Islamic Principles of Halal and Haram

The HALAL certificate exists against the halal standard, which defines what is appropriate under Islamic rulings and fit for human needs. The scheme aims to bring producers and Muslim consumers onto common ground.

Selling and sourcing food products domestically and internationally involves defined rules. Suppliers, retailers, and Muslim customers all want to know whether a food product is HALAL, and certified products are preferred at purchase. Exporters shipping food abroad are increasingly asked to hold a HALAL certificate. The certificate serves as both a trust mark for halal food and a marketing reference for the producer. Domestic buyers have also started to require the HALAL certificate from their food suppliers.

HALAL certification takes the 11 core Islamic principles as its foundation. These are:

• Only God declares what is halal and what is haram.
• Halal applies to the thing itself, not only to the actor.
• Even with good intention, what is haram does not become halal.
• Whatever haram needs to be avoided has a halal counterpart.
• Treating halal food as haram is akin to associating partners with God.
• The ruling that something is haram ties to its being harmful, unclean, or ugly.
• Any path that leads to haram is itself haram.
• Any method used to make something haram appear halal is also haram.
• Any food that is haram remains haram.
• Food items of doubtful status should not be consumed.
• Conditions of strict necessity render what is haram permissible.