|
HALAL FOODS
 Have you ever heard of “Halal”
foods?
Here are quotes (and links) from
just two sources:
Wikipedia
– “Halal foods are foods that
Muslims are allowed to eat or drink under
Islamic Shariʻah.
The criteria specify both what foods are
allowed, and how the food must be prepared.
The foods addressed are mostly types of meat
and animal tissue.
The most common example of non-halal (or
haraam) food is pork. While pork is the
only meat that cannot be eaten by Muslims at
all (due to historically, culturally, and
religiously perceived hygienic concerns),
foods other than pork can also be haraam.
The criteria for non-pork items include
their source, the cause of the animals
death, and how it was processed.
The food must come from a supplier that
uses halal practices. Specifically, the
slaughter must be performed by a Muslim,
who
must
precede the slaughter by invoking the name
of Allah,
most commonly by saying "Bismillah"
("In the name of Allah") and then
three times "Allahu akbar" (God is the
greatest). Then, the animal must be
slaughtered with a sharp knife by cutting
the throat, windpipe and the blood vessels
in the neck (while the animal is conscious),
causing the animal’s death without cutting
the spinal cord. Lastly, the blood from the
veins must be drained.
Muslims must also ensure that all foods
(particularly processed foods), as well as
non-food items like cosmetics and
pharmaceuticals, are halal. Frequently,
these products contain animal by-products or
other ingredients that are not permissible
for Muslims to eat or use on their bodies.”
Eat-Halal
– “The Arabic word
Halal (حلال) means lawful. In the
Holy Qur’an, Allah commands Muslims and all
of mankind to eat of the Halal things…”
“The procedure is as follows: the
animal must be slaughtered by a Muslim (or
by a – Jew or Christian ). The
animal should be put down on the ground (or
held it if it is small) and its throat
should be slit with a very sharp knife to
make sure that the 3 main blood vessels are
cut.
While cutting the throat of the animal
(without severing it),
the person must pronounce the name of Allah or
recite a blessing called the Tasmiyya (تسمية) or Shahadah (الشهادة) which contains the name
of Allah, such as “Bismillah Allah-u-
WHO
IS ALLAH
According to many in Islam, Muslims
worship the same “God” as Christians and
Jews. We just have different concepts of
God. I would definitely say that is
an understatement.
Following are three online articles
regarding the name “Allah.”
Wikipedia
– “Allah”
Religion of Islam
- “Who
is Allah”
Islam-info.ch
– “Allâh
- The Name of God in the Holy Qur'ân”
AS stated in the above articles,
“Allah” is the Arabic word for “God.”
However, as indicated in the Disciple Project
Bible Study, “In
the Name of the Lord,”
“As
stated in Wikipedia, under Names of God,
“The English word “god” is used by multiple
religions as a noun or name to refer to
different deities.” Since the word “god” is
given to countless false gods, idols and
even some men, it is not a good identifier
of the True and Living God. As an example,
when I say I believe in God and someone else
says they believe in god, it does not
necessarily mean we believe in and worship
the same deity.”
Regardless to what the above
articles have to say, the “God” I serve
cannot be the same “God” of both the
Hebrew/Christian Bible and the Qur'ân. The
two are in opposition.
As a matter of Biblical record, the
actual proper name of the Hebrew/Christian
God appears over 6,500 times in our Bible.
In Hebrew the proper name of God is
יהוה
The
translation, or four letter Tetragrammaton,
of God's Holy name is
YHWH.
According to
Wikipedia,
"In
the Masoretic Text, the name YHWH is
vowel pointed as
יְהֹוָה,
as if pronounced YE-HO-VAH in modern
Hebrew, and Yəhōwāh in Tiberian
vocalization."
However,
whether you accept the vocalization or not
does not change the fact that the proper
name of our God is
יהוה-
YHWH
and not Allah. Following are two examples
taken from the Hebrew/Christian Bible:
Joshua 24:15
American Standard Version (ASV)
“And
if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah (יְהֹוָה-YHWH),
choose you this day whom ye will serve;
whether the gods which your fathers served
that were beyond the River, or the gods of
the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as
for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah (יְהֹוָה-YHWH).
Exodus 6:1-8
King James Version (KJV)
“Then the
Lord
(יְהֹוָה-YHWH)
said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I
will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand
shall he let them go, and with a strong hand
shall he drive them out of his land.
2 And
God (אֱלֹהִים-Elohiym)
spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am
the Lord (יְהֹוָה-YHWH):
3 And
I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob, by the name of God (אֵל-
'El)
Almighty (שַׁדַּי-Shadday),
but by my name Jehovah (יְהֹוָה-YHWH)
was I not known to them.
4 And
I have also established my covenant with
them, to give them the land of Canaan, the
land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were
strangers.
5 And
I have also heard the groaning of the
children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep
in bondage; and I have remembered my
covenant.
6 Wherefore
say unto the children of Israel, I am the
Lord (יְהֹוָה-YHWH),
and I will bring you out from under the
burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you
out of their bondage, and I will redeem you
with a stretched out arm, and with great
judgments:
7 And
I will take you to me for a people, and I
will be to you a God (אֱלֹהִים-Elohiym):
and ye shall know that I am the Lord (יְהֹוָה-YHWH)
your God (אֱלֹהִים-Elohiym),
which bringeth you out from under the
burdens of the Egyptians.
8 And
I will bring you in unto the land,
concerning the which I did swear to give it
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I
will give it you for an heritage: I am the
Lord (יְהֹוָה-YHWH).
From Strong’s Concordance
LORD
– 3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'
from 'hayah'
(1961); (the)
self-Existent or
Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national
name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.
1961
hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (compare 'hava''
(1933)); to
exist, i.e.
be or become,
come to pass
(always emphatic, and not a mere
copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether,
be(-come), accomplished, committed, like),
break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,
fall, + follow, happen, X have, last,
pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.
1933
hava' haw-vaw' or havah {haw-vaw'}; a
primitive root (compare ''avah' (183), 'hayah'
(1961)) supposed to mean properly,
to breathe; to
be (in the sense of existence):--be,
X have.
1934
hava' hav-aw' (Aramaic) orhavah (Aramaic)
{hav-aw'}; corresponding to 'hava'' (1933);
to exist;
used in a great variety of applications
(especially in connection with other
words):--be, become, + behold, + came (to
pass), + cease, + cleave, + consider, + do,
+ give, + have, + judge, + keep, + labour, +
mingle (self), + put, + see, + seek, + set,
+ slay, + take heed, tremble, + walk, +
would.
With governmental approval of Halal foods,
it may be safe to say that
Islamic Shariʻah
law is stealthily gaining ground here in
the United States.
Each of us must choose where we will
stand regarding “Halal” Foods. As for me, I
will not knowingly and in good conscience
purchase and/or eat “Halal” foods.
I
pray not one of us will be deceived.
Short list of companies
selling Halal foods:
-
Costco
-
Kentucky Fried Chicken
-
McDonalds
-
Subway
-
Walmart
-
Whole Foods
Articles on Halal foods:
Halal
USA by Gadi Adelman,
Family Security Matters
Secret
Selling of Halal Meat in the U.S.
by Pamela Geller, Human Events
|
