The Mufti told which products are considered halal

The word "halal" is translated from Arabic as "permitted," and halal products are products allowed for consumption in accordance with Islamic norms, Sheikh Vugar Hazrat Akperov, Mufti of the Chelyabinsk Region, General Director of the International Halal Standard Committee, told Izvestia.

"God says in the Holy Qur'an about meat: why don't you eat what the name of Allah has been pronounced over?" he recalled.

According to the mufti, meat from large and small cattle, as well as poultry, is considered permissible from the point of view of Islam. In this case, the animal must be slaughtered in accordance with Sharia law. During the slaughter, the words "Bismillah" ("In the name of Allah") are pronounced, the slaughter is performed by a Muslim man, and the cutting tool must be sharp. Separate requirements relate to the storage of halal products — it is necessary to completely exclude their contact with "haram" (prohibited) products.

In general, not only meat can be halal, but also other ingredients and additives that are used in food production, such as sausages.

"If we are talking about industrial slaughter, these standards are not observed there. And even if food additives are obtained from beef, chicken, lamb, turkey or goose, they still won't be considered halal. By itself, the animal is allowed for food, unlike donkeys, mules and pigs, but the slaughter was carried out in a non—halal, that is, an illegal way," the mufti noted.

Animal intestines, such as horses or cows, are often used to produce sausage products in a natural shell. In this case, these animals must also be slaughtered according to Sharia law, otherwise the products will not be considered halal, he added.

Similar requirements apply to milk and its processed products, such as whey or cheese. The mufti explained that whole milk itself is considered permissible, but questions arise when other products are made from it.

"If serums or other animal ingredients obtained by a non-halal method are added to them, such a product already becomes prohibited. For example, if enzymes or serums were obtained from pig stomachs and used in cheese production," he explained.

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According to Izvestia's interlocutor, many modern food products, including environmentally friendly ones, comply with Sharia law and are produced in compliance with religious requirements.

"These are not fictions of religious people — these are the precepts of the Holy Quran, which says: eat and drink what is lawful and good," he said.

Seafood, according to the mufti, is considered halal, but amphibians, such as frogs, are not. Alcohol is also referred to as "haram". As for eggs, they are considered halal products a priori, however, there are certain nuances here.

"Laying hens go through several periods of productivity: young, middle age and the so-called pre-retirement period. Meat and bone meal made from carrion and meat production waste is sometimes added to the feed for young animals and older poultry. Such food is considered unhealthy, so the use of such products is undesirable," he explained.

In Russia, according to Vugar Akperov, there are several certification authorities authorized to issue halal certificates. They operate under the muftis, because this issue "concerns the religious, not the secular part of life."

"Unfortunately, there are a lot of counterfeit products on the market today. We are working in this direction, explaining to people the need to pay attention to the certificate and who issued it," said the mufti.

However, sometimes, according to him, customers are misled by the very name of the product.

"For example, there are "Muslim" sausages — this name is provided by GOST. The buyer sees this name and thinks that the products are halal, although their production was not carried out according to halal standards," Akperov explained.

Therefore, the mufti concluded, one should focus not on the name of the product, but on the presence of an official Halal mark and a certificate of conformity.

Earlier, Imam Jalil Mustafin told Izvestia what not to do on the Eid al-Adha holiday.