One golden word is the only key to open the door to the goldmine that is the Muslim Consumer market.

That golden word is no secret either, you can see it and hear it everywhere within the Muslim community – it is just simply, the term ‘ha

lal’.

Stamp the word ‘halal’ on a product and you may as well put a flashing beacon and siren on top. Subhanallah, make the call to prayer and you will get less people pay attention then when a new product comes out on the market purporting to be ‘halal’. It is actually, as if God Himself has reviewed and recommended the product, such is the extent that this simple word can make the Muslim Consumer sit up, take notice and reach for their cash.

Previously the term ‘halal’ was a term within the Muslim community that only really applied to food and predominantly to meat in particular. We all know of halal chicken and lamb, halal butchers and other halal food products.  What is happening now is that the term hala

l is applied to a wider range of products and services, beyond just that of the supermarket shelves to the extent that whilst the term is usually used correctly, it can sometimes be misused due to its money-making potential.

What does the term ‘halal’ actually mean?

The word refers to something that is allowed or permissible in Islam. The direct root of the term in Arabic is actuall

y h-l-l, meaning to ‘untie, unfasten, unburden’ or make accessible and lawful. Whilst usually used to refer to the method with which an animal has been slaughtered and prepared to eat, in Islam the word halal has deeper meaning in that it refers to something that is considered good, pure and even recommen

ded by God. Muslims are commanded to ‘embrace the halal and forbid the haram’ (Qur’an 3:104) – meaning to take part and encourage all that is good (permissible) and to refrain and abstain from all that is bad (impermissible).

To give an example of some of the kind of products you can now find in the Muslim consumer market that perpetuate themselves as allowed or recommended by Islam, in recent weeks the UK has seen the launch of Halal Makeup. Samina Akhter has created her own business c

atering for Muslim women, providing ‘halal’ make-up free from alcohol or animal derivatives with her range ‘Samina Pure Mineral Make-Up.’Whilst Samina is clear ¹ that this means she is not issuing a statement that other make-up brands are haram , in terms of the use of the word halal in reference to make-up, there could be the need for further clarification for some Muslim women. For instance, make-up is considered permissible to be worn but with restrictions in respect to the commandment of modesty and hijab for a Muslim woman – meaning that make-up should not be worn heavily or inappropriately. Samina Pure Make-Up is a very clever idea no doubt, Muslim women do buy and wear make-up and certainly any cosmetic product free from alcohol and animal extracts would be popular with women the world over, but the use of the term ‘halal’ creates a clear line directed towards the female Muslim consumer.  Is Samina using the term halal inappropriately? I don’t think so – the range IS halal in content in that it doesn’t contain any haram (impure) ingredients. Does this mean that wearing of the make-up is always halal for a Muslim woman in the true meaning of the word? No, it doesn’t and from an Islamic perspective that is where an issue could lie.

‘Halal’ make-up as a product is one thing and in my opinion not a misuse of the term, provided it is made clear from an Islamic perspective. Taking a totally haram product and making it halal is a different story all together though. Also on the UK market you can find, unbelievably, ‘halal’ non-alcoholic ‘alchoholic’ drinks and even, in Oldham, a ‘Halal Pub’ (I kid you not, its owners claim it to be an ‘Islamic pub’ because it doesn’t serve alcohol². Go figure.)

As Muslims not only are we told not to forbid and refrain from any haram activity but there is also a clear commandment that

we should not try to make what is halal into haram and what is haram into halal.

‘Do they have partners (with Allah) who have prescribed for them in religion that concerning which Allah has given no permission?’(Qur’an 42:21)

And do not say, concerning the falsehood which your tongues utter, ‘This is halal and that is haram,’ in order to fabricate a lie

against Allah; assuredly those who fabricate a lie against Allah will not prosper. (Qur’an 16:116)

A group of people will make peoples’ intoxication halal by giving it other names. (Reported by Ahmad.)

