dietary laws
Many religions and cultures define themselves not
only by what they believe, but also by what they
eat and how they prepare it. Food brings people
together and separates them from others, it links
them to the natural and sacred worlds, it fills their
memories and imaginations, and it helps to mark
their places in time and space. The rules that
influence peoples’ food practices can be a matter
of social customs that are passed from generation
to generation, or they can be construed as having
issued from sacred beings through a revelation
or a mythical story that may involve themes of
sacrifice and death. Sometimes, dietary laws and
customs can be both a matter of social custom
and religion. This is the case for Islamic dietary
laws, which are less rigorous than dietary laws in
Orthodox Judaism.
In Islamic dietary laws, foods are classified
into groups—those that are lawful (halal) and
forbidden (haram), and those that are pure (tahir,
tayyib) and impure (rajis, najis). This division
into lawful-pure and forbidden-impure groups
of food is based on the qUran and hadith, the
Islamic sources of revelation. Jurists in the differ-
ent schools of Islamic law have elaborated upon
it further. The most general statement in the
Quran about food is one that was intended for all
“children of Adam”: “Eat and drink, but do not be
wasteful, for God does not like wasteful people”
(Q 7:31). The Quran instructs people to eat only
lawful and good things from the Earth and not
to “follow in Satan’s footsteps” (Q 2:168). Both
of these verses indicate that eating raises ethical
issues. The Quran also identifies specific foods
that God has provided for people to eat: dates,
grapes, olives, pomegranates, grains, and the
flesh of domestic cattle, sheep, goats, and camels
(Q 6:99, 141–145; 80:25–32). For Muslims, any
meat that is consumed must come from an animal
that has been slaughtered or sacrificed in accor-
dance with specific rules: The name of God (the
basmala) must be invoked (Q 6:118, 121), and a
deep incision with a sharp knife must be made
across the throat. Most seafood can be eaten (Q
5:96; 16:14), as well as hunted animals as long as
the name of God has been pronounced when the
hunting weapon is discharged (Q 5:4). The Quran
permits Muslims to share the lawful and pure food
of Jews, Christians, and other people oF the book
(Q 5:5), but jurists rule that the food of known
heretics, apostates, idol worshippers, and atheists
is forbidden. If there is any doubt about the source
of the food, a Muslim is usually allowed to eat it
as long as the name of God has been pronounced
over it before being eaten.
The Quran expressly forbids believing Mus-
lims from eating carrion (meat from unsacrificed
dead things), spilt blood, pork, and food that
has been offered to idols instead of God (Q 5:3;
6:145). The hadith expands this list to include
other forbidden food, especially the flesh of preda-
tors (animals with fangs or talons). As for any
meat from an animal that has not been correctly
slaughtered, Muslim jurists maintain that it must
be considered as carrion, making it inedible. This
includes animals that have been strangled, beaten
to death, killed by a fall, or gored to death (Q 5:3).
Wine (khamr) is also prohibited (Q 5:90–91), and
jurists have applied this rule to other intoxicating
substances. All such forbidden foods and bever-Turkish family offers hospitality to visitors from America
( Juan E. Campo)K 198 dietary laws