budlelistic: Are They Consumable For Muslims?

Recently, an assignment to prove the Haram-Halal status of products that can be easily found around us was given by the lecturer. It was a real hard time doing this assignment but well, I don't want it to be wasted in the trash bin of the lecturer (hopefully not). Why don't I share it with you guys? Oh! And please feel free to add and criticize the list... Thanks!

Magnum, Ice Cream Produced by Walls – Unilever

The doubts of the ice cream’s status was arouse recently in the early of March 2011. There were some issues of the product of using the derivatives of pig tissue. This was triggered by the using of E-Codes in its ingredient list and that the origin of E-Codes was to disguise the using of pigfat.

The E-Code listed in the product’s package is E472. A further research has been conducted and explained from a former secretary of MUI (institution granting the Halal symbol on the package). The code E472 telling us that it is a compund made of fatty acid (can be from animal which will be haram if the slaughtery was not Islamic or if it was from pig, or else, from plants). Said, for every company wishing to get halal certificate from MUI must made a report on the whole process of its operational and the origin of the materials. So that we can trust the halal certificate/symbol printed on the packages of products sold in the country.

Status → Halal

Sex toys

The idea behind mentioning these products is that the allowance of masturbation in order to prevent zina and that these products image is strongly-related for masturbation use or non-urged condition (lust-purpose). And it implies that purchasing of sex toys (or the product itself) is then categorized as haram.

There are two online shops (pioneers) that widely known recently for selling products to help Muslim married couples enhancing their passion without breaking the Islamic law. They are located in Atlanta, Georgia (United States) and Amsterdam (Holland). Since Islamic married couples are allowed to use these products, there still is condition that must be fulfilled, which is mutual consent between both sides to use the ‘sexual aids’ products.

Status →Halal

Perfume

Most of the time we can read any kinds of alcohol in the perfume’s bottle. Does this make perfume haram? It apparently does not. The prohibition of Muslims to consume khamr is not because of the alcohol because most of primary food like rice, cassava, wheat, oats, etc are actually containing some compunds which are alcohol’s “family”.

Khamr became haram because consuming it may cause lost of self-control and consciousnes. The other products that went through fermentation process would eventually increased the alcohol percentage. Those product would not be haram as long as they did not turn into khamr. This also explained the usage of alcohol for perfume or medical treatment. That alcohol can be used and allowed in Islam for specific purposes as long as they do not contain any harm (breaking Islamic law)

Status →Halal

Marshmallow

It is the plasticity of marshmallow which is obtained from gelatin that makes the product questionable. This is because people got gelatin by extraction process of animals material and that the materials are mostly imported and might slaughtered in methods that unapproved by Islamic law (which gives more doubts to its status). This make us to be more aware and alert for such product.

Status →without Halal Certificate from BPOM can be called Haram

Candy

Candy is almost the same with marshmallow. Especially for gummy and jelly-like candies which might contain gelatin.

Status →without Halal Certificate from BPOM can be called Haram

Jelly

Indonesian jelly producers that the products we can easily find are mostly had their operational process and material origins checked by MUI/BPOM. Eventhought they are elastic, Indonesian jelly products are mostly do not using gelatin for its ingredients.

Status →mostly are Halal

Brem

The case of this product is mostly the same and already explained in the perfume section. Fermented products made of rice, cassava, wheat, etc as long as they did not turn into khamr are allowed to be consumed in a reasonable amount.

Status →Halal

Bika Ambon

Status →Halal

Tape (Fermented Rice)

Status →Halal

Pirated products (book, article, song, music, movies, drawing, etc)

Piracy can be simply stated as haram but very often we do not think about violating the copyright of any artworks or articles by downloading freely from the internet or copying them without the permission of the author.

Status →Haram

Tio Ciu, Chinese Food Restaurant

The restaurant serves pork in its menu and this kind of restaurant must be avoided for some specific reasons. First, the placement of its halal material can become haram if they are mixed up with the pork. The second reason is that they did not wash their cooking utensils when they were processing halal food after cooking the pork.

Status →Better to be avoided (might be Haram)

Kopi Luwak

It has the same case with Tio Ciu Chinese Restaurant. The coffe beans were literally pooped out from the Luwak’s feces. Animal feces are gross, nasty, and najis. So then the controversy of Kopi Luwak as a haram product arouse in the society couple years ago. This confusion and controversy led MUI that it is Halal with condition, the beans didn’t broken/smashed so the inside part had a contact with the feces of the animal. The najis can also be eliminated by washing it with water.

Status →Halal

Artificial Insemination on cattle

The needs of farmer to create efficiency and effectiveness in breeding cattles have resulted in the practical of artificial inseminetion where the sperm from the male cattles was taken by specific method and then to be injected to the female cattle. This method of insemination (fertilization) is purposed to achieve better descendant of the cattles, reducing cost and time, etc.

The practices of selling superior male sperm have been done in the era of the prophet. It was called as Asbu al-fahl and it is prohibited by the prophet (HR Bukhori). The reason is because the superior male that was “bought” to mating with the female cattle cannot be evaluate if it produced enough sperm to make the female cattle pregnant or would it do ‘it” or not.

But since in today’s era, the illat (reasons that make things haram) are not fulfilled (the amount of sperms can be monitored and the insemination will be depends on the vet that injects the sperm), some scholars said it is allowed.

Status →Allowe if the illat are not fulfilled

Grasshopper

It is said that animals which are gorss, nasty, and dirty are haram. The example is insect. But just an hour or two from the downtown to the southern-eastern area, we can find lots of kiosks that sell grasshoppers for consumption purpose. But like fishes which are exceptional to eat deadfishes, grasshopper is also an exceptional case. It is told that the Prophet ate grasshoppers in seven battles (wars).

Status →Halal

Earth Worm

It has the same case with Grasshopper. It is not an exceptional case like deadfishes or grasshoppers, but because the usage of earth worm as medicine. It has been used as antipiretik (reduce the temperature on fever) since 4000 BC.

Status →Halal

Gekko

The recent trend of gekko-hunting raised questions in people head. How could such animal can be sold for a very high price? Was it for consumption? Or for pet? The trends might get some people to think that gekko is halal for consumption while it is included in the categoty of animals to be killed in Islamic laws. And it is clearly haram for consumption and medicine (because there is already other medicines that we can take and are halal)

Status →Haram

American football (the ball)

We can find the american football in the sport stores. Because they are fully imported products, we can say that they are haram for the chance of the leather from pig bladder or other animals that slaughtered in non Islamic ways.

Status →Haram

Imported leather products

Pretty much the same case with the ball for american football. Imported leather products are doubtfull for its status of allowance to be used by Muslims. Except if they came from country that applied the Islamic laws in their products.

Status →Mostly Haram

Mc Donalds

There were campaigns of boycotting products that the origin are from United States,

Israel

, and their allies. These campaign were motivated by the agresiveness of the Israel in attacking Palestine and it raised solidarity among Muslims all over the globe and raised hatred and sentiment to

United States

government and its allies. Accusation of buying products that originally came from US and its allies is like funding the military forces of those countries. Then came the issue that consuming those products considered haram action.

I would say that this is more like a sentiment action towards US and its allies rather than to look upon the product status itself. Lots of the subsidiaries from those brands gave huge contribution for the society surrounding them. And that in

Indonesia