Why the prohibitions (haram)?

Products can be prohibited for different reasons and can be categorised as follows: (i) Prohibited Per Se Prohibited by explicit Quranic verses without any elucidation of the reasons behind their interdiction. Such products are prohibited for their own sake e.g. pork and blood. (ii) Prohibited For Potential Harm (a) Prohibited by Quranic verses with explicit elucidation of the reasons behind their interdiction. One such example is alcohol whose harm overshadows its benefits. (b) Prohibited by Quranic verses for defects that are not inherent but may have been acquired subsequently, e.g. choked or strangled animals.

(c) Prohibited for improper handling, e.g. animals that are not slaughtered according to Islamic rules and regulations.

 When Halal Becomes Haram Under the category for Prohibited For Potential Harm above, it is apparent from the last two classifications, products that are initially in the halal status can become haram. More often than not, this change in status is caused by those handling the products failing to observe the regulations prescribed by Islam or simply due to human error. Muslims, therefore, must be cognizant of the proper procedures relevant to the products being handled.

The Islamic Way of Slaughtering Animals

Not all animals require slaughtering before they can be consumed by Muslims. Marine animals, bloodless animals and locusts need not be slaughtered. Allah says, " Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-gane and their use for food for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel." (5:96) Slaughtering of eatable animals for food is a ritual of the Shari'ah that is observed by Muslims worldwide. It is a ritual that purifies an animal from blood and filth and make it good and wholesome for consumption.

 Conditions for slaughter

Mechanical Slaughtering of Poultry New Methods of Slaughter - Stunning of Animals: Electrical Stunning, Mechanical Stunning and Pneumatic Stunning

Conditions for Slaughter

The slaughtering of halal animals must be separated from non-halal animals and should adhere to the following conditions: It must be performed by a Muslim (who is of sound mind, mature, and fully understands the Islamic procedure and conditions for slaughtering of animals; Dressing of carcasses should commence only after the animal is dead; The meat of the animals to be slaughtered must be eatable by Muslims (eg. pork is not eatable); Slaughtering tools and other implements used must be for the slaughter of halal animals only; The animals must be alive or deemed to be alive at the time of slaughter; For animals with normal necks, the act of slaughter must begin with an incision on the animals neck just before the glottis. And for animals with long necks such as chicken, turkeys, ostriches, camels etc., the incision must be before the glottis;

 The animal's trachea and aesophagus must be severed. The spinal cord should not be cut and the head not severed completely so as to induce immedite and massive haemorrhage; In certain mazhab (school of thought), uttering the phrase "bismillah" immediately before the slaughter is compulsory . In others, such utterance is highly encouraged; Slaughtering must be done once only. The slaughtering implement must not be lifted off the animal during slaughtering. Any lifting is construed as one act of slaughter. Multiple acts of slaughther on one animal is prohibited; Slaughtering must be for the sake of Allah only and not for other purposes e.g. for ritual offerings. Bleeding must be spontaneous and complete; Note: The above conditions are for information only and are not intended to qualify any individual for slaughtering of animals.

New Methods of Slaughter There a basically two new methods of slaughtering animals that have been adopted to cope with growing concern for animal cruelty and increasing demands: stunning prior to slaughtering and mechanical slaughtering. Stunning of Animals Prior to Slaughtering The alleged cruelty to animals during slaughter using the simple knife-based method is a growing concern among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. With the advance of technology, new methods that seem to be less cruel have been adopted and carefully employed to ensure halalness. The methods involved stunning of animals prior to slaughtering. For the stunning to be acceptable in Islam, the following conditions must be complied to:

The use of stunning equipment must be under the control of a Muslim supervisor, or a slaughterman or halal certification authority at all times. The animal should be stunned temporarily only. The stunning should neither kill nor cause permanent injury to the animal.

Gadgets used to stun pigs must not be used to stun halal animals.
There are three acceptable methods of stunning - electrical, mechanical and pneumatic:

Electrical Stunning The stunner should be of the type approved by the authority and of the type Head-Only Stunner i.e where electrodes are placed on the head region only. Stunning should not damage the heart or brain or cause physical disability or death. Electrical stunning of poultry is allowed using water bath stunners only. ning Mechanical Stun Mechanical stunners can be used on cattles and buffaloes only. Only non-penetrative type is allowed.

The stunner must not penetrate or break the head. Any injury caused should not be permanent.

The skull of the animal, after being skinned, should be checked for permanent injury. If found to be broken or penetrated, the carcass shall be deemed non-halal. Pneumatic Stunning A pneumatic stunner uses high pressure air to stun animals and must be directed at the atlantooccipital to render the animal unconcious for a few seconds.

 Mechanical Slaughtering of Poultry Slaughterting of poultry using mechanical knife is permitted subject to the following: The operator of the mechanical knife is a Muslim and should utter "bismillah" prior to switching on the machine.

