Halal and haram are two words mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. In the Qur’an, Allah has told us Muslims to eat halal food (food that is allowed and good for us). He also told us not to eat haram food (food that is not allowed and is bad for us). Since we are Muslims, we must obey Allah.

Some of the things that are halal or that we can eat and drink are fresh milk, fish, fruits,vegetables, nuts, and honey. We are also allowed to eat beef (cow meat), lamb/mutton, chicken, and many other animals, but they must first be prepared in a special way that Allah has told us.

Some of the things that are haram or that we cannot eat and drink are pigs, blood, reptiles,insects, wine, and animals not prepared in the special way that Allah has told us.

Many of the food sold in stores these days contain something haram. For example, Skittles and Jell-O contain gelatin (jell-a-tin), an ingredient (ing-ree-dee-int) usually made from pigs or other haram animals. Chunks Ahoy! cookies (in Canada) may contain lard, which is a type of pig fat. Many cheeses contain rennet, an ingredient which is haram if it comes from an animal which is not prepared in the special way which Allah has told us.

If a haram ingredient is used in a food product, the whole food product becomes haram. Once we know that a food product is haram, we must not eat it and we should tell our friends and relatives not to eat it either.

When we are about to eat something, we must always make sure that it is halal first. If we are not sure, we should ask our parents or a Muslim grown-up. Also, if we see someone eating something haram, we should tell them.

This will help us in being good Muslims and Allah will be very pleased with us.