My biggest question to ponder is the idea of how we deem something "halal" when it is so far from meeting any standards put forth by our understandings of what zabiha is. For example, is it really just about the way the animal is slaughtered that makes something halal - is it not also pertinent how the animal is raised, treated, etc. I've seen so much of what we consider zabiha, animals that are slaughtered in front of one another, being raised in cages, and treated poorly. I think a lot of it has to do with overconsumption of meat, and in general, overconsumption in a late stage-capitalism framing our lives.
Lack of enough attention and action towards promoting halal medicines. Muslims should seek out pious Muslim healthcare providers, including physicians, pharmacists, PAs, and NPs, for their care. We should also educate ourselves on which medications and medication ingredients are halal, as well as any madhhab-specific rulings relating to this issue. MuslimMed and VeganMed are great resources to start.
The quality of the m eat that I purchased from One Stop Halal was very poor quality and not dated as to when the meat was initially produced. I purchased chicken and when I unfroze the meat it smelled rancid. I called them and reported this to them but they kept refusing to believe me and it was during Ramadan. They finally refunded my purchase amount. They stated that this had never occurred before but this was not true. My friend had referred them to me and she also had chicken that was rancid smelling and they also told her that it hadn’t happened before. I now purchase my meat from Harvest Fresh and their meat is excellent and they are definitely honest. They sell so much that their meat is always fresh and on display so that you can see it.
I think we need to support organizations and nonprofit that are working to keep halal standards high and transparent. There are groups like HFSAA and HMS that only certify halal once they have done inspections and are supervised by religious scholars.
Right now the term Halal is being abused by Muslims and non Muslims as a marketing term, there was a restaurant in the Bay Area that open with halal in the name, when people inquired about its meat they had no idea what halal meat was, only using the name as they wanted to sell “halal guys” style of food. So we as Muslims need to take back halal and hold it to a high standard. Need to stop listening to online “scholars” who don’t know what they are talking about food and saying dumb things like “oh the USA is a Christian country, their constitution says the president must be a Christian” when that is 100% false.
I believe the general assumption amongst the Muslim community in North America is that if a product is marked “halal” that somehow equates to “healthy.” In fact many companies display the Halal tag in the same way that other companies advertise “Oragnic.” My assumption has always been that poultry, for example, all comes from the same mega farms, and the “halal” label only determines which slaughterhouse they go to.
To take a step back, the way that Muslims consume meat is on-par with our non Muslims neighbors. Muslims are a victim of marketing tactics that suggest animal products must be consumed with every meal! We know that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) ate very little meat and that his diet was what would today be consider mostly vegetarian. In fact we have nothing in the Sunnah to indicate He (SAW) ever ate red meat (cow). Pious brothers and sisters will pontificate at length about what is Fard and what is Sunnah however when it comes to discussing diet and health and emulating Muhammad (SAW) they lack even the most basic discipline.
My biggest question to ponder is the idea of how we deem something "halal" when it is so far from meeting any standards put forth by our understandings of what zabiha is. For example, is it really just about the way the animal is slaughtered that makes something halal - is it not also pertinent how the animal is raised, treated, etc. I've seen so much of what we consider zabiha, animals that are slaughtered in front of one another, being raised in cages, and treated poorly. I think a lot of it has to do with overconsumption of meat, and in general, overconsumption in a late stage-capitalism framing our lives.
Lack of enough attention and action towards promoting halal medicines. Muslims should seek out pious Muslim healthcare providers, including physicians, pharmacists, PAs, and NPs, for their care. We should also educate ourselves on which medications and medication ingredients are halal, as well as any madhhab-specific rulings relating to this issue. MuslimMed and VeganMed are great resources to start.
The quality of the m eat that I purchased from One Stop Halal was very poor quality and not dated as to when the meat was initially produced. I purchased chicken and when I unfroze the meat it smelled rancid. I called them and reported this to them but they kept refusing to believe me and it was during Ramadan. They finally refunded my purchase amount. They stated that this had never occurred before but this was not true. My friend had referred them to me and she also had chicken that was rancid smelling and they also told her that it hadn’t happened before. I now purchase my meat from Harvest Fresh and their meat is excellent and they are definitely honest. They sell so much that their meat is always fresh and on display so that you can see it.
I think we need to support organizations and nonprofit that are working to keep halal standards high and transparent. There are groups like HFSAA and HMS that only certify halal once they have done inspections and are supervised by religious scholars.
Right now the term Halal is being abused by Muslims and non Muslims as a marketing term, there was a restaurant in the Bay Area that open with halal in the name, when people inquired about its meat they had no idea what halal meat was, only using the name as they wanted to sell “halal guys” style of food. So we as Muslims need to take back halal and hold it to a high standard. Need to stop listening to online “scholars” who don’t know what they are talking about food and saying dumb things like “oh the USA is a Christian country, their constitution says the president must be a Christian” when that is 100% false.
Here is a good link with Hamza Yusuf and others talking about the dangers of harming animals and overconsumption of meat: https://youtu.be/uCK9kIaEliQ?si=Hvbn7W6JnwTyunFl
I believe the general assumption amongst the Muslim community in North America is that if a product is marked “halal” that somehow equates to “healthy.” In fact many companies display the Halal tag in the same way that other companies advertise “Oragnic.” My assumption has always been that poultry, for example, all comes from the same mega farms, and the “halal” label only determines which slaughterhouse they go to.
To take a step back, the way that Muslims consume meat is on-par with our non Muslims neighbors. Muslims are a victim of marketing tactics that suggest animal products must be consumed with every meal! We know that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) ate very little meat and that his diet was what would today be consider mostly vegetarian. In fact we have nothing in the Sunnah to indicate He (SAW) ever ate red meat (cow). Pious brothers and sisters will pontificate at length about what is Fard and what is Sunnah however when it comes to discussing diet and health and emulating Muhammad (SAW) they lack even the most basic discipline.