What can Muslims eat? Halal food basics for new Muslims
Most food is halal. The Quran forbids pork, blood, the meat of animals that died without being slaughtered, and meat dedicated to other than Allah, and it forbids alcohol and other intoxicants. Meat should come from an animal slaughtered in the name of Allah. Fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, eggs and fish are halal.
By Benjamin · Last updated
Step by step
- Avoid pork and pork products. Including bacon, ham, lard, and gelatin from pigs.
- Avoid alcohol. Drinks with alcohol and food cooked with it, such as wine sauces.
- Choose halal meat. Meat from a halal butcher or with a trusted halal label. Ask at your mosque where people buy meat locally.
- Check ingredients. Look out for gelatin, lard, and alcohol in desserts, sweets and sauces. Plant or fish gelatin is fine.
What the Quran forbids
- Pork, blood, carrion (animals that died without slaughter), and meat dedicated to other than Allah (2:173, 5:3).
- Alcohol and intoxicants (5:90).
Where scholars differ
- Seafood: the Hanafi school allows fish but not most other seafood; the other schools allow all seafood.
- Ordinary supermarket meat in countries with Christian or Jewish traditions: some scholars accept it based on 5:5, many prefer certified halal meat. Follow your mosque or the school you learn from.
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Common questions
What if I eat something haram without knowing?
You are not sinful for what you did not know. Stop when you find out, and be careful from then on.
Can I eat at a non-Muslim friend's home?
Yes. Choose vegetarian or fish dishes if you are unsure about the meat, and politely skip pork and alcohol.
Are vegetarian and vegan foods halal?
Yes, as long as they contain no alcohol.
Practise it with audio
Revertly walks you through this with a recitation for every word, at your own pace. Can't afford the app? Ask for a free code.