by the command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
• Canned fruit and canned vegetables of plants processing o­nly fruit and vegetables may be consumed. Contamination with haraam meat substances occurs at plants which process both meat and vegetables at the same facility.
• All synthetic juices are made with alcoholic concentrates. Therefore, consume o­nly 100% pure fruit juice.
BE YOUR OWN HALAAL AUTHORITY. DO NOT RELY o­n THE PURVEYORS OF SCRAP PAPERS WHICH ARE USED TO EXTORT MONEY FROM TRADERS AND MANUFACTURERS.

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