Halal and haram meat/food

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I was wondering if there is a limit to eating makhru food? It is common in the group of friends to eat pizza and other types of foods that do not contain pork, but other types of meat. Is it the same as eating haram? I have also heard that when you eat haram, Allah does not accept a person’s salah and prayer. Does that apply to eating “jhatka”? What category does “jhatka” food fall into?

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Assalamu alaikum,

Thank you for your inquiry.

Eating the meat of animals that are either not permissible in themselves or not slaughtered according to Islamic regulations is haram. In other words, there are two categories of meat that are not permissible to consume:

– Meat from haram animals (animals that are not permitted to be consumed, such as pigs, dogs, etc.)

– Meat from halal animals that have not been slaughtered according to the Islamic slaughter method.

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says in the Quran: Do not eat of that over which the name of Allah has not been mentioned. This is an impious act. (6:121)

According to Tafsir Qurtubi, Mazhari and several others, Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Qadri writes that “calling on the name of Allah” means calling on the name of Allah while slaughtering the animal. The meaning of this verse is to slaughter animals according to the injunctions of the Sharia (Ahkam-ul-Quran, 3/300). He further writes that it is necessary to slaughter a halal animal in the name of Allah. If one does not call on the name of Allah while slaughtering … the animal is haram, and it is haram to consume it, just as it is haram to consume a carcass (ibid, p. 304).

It is therefore very important to stay away from food that does not contain halal meat. “Jhatka” also falls under this category as it goes against the halal slaughter method. (According to Wikipedia, jhatka meat is meat from an animal that has been killed by a single strike of a sword or axe to cut off the head and is consumed by Hindus).

Regarding the second part of your question, there are countless hadiths that emphasize the importance of eating halal and the seriousness of eating haram. There are also hadiths that indicate that prayer (dua) is not accepted if one eats something haram.

Saad (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to pray for him that Allah would hear his prayers and not reject any of them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Eat of the lawful and pure, O you who are answered” (Ihya, 2/150, Dar-ul-Ishaat Karachi).

In another hadith, it is clear that Allah does not answer the prayers of those who consume forbidden food and wear what is not halal. According to Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: O people! Allah is Good (Tayyib) and therefore He only accepts what is good. And Allah commanded the believers as He commanded the Messengers, saying: “O Messengers, eat of the good and pure things and live righteously. Indeed, I am well aware of what you do.” (Quran, 23:51). And He said: “O you who believe, eat of the good and pure things We have provided for you” (Quran, 2:172). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then mentions a person who travels a lot, his hair disheveled and covered with dust. He raises his hand to the sky (and thus prays to Allah): “Lord, Lord,” while his diet is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, and his clothing is unlawful and his sustenance is unlawful. How then can his prayer be accepted? (Sahih Muslim: Book 5, No 2214)

The last part of this hadith refers to a person who abhors worldly goods and lives in spiritual pursuits. But that person will never attain any degree of spirituality or closeness to Allah if he otherwise has so much haram in his life.

It is pertinent to emphasize that this does not only apply to haram food. Dishonest or illegal income (and food purchased from such income) falls under this curse. The latter is something that many often forget today. Those who are careful to buy halal food but earn their living illegally, or are dishonest in their business transactions, are deceiving themselves.

And Allah knows best.Najeeb Naz

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Najeeb Naz