What is halal meat? Halal - what is it and the meaning of the word, features of the industrial production of meat and food

Kosher is what is produced according to the rules of kashrut, which is based on the laws of the Torah. “Halal” literally translates from Arabic as “permitted by Allah”, and in the Muslim world means permissible deeds in general. If we talk about products, then, basically, those that are kosher are also halal at the same time. In the opposite direction, this rule does not apply. Using meat as an example, we decided to understand the specifics of production together with the head of the kashrut department of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, Yossi Verzub, and the head of the Halal International Center for Standardization and Certification of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Aidar Gazirov.

YOSI VERZUB

Head of the Kashrut Department of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia

Kosher and halal meat are the same only in that they follow religious laws in their production. Otherwise, kosher is a completely different matter.

There are many rules. The most basic ones concern the use of specific animals for food and the way they are produced.

As for birds, according to kashrut it is forbidden to eat only birds of prey. Further, those birds that were injected with hormones, antibiotics and other drugs are no longer kosher. The next rule concerns the method of slaughter: you need to cut with a very sharp knife in a special place along the neck, you need to do this calmly, without the slightest trembling in your hands, and so that the animal is as motionless as possible - so the bird will not feel pain. This is done by a trained shochet, who holds the chicken with one hand and cuts with the other. If at least some point was not observed (the hand trembled, the knife was not sharp enough, and so on) - the chicken is not kosher. Shohet himself understands whether he did the right thing or not. If everything is in order, the chicken is carefully opened so as not to damage the internal organs, and they are checked to see if they are all healthy. We also have rules on what color should be, for example, lungs. In this way, you can determine if the animal was sick. If even one organ is diseased, the whole chicken is no good. If the chicken was healthy, then they begin to wash the insides to remove the blood. After the carcass is left in salt for half an hour to draw out the remaining blood. Then soaked and washed from salt. They do the same with geese, ducks, turkeys and other birds.

With cattle meat, the method is similar: the animal must be healthy, the incision must be made quickly and with a sharp knife, washed and then left in salt, but there are some peculiarities. For example, we can only eat the front part of the carcass. In the back is the sciatic nerve, which is forbidden in the Torah, and it is very difficult to remove it. As for the front part, it is cleaned of veins and cut into pieces.

The Torah says that blood is the soul. As long as there is blood in the animal, it has life

Some laws written in the Torah are explained and even confirmed from a medical point of view, some laws have no concrete confirmation, and we just believe them - sooner or later their necessity will be confirmed, as in the case of others, the explanation of which is already there. For example, I cannot explain exactly why only the meat of animals that are both ruminants (herbivores) and artiodactyls are allowed to be eaten. Therefore, we do not eat pork: the pig is artiodactyl, but it is not herbivorous.

On the other hand, the ban on eating blood has an explanation. The Torah says that blood is the soul. As long as there is blood in an animal, there is life in it. Therefore, we completely remove the blood from the animal.

"Halal" means "permissible", "haram" - forbidden, and it is much less. The Koran says that “the food of the people of the Book”, that is, the Jews, we recognize and eat. Our principles are similar to those of kosher, and a product that is kosher is also halal, but this only works one way, as halal is not always kosher. In our case, the rules are less strict.

Speaking of meat, we are also forbidden to eat pork, dead animals and birds of prey.

According to Halal certification standards, the animal must be healthy, the slaughter must take place in a humane way: one animal must not see how another is slaughtered; they should be hammered quickly and sharply with a sharpened knife by cutting the cervical artery; at the same time, the slaughterer says the prayer "Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim", translated from Arabic "in the name of Allah the Gracious and Merciful." As for the latter, the reading of the prayer at slaughter is also used in other religions: for example, this was traditionally done by Christians in the villages. Also unacceptable is the barbaric method of murder - slaughter by electric current and crushing of the skull.

Now the industry of halal products is developing rapidly and it can be found not only at the mosque, but also in regular chain supermarkets

According to the halal standard, we allow electrical stunning in the case of poultry, according to kashrut this is prohibited. To make it easier to remove feathers, we use scalding baths, feathers are plucked by hand after kashrut.

The blood that flows from the animal after slaughter is forbidden. But the blood that remains in the carcass, we do not touch. The Jews went further: they remove this blood by squeezing it out.

Now the industry of halal products is developing rapidly and it can be found not only at the mosque, but also in ordinary chain supermarkets. So halal has gone beyond confessionalism and is often bought by people who are not related to Islam. Of course, due to industrial production, manufacturers began to appear who use the halal label for marketing purposes and produce the product without following the rules. In this situation, you can trust those products on the packaging of which there is a halal sign. It can be applied only by those manufacturers who have passed the certification procedure and received the certificate of the International Center for Standardization and Certification "Halal" of the Council of Muftis of Russia.

Illustration: Olya Volk

More and more often in stores you can see meat products with bright green stickers and the inscription "Halal". If you have traveled to Eastern countries, you have probably noticed similar stickers on the wall in cafes, fast food, and even on jars of cosmetics. What does the word "halal" mean, and what products are subject to this labeling, I will tell you now.

What does halal mean

Translated from Arabic, "halal" means permitted, legal. In the religion of Islam, this word denotes everything that is allowed for a true Muslim. In a broad sense, halal refers not only to food, but to the whole way of life, including relationships between people, work, entertainment and household issues.

Approved Products

All foods are considered halal and acceptable to eat unless they are on the following list:

• alcoholic drinks and any toxic products;
• gelatin;
• lard, ham, pork sausages;
• meat broths and animal fat of unknown origin;
• meat of predators and birds of prey;
• non-halal meat of permitted animals (cow, ram, sheep, goat, goose, turkey, chicken and others).

In order for meat to become halal, an animal or bird from the permitted list must be slaughtered in accordance with the special Muslim ritual of zabh. This method very accurately describes the procedure for slaughter, the obligatory utterance of the words of prayer, as well as the process of cutting meat. Great importance is attached to a careful attitude towards the animal, avoiding mutilation or deliberate intimidation.

Financial relations halal

We are used to hearing "halal" in relation to food, but Muslims use this word just as often when describing the financial side of life. Faithful Muslims should use only permitted banking products (Islamic banking) and participate in fair and transparent transactions with equal profitability for all participants.

The absolutely equal position of the participants in the transaction means that any accrual of interest is prohibited. Bank deposits of Muslims do not bring any income, and the fee for using the loan is issued as a voluntary remuneration - hiba.

Halal financial instruments are not:

• bonds and fixed income instruments;
• investments in business related to the production and trade in alcohol, tobacco, weapons;
• entertainment industry stocks;
• any participation in the pig business;
• futures and options;
• speculative transactions and gambling on the stock exchange.

With the spread of Islam, halal products are becoming more accessible: there are special departments in supermarkets, halal cafes, new financial instruments, and even separate banking organizations for Muslims.

Seeing a product marked “Halal” (Halal, Halal) on the counter, an ignorant person is unlikely to attach importance to this, mistaking this inscription for a simple company sign. In fact, it would be worth considering, because. this word (from the Arabic al-halal - permitted) means that this product does not violate Islamic prohibitions ("haram"). Today we will find out what these prohibitions are and whether we, Orthodox Christians, can eat halal food.

What is halal food?

In Islam, "halal" means food that is allowed to be eaten. It mainly refers to meat.

Muslims are prohibited from:

• pork,
• meat with blood
• animals that died a natural death,
• the meat of animals that were slaughtered without the name of Allah.

There are some other features: for example, animals must not be strangled, certain parts of animals (genitals, endocrine glands, gallbladder, etc.) must not be eaten, carnivorous land animals (tiger, wolf, etc.) must not be eaten.

The experts of the Halal Meat Cooking Committee talk about the production algorithm:

1. The scorer must be an adult Muslim. Although some sources speak of the permission to slaughter an animal and representatives of other faiths, provided that they believe in the One God - i.e. Jews and Christians. (Only it is not clear how the next point is carried out in this case.)
2. The animal must be conscious and feel pain. Stunning before slaughter is not allowed.
3. When an animal is slaughtered, the prayer “Bismillah, Allahu Akbar” (“In the name of Allah, Allah is great!”) Is said.
4. At the same time, the animal's throat is cut and the bulk of the blood is drained.

Halal food shops

For the first time, legally halal food appeared in the capital of our Motherland in the 80s of the last century in a kiosk at the Cathedral Mosque. Today, more and more new outlets with halal products are opening in every district of Moscow. Halal meat is very popular among consumers because considered one of the safest products. Initially, it is assumed that the animal should be grown on environmentally friendly feed without the use of hormones and other harmful additives.

We can meet the mark "halal" and on confectionery. In this case, it means that pork fat was not used in the preparation.

I must say that halal food is more expensive than regular food. Related to this are cases of fake halal products, when, for example, in the so-called. Pork was found in halal dumplings. Therefore, now, in order for the product to be marked “halal”, it is necessary to obtain a special certificate.

Halal slaughter of livestock is prohibited in Poland

Since 2013, the Polish government has banned the ritual slaughter of Muslim halal and Jewish kashrut. This caused dissatisfaction with those countries to which Poland supplied meat that complied with the ritual slaughter rules for Jews and Muslims, as well as Jewish and Muslim organizations within the country itself.

The justification for the ban is a contradiction of this method of killing animals of the Polish constitution. Ritual slaughter without stunning animals is considered cruel, animal rights advocates are categorically against it. Note that for halal and kashrut standards, the animal, as mentioned above, must be conscious and feel pain during slaughter.

Poland until 2013 is one of the largest exporting countries of halal and kosher meat. The ban on the production of such products foreshadowed millions of dollars of loss for this European country. However, this fact did not force Poland to change its views and cancel this decision of the Constitutional Court.

Frederick Fred, the head of one of the French societies for the protection of animals, said in an interview about the process of ritual slaughter of cattle: “It comes with more suffering. I regularly visit slaughterhouses and I can say that when you see a bull whose throat is cut, you become a witness to the agony of an animal. It is not the act of cutting the throat itself that is shocking in the first place, but the agony of the animal as a result of this, which can last up to 14 minutes.

Can Orthodox Christians Eat Halal?

Now that we have enough information about halal food, let's move on to answering the main question: can Orthodox Christians eat halal or not? To do this, first let's figure out whether halal food is idolized?

Muslims sacrifice animals at a specific time for this, reading a series of prayers and performing ritual actions. In the production of halal meat, these actions are not performed, just as those prayers that are performed during the sacrifice are not said. For example, when sacrificing, it is necessary that the animal lies on its left side and the direction of its head is also determined. This is not required for the production of meat permitted to Muslims.

Thus, halal meat is not considered idolatrous in the biblical sense (unlike the ritually slaughtered ram on Eid al-Adha).

And yet, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that both when slaughtering an animal for sacrifice and when producing halal meat, the same words are pronounced during the cutting of the animal’s throat: “Bismillah, Allahu Akbar” (“With the name of Allah, Allah great!").

It is unlikely that the religious feelings of an Orthodox Christian will remain calm when using such products. However, what to do in cases where an Orthodox is visiting a Muslim? Wouldn't it be a manifestation of dislike for one's neighbor to refuse a meal in such a situation?

It happens that an Orthodox Christian lives in a country where it is impossible to buy products other than halal. How to be?

Therefore, we can give the following recommendation: an Orthodox Christian can eat halal food only if it is not possible to buy other food (or the Orthodox is visiting Muslims), and the food is not bought in the mosque (meaning that the Orthodox himself should not buy food in the mosque) .

And, of course, food is eaten only after prayer and the sign of the cross (which is customary for any food).

In such cases, do not be embarrassed and afraid to eat this food. If it is possible to buy an ordinary product without the inscription "halal", an Orthodox Christian should prefer it.

It is immediately worth noting that Halal products can be eaten by people of any nationality and religion. For Muslims, the term "Halal" is primarily a confirmation of compliance with Islamic traditions. The “Halal” label means that the product does not contain components prohibited for consumption by Muslims (pork, blood, etc.), and is a pure product of “Spiritual Origin”. For everyone, the high quality of Halal products comes first, as they are tasty, do not contain harmful preservatives and additives, and meet the requirements for shelf life and storage.

Products manufactured in accordance with Islamic standards are in demand not only by the two billion Muslim population of the Earth. Non-Muslims aspiring to a healthy lifestyle also willingly purchase these products. For example, in the UK, Halal products are sold annually to six million people, although there are only two million Muslims. Halal labeling marks not only meat, but also other products; such products can be identified by a special icon. How is Halal meat different from regular meat?

