

Foods which are not considered halal for Muslims to consume include blood and intoxicants such as alcoholic beverages. Frequently, these products contain animal by-products or other ingredients that are not permissible for Muslims to eat or use on their bodies.

Muslims must also ensure that all foods (particularly processed foods), as well as non-food items like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, are halal. Vegetarian cuisine is halal if it does not contain alcohol. The majority of Islamic scholars consider shellfish and other seafood halal. The criteria for non-pork items include their source, the cause of the animal's death and how it was processed. While pork is the only meat that categorically may not be consumed by Muslims (the Quran forbids it, Surah 2:173 and 16:115) other foods not in a state of purity are also considered haram. The most common example of haram (non-halal) food is pork.

Specifically, halal foods are those that are: Islam generally considers every food halal unless it is specifically prohibited in hadith or the Qur'an. Foods Ī halal sign in Chinese ( 清真, qīng zhēn) at a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan Lawfulness is usually indicated in the Quran by means of the verb ahalla ( ' to make lawful '), with God as the stated or implied subject. In a literal sense, the root h-r-m may refer to dissolution (e.g., breaking of an oath) or alighting (e.g., of God's wrath). In both these senses, it has an opposite meaning to that conveyed by the root h-r-m (cf. In the Quran, the root h-l-l denotes lawfulness and may also indicate exiting the ritual state of a pilgrim and entering a profane state. The words halal and haram are the usual terms used in the Quran to designate the categories of lawful or allowed and unlawful or forbidden. The term halal is particularly associated with Islamic dietary laws and especially meat processed and prepared in accordance with those requirements. In recent times, Islamic movements seeking to mobilize the masses and authors writing for a popular audience have emphasized the simpler distinction of halal and haram. Islamic jurists disagree on whether the term halal covers the first two or the first four of these categories. This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification known as " the five decisions": mandatory, recommended, neutral, reprehensible and forbidden. In the Quran, the term halal is contrasted with the term haram ( ' forbidden '). Halal ( / h ə ˈ l ɑː l/ Arabic: حلال, ḥalāl) is an Arabic word that translates to ' permissible ' in English. It is used as a visual marker for Muslims in restaurants, shops and on products.