The slaughterman who switches on the machine must be present at the slaughter area at all times during the slaughter.
If the slaughterman has to leave or be replaced, he has to stop the mechanical slaughter and his replacement will restart the machine and utter "bismillah" prior to restarting the machine. The knife used must be of single blade type and kept sharp. The throat, the aesophagus and major blood vessel in the neck region (jugular vein and carotid artery) of the poultry must be severed. Each bird must be checked that it is properly slaughtered and only dead birds are subsequently sent for scalding.

 Halal Cosmetics

The Quran is unambiguous in its support for beauty and elegance. A person gets more respect and attention from others when the person is clean and tidy. This entails not only the person's clothings but also the application of substances to various part of the body. So, apart from wearing acceptable clothes, the adornment used must also be halal.
Muslims all over the world are almost totally dependent on cosmetics products made by non-Muslims. Muslims seem to have taken the back seat when it comes to the cosmetics industry which is dominated and to a certain degree monopolised by non-Muslims. Thus, the issue of halal ingredients in cosmetics products poses serious challenges. The growing consumer awareness and hence demand for halal products, not just halal food and drink, has provoke existing and new players in the cosmetics industry to make halal products. Also in Indonesia recently.

 Halal Medicines Medicines, like cosmetics, are mostly manufactured in non-Muslim country. Similar issues regarding the ingredients, the manufacturing process and the place where they are manufactured poses complex challenges. While the general principle that in the case of a life-threatening emergency, one is allowed to consume prohibited (haram) products, it does not absolve Muslims from their religious and ethical duties to develop a totally halal pharmaceutical industry. Muslims should not be complacent and perpetuate their dependance on non-Muslim sources.

It is virtually impossible to control the procedures, the laboratory or the non-Muslim people involved in the making of the medicinal drugs even if the substance used are not prohibited. So it is difficult, if not impossible, to label such drugs halal and therefore there is a sense of urgency for Muslims to produce halal medicines.

 Hydrogenated Lard What is it? Lard is a soft, white oily substance obtained by heating the fat from pigs. Lard Glycerides are the mono-, di-, and triglycerides derived from Lard, whereas Lard Glyceride is the monoglyceride only. Hydrogenated Lard Glycerides, Hydrogenated Lard Glyceride, and Hydrogenated Lard are produced by adding hydrogen atoms to the described precursor.
In cosmetics and personal care products, Lard and Lard-derived ingredients are used in the formulation of skin care products and makeup such as eyebrow pencils, eyeliner and lipstick.

 Safety Information The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) includes Lard on its list of substances considered Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). It is permitted to be used in cotton and cotton fabrics used in dry food packaging. The polyglycerol esters of Lard are also approved for use as multipurpose additives for direct addition to food. The safety of Lard and Lard-derived ingredients has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Lard Glyceride, Hydrogenated Lard Glyceride, Hydrogenated Lard Glycerides, Lard, and Hydrogenated Lard were safe in cosmetics and personal care products.

 Why is it used in cosmetics and personal care products? The following functions have been reported for Lard and the Lardderived ingredients. Emulsion stabilizer - Lard Glyceride Skin conditioning agent - emollient - Lard Glyceride, Hydrogenated Lard Glyceride, Hydrogenated Lard Glycerides Skin conditioning agent - occlusive - Lard, Hydrogenated Lard Surfactant - emulsifying agent - Hydrogenated Lard Glyceride Viscosity increasing agent - nonaqueous - Hydrogenated Lard, Lard Glyceride, Hydrogenated Lard Glyceride, Hydrogenated Lard Glycerides Scientific facts: Lard consists of 38-43% saturated fats and 56-62% unsaturated fats. Because of its relatively high saturated fat content, the use of Lard as a cooking fat or shortening has diminshed

 Hydrogenated Lard More safety information: CIR Safety Review: No information was available regarding the fate during processing of impurities such as pesticides or heavy metals that may be found in tissue from which Lard is derived. However, Lard itself is established as a GRAS substance. Studies reported adverse effects expected with the feeding of high fat diets, but other toxicity data were not available. Lard was not mutagenic in one study. Cell proliferation assays showed more proliferation after Lard was fed compared to those fed plant-source fats, but another study showed no difference. Consistent with the FDA GRAS determination, it was concluded that these ingredients may be used safely in cosmetic formulations. However, it was considered important to limit the presence of heavy metals and/or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and other pesticide

 contamination. Accordingly, limits were established as follows: lead, not more than 0.1 ppm; arsenic, 3 ppm or less; mercury, 1 ppm or less; and total PCB/pesticide contamination, not more than 40 ppm, with not more than 10 ppm for any specific residue.
Link to the FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Lard http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/C FRS... http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/C FRS... If the ingredients conform to European Union animal byproducts legislation, Lard, referred to as Adeps Suillus, and Lard-derived ingredients may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Directive of the European Union. Link to the EU Cosmetics Directive: