Halal or Haram

Introduction

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. In reference to food, it is the dietary standard, as prescribed in the Qur'an. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life. These terms are commonly used in relation to food products, meat products, cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and food contact materials.

While many things are clearly halal or haram, there are some things which are not clear. Further information is needed to categorise them as halal or haram. Such items are often referred to as mashbooh, which means doubtful or questionable. For example, foods containing ingredients such as gelatine, enzymes, emulsifiers, and flavours are questionable because the origin of these ingredients is not known.

In cases of necessity, prohibited things may become permissible or halal for the duration of the emergency or need, as Islam puts a priority on life over death. For example, when a Muslim cannot find food which is halal in one place, it is permissible that he eats or drinks haram foods given that his only intentions are to fill up his stomach and not to be full.

Every food is considered halal in Islam unless it is specially prohibited by the Qur'an or the Hadith. By official definition, halal foods are those that are free from any components that Muslims are prohibited from consuming according to Islamic law (Shariah). If the food is processed, made, produced, manufactured or stored using utensils, equipment or machinery must be cleansed according to Islamic law.

 In conclusion, since food is an important part of daily life, Muslims are expected to eat for survival, to maintain good health and not to live for eating. In Islam, eating is considered to be a matter of worship of God like prayer, fasting, alms-giving and other religious activities.

Objective

Our objective in conducting our assignment is to understand the many salient meanings each verses of a surah in the Quran can contain. In the Qur’an, there are many salient meanings which may not be possible for all to understand it. Hence, tafsir represents exposition of the meaning of the Qur’anic passage. It will made Muslims understand well of what they are reading whenever they recite the Qur’an.

Secondly, it is to clarify the meanings and the objective intended that a word of further explanation. As Qur’an is a universal message directed to mankind without limitations of time and space, its contents must be clear to all and sundry for the easy assimilation and application of its injunctions. So tafsir is available for Muslims to understand the clarified meanings of each Qur’anic passage and they can apply what they have learnt into their daily lives.

Lastly, the assignment serves the purpose to prove that different sources of tafsir have similar end meanings on the same verses. Despite the different sources of tafsir available out there which used different wordings, in the end it all concludes to the same meaning. Hence, Muslims can learn the interpretation of the Qur’an or tafsir easily without worrying that the tafsir have a completely different meaning than the original text.

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