What then is the reasoning behind products that market themselves as halal versions of alcoholic drinks such as ‘halal’ champagne or b

eer? Yes they are alcohol-free but what they are claiming to be is essentially a haram item that is then modified in order to be given the banner of halal, in order to tap into the Muslim financial field. In terms also of the fact that Muslims are recommended to refrain from imitating the lifestyle of unbelievers, this use of the term halal is a money-making strategy way too far for me. We don’t need non-alcoholic champagne and we don’t need to go to the Halal Pub on a Friday night.

Is this what is supposed to be integration?

No. It’s a money-making scheme that means we neglect our individuality for the sake of cheap imitation whilst the owners try to conv

ince us that we are advanced and modern whilst they count their change.

The halal is clear and the haram is clear. Between the two there are doubtful matters concerning which people do not know whether they are halal or haram. One who avoids them in order to safeguard his religion and his honor is safe, while if someone engages in a part of them he may be doing something haram, like one who grazes his animals near the hima (the grounds reserved for animals belonging to the King which are out of bounds for others’ animals); it is thus quite likely that some of his animals will stray into it. Truly, every king has a hima, and the hima of Allah is what He has prohibited. (Reported by al-Bukhari’ Muslim, and others; the narration is taken from al Tirmidhi.)

On the lighter side of the use of the term halal but equally unnecessary use, is the manufacture and sale of halal pet food. Given that animals are not governed by the ruling of halal and haram with respect to their actions or their food, you have to wonder how far the use of the term halal can go. Does my cat care if he eats meat not slaughtered in a halal manner? No he doesn’t let me tell you. He only cares it smells and ta

stes good and if it doesn’t, he will go catch his own; and although he is a clever kitty, I don’t think when catching little mice he stops to draw his claw Zo

rro-style across their jugular vein whilst miaowing “Bismillah”. Allah s.w.t. has seen fit to ensure that animals are in submission to Him and are not required to use their free will in accordance with His laws – because technically, they don’t have any. Halal and haram don’t apply!

But the weird and not-so-wonderful doesn’t just stop there – with the use of any internet search engine, you can find all manner of products, services and activities that are clear-cut haram or insignificant to the ruling of haram/halal and yet are marketed under the banner of ‘halal’ with an official looking stamp. I will leave it to your imagination what else is out there, but safe to say, it ain’t Islamic I can tell you that.  There was even circulating around the net, ham meat (pork) stamped with the logo ‘halal’. Ok so this one turned out to be a hoax but the irony is the

prankster was probably unaware they were making a very profound statement about Muslim consumerism. How far could ‘halal’ go?

What does Allah have to tell us about the use of his words in order to earn money? Of course this marketing phenomenon is not a new custom amongst Muslims though I suspect that its current use is somewhat innovative. Allah s.w.t. is clear that using His words for financial gain is not permitted – yes that is right, misusing the term halal to make money is in fact not halal at all but haram!

Those who sell Allah’s contract and their own oaths for a paltry price, such people will have no portion in the hereafter and on the Day of Rising Allah will not speak to them or look at them or purify them. They will have a painful punishment. (Qur’an 3:77)

Now I am not saying that all use of the term halal in a product comes under this banner and yes, we are also commanded to make mone

y through halal means but I am concerned about the ease of use of a term that has such a deep meaning. I’m also concerned that we as a Muslim community may be taken for a ride by business-savvy individuals who are out to make a quick Dhinar.  Call something halal and you send a clear message to the Muslim market that this product is for them. Call something halal and you actually are claiming your product to be lawful and verified by Allah.

Next time you find something unusual perpetuating under an official stamp of ‘halal’ ask a few questions about it. Is that halal stamp necessary or appropriate? If not, why not? And do we actually need halal versions of all these products? Don’t be a mug and reach for your wallet just because something is directed to the Muslim market and you assume therefore (and understandably) that it’s all good. It doesn’t necessarily warrant that lawful mark from Allah and it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is in fact, halal. Spend your money wisely in a manner which is of benefit to you – don’t fall foul to false-advertising for the sake of your religious persuasion.

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