| As the world became industrialised, many haraam listed ingredients cropped in our snacks, chocolates, cakes, etc. The meat industry needed a constant monitoring since machines became more cost officient than muslim hands. And truthful ulamas concluded that machine blades does not make an animal halaal. So the modern world needed a new schema to call muslims for an awareness to avoid these haraam food and meat. So ulamas set up halaal certifying organisations to fill that vacuum. Alhamdulillah, this is a ni’mat and favour that we have now not one halaal organisation in each country, but a few. Because indeed the work is enormous and the monitoring is human resourced demanded, we really need a few halaal organisations to cover the whole country or island. There is obviously ikhtilaaf or divergeances between them which bring the rahmat of moderation in the ummah. Or it is the Divine decree that a few organisations exists in each country. Had there been only one halaal organisation, then there may have been abuse in power towards those who cannot aford for a certification or when they come merely from a marginalised past history vis a vis the component of the halaal organisation. But at times, we notice a rift of pressure between these halaal organisations. Competition between them to lead the halaal certification in the country turns them sometimes to non halaal practices! This is where you, as a mere muslim will have to use your intellect to judge between them. Because the beloved prophet SAW left us free to follow any stars of ulamas that we feel comfortable with them and that you trust them. You should know that there are mere political motives between some halaal organisations or ulamas organisations in the competition to amass the maximum number of listeners and followers. Know that no one is on haq except the one who is on sunnah. Backbiting, not accepting a muslim`s testimony for your own benefits, purposely come to an already certified outlet to take out the other one so as you put your certificate, etc are haraam practices that we noticed some halaal organisation practicing. The original masla as to halaal certification is that whenever an educated muslim of good faith informs you that it is halaal, then you may consume the product or meat. Hence whenever a recognized reliable Halaal organisation that do not accept mechanical slaughtering informs that you that it is halaal, then you may consume it. Allama Shami confirms this established practice of muslims from the golden time that a reliable pious educated muslim of the area will indicate the halaal issue in the market : وَشُرِطَ الْعَدَالَةُ فِي الدِّيَانَاتِ ، فَإِنَّ مِنْ الدِّيَانَاتِ الْحِلَّ وَالْحُرْمَةَ كَمَا إذَا أَخْبَرَ بِأَنَّ هَذَا حَلَالٌ أَوْ حَرَامٌ ، وَقَدْ شُرِطَ فِيهَا الْعَدْلُ وَالْمُرَادُ بِهِ الْمُسْلِمُ الْمَرْضِيُّ Know that you should absolutely enquire on halaal issues when there is probability of haraam on the market. One may consume without asking in a market where there are no visible probability of haraam. The fiqh of this is found from the sunnah where the beloved prophet SAW used to eat fresh dates without opening it. No enquiry was done as to whether there was insect inside. But whenever the beloved prophet SAW used to eat stored dates, then he would absolutely open the date first the enquire about whether it had insect inside. If it had insect, the beloved prophet SAW used to take out the insect and eat the date. So the enquiry is necessary whenever there are doubts of haraam prevailing. Note that our products and meat comes from an international market which have lots of haraam and hence should be enquired before consumption. But it does not mean that all sugar, tea, water, etc should be certified to be consumed. And hence this brings the issue ‘’Not certified by a halaal organisation’’. If a halaal organisation claim that such and such pizzeria is not certified by us, this does not mean that it is haraam. Because halaal and haraam are not what One halaal organisation claim. If an educated muslim of good faith enquired on the pizzeria and then inform you that it is halaal, then you may consume there. Because there are lots of products that we consume and the signatories of halaal organisation are consuming comfortably halaal and yet they have no halaal logo on them! Often halaal organisation send posters and messages about ‘’Not certified by us’’ as a motive to beg those places to give them access that they still have been denied access. Divergences fights comes when there is no tolerance, denial of the other party, proudness and no group work. So the moderation of halaal is that you may consume if there are no doubts whereas you should abstain if there are doubts until clarified. I wish to end this article with this hadith of Bukhari shareef that halaal organisations should be pondering more on it. The beloved prophet SAW established a norm wherever there are two persons already contented with their deals, then you should not come as third to interrupt that deal so as to deal it to yourself. This is applied to settled marriage proposals, confirmed business dealing and anything that may hurt a fellow muslim brother in his already confirmed activities. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَا يَخْطُبُ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى خِطْبَةِ أَخِيهِ وَلَا يَسُومُ عَلَى سَوْمِ أَخِيهِ وَلَا تُنْكَحُ الْمَرْأَةُ عَلَى عَمَّتِهَا وَلَا عَلَى خَالَتِهَا وَلَا تَسْأَلُ الْمَرْأَةُ طَلَاقَ أُخْتِهَا لِتَكْتَفِئَ صَحْفَتَهَا وَلْتَنْكِحْ فَإِنَّمَا لَهَا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهَا Hazrat Abu Hureirah r.a. reported that the beloved prophet SAW said:’’One should not propose to an already contented proposal of marriage, and should not deal in an already confirmed business dealing…and a woman should not ask a married man to divorce his wife so as to fill her own plate(i.e. to take her place), but rather do make nikah, because she will have whatever have been predestined for her.’’(Bukhari) Hence if an outlet is already certified by a halaal organisation and then another organisation come to ‘’recertify’’ or to take out the other certificate and put theirs, then this is haraam and against the Halaal protocols established by the prophet Muhammad SAW. Wallahou A`lam. |