Islamic dietary laws are laws that Muslims follow in their diet. Islamic jurisprudence specifies which foods are halal and which are haram. The dietary laws are found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as well as in collections of traditions attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Traditional Mezban cooking is a tradition of cooking and serving halal food to people on special occasions in Bangladesh
Halal butcher shop in Shanghai, China
Halal restaurant in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Yurta (potatoes with meat) and kumis are made of ingredients considered halal.
Halal food products in an Oriental shop
Halal is an Arabic word that translates to 'permissible' in English. In the Quran, the term halal is contrasted with the term haram. This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification known as "the five decisions": mandatory, recommended, neutral, reprehensible and forbidden. Islamic jurists disagree on whether the term halal covers the first two or the first four of these categories. 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.
A halal sign in Chinese (清真, qīng zhēn) at a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan
Halal meat section at a grocery store in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Eid ul-Adha Islamic holiday in Pakistan
An example of a halal certificate from India