Halal meat production provides for:

• Careful observance of sanitary and hygienic rules at all stages of production;
• Kind attitude and mercy to the animal before slaughter, during it and after it;
• Animals should be fed exclusively with natural feed that does not contain hormonal and artificial additives, GMOs;
• Reliable absence of diseases in the animal that can harm human health;
• Immediately before the slaughter of each animal, a short prayer is said;
• The animal is killed by cutting the carotid artery, any other methods (electric current, etc.) are prohibited by Islamic tradition. Everything must be done humanely, in one quick movement;
• The blood from the body of the animal is removed almost completely, in a natural way. Such bloodless meat, when cooked, acquires a slightly different taste - pleasant and refined; in addition, the absence of blood reduces the risk of developing fresh meat bacteria. It is believed that the meat of animals slaughtered according to Islamic canons is not only tastier, but also more beneficial for human health.

Modern food is rife with chemical flavors, artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, genetically modified ingredients, and more. As the effects of such substances on the human body are studied, many of them are recognized as unsafe, and some are outright carcinogenic. The situation is also complicated by the fact that with the increase in the number of people on the planet, the demand for food resources is also growing, while the production / consumption of food is dominated by the principle of “faster, more, cheaper”, which cannot but affect the quality of products.

But at the same time, the opposite trend is also growing in the world: more and more people are striving to switch to a healthy diet and are learning a responsible attitude to the choice of products in order to protect themselves and their children from the negative consequences of eating low-quality "chemical" food. In the West, in particular, in developed European countries and the USA, such a concept as "organic food" is gaining popularity - organic, natural food. It is understood that such a product is not harmful to the human body: vegetables do not contain nitrates, sausage and ham - carcinogens and GMOs, yogurts - artificial colors, etc. All this is in line with Halal standards. Halal is not just products of religious significance, but also food that meets modern environmental requirements. Currently, the production of Halal products around the world is given special attention, since this consumer market is very attractive.

18Jun

What is Halal (Halal, Halal)

Halal ( Halal, Halal) - it an Arabic term used in Islamic law to define what is permitted or permissible in terms of the Qur'an, products or actions. Literally, the word "halal" in Arabic means "permitted" or "lawful".

What is HALAL - in simple words.

In simple words, Halal is a term that means that a given product, drink or action complies with all the norms of Islamic tradition. In other words, we can say that halal is what is allowed for a Muslim and does not contradict the religious one. Everything that does not fall under the definition of “halal” is most often “haram” (forbidden).

Halal food.

Despite the fact that the term "halal" has a fairly wide application, people in most cases are accustomed to associate it with the cuisine and dietary laws of Muslims. Those who are already familiar with the rules of Jewish cuisine may notice some similarities. So, for example, Muslims, like Jews, do not eat pork and the meat of predatory animals. However, not all kosher foods are halal. For example, products containing gelatin made from bone marrow, beef bones, and beef fat may be kosher, but not halal. In a sense, Muslim dietary laws are more restrictive and are always based on religion. By analogy with kosher, halal products are marked with special signs in stores.

Foods that are Haram:

• Alcohol;
• Pork and all products related to it;
• Animals that died a natural death;
• Animals that were not killed properly and not in the name of Allah;
• Predatory animals or birds (carnivores);
• Blood and products prepared with it;
• Plants containing intoxicating or mind-altering substances;

Halal products:

• Halal meat
• Bread products;
• Cereals;
• Cheeses and cheese products (properly prepared)
• Milk and dairy products (from halal animals);
• Eggs;
• Fish and seafood;
• Potato;
• Fruit (fresh and dry);
• Honey;
• Nuts and beans;
• Vegetables;
• Tea;
• Coffee;
• Soup or broth (if it contains halal ingredients).

In fact, the list of halal products is very large, but it should also be understood that there are a lot of all kinds of nuances that determine whether a particular product is halal or not.

Halal meat.

As you might have guessed, in the code of dietary rules of Muslims, close attention is paid to livestock products and meat in particular. So, in order for meat to be considered halal, you should follow a few basic rules:

• First rule for halal meat is that it must come from a legal animal. This means that the meat must not come from pigs that died before slaughter or from sick animals.
• Second Law regarding halal meat is the way an animal is killed. The Qur'an says that the animal must be killed with a very sharp knife, by cutting the neck. During the act of slaughter, Allah should be mentioned (thus demonstrating that this sacrifice was made for the glory of Allah). It should also be noted here that the Qur'an teaches to treat animals with due respect. During slaughter, the minimum amount of pain and suffering must be caused to the animal.
• Third and a very important step in the creation of halal meat is the complete disposal of the blood of the animal by hanging the carcass. The fact is that the consumption of blood is strictly prohibited in Islam, and the meat in which the blood remains can no longer be considered halal.