This topic has been on my mind these past few months, since I came back from my travels, and even more so as I meet up with different groups of friends who have very, very different ideas of what halal is.

To some, halal means not eating pork.

To some, halal is a heated discussion. Just observe how the Facebook makciks (Malay aunties) talk about it. Or Youtube comments.

As of right now, this is what halal means to me:

Halal basically means something that is permitted.

Halal applies not only to the food we eat but it applies to everything, like having a halal income. That means a person obtains their money from legitimate sources and through hard work, and not through gambling, selling drugs and such.

And if the food we eat is not halal, it means things that are not healthy for our body runs through our veins. We will then tend to forget Him and would do other things that are not halal, weakening our faith.

I’m actually very proud of the fact that halal meat is really quality food because the whole process takes in consideration of the animals! (Scientifically proven)

I think that over time, the basic idea of halal has become too convoluted as our lifestyle changes and people keep misunderstanding this idea. I feel apprehensive over this but concurrently amazed at how deeply rooted and how pervasive it is in a Muslim’s life.

Now what I want to rediscover is the foundation of what makes something halal.

And i want to know your take on what is or not halal.

• What is halal to you?
• What makes a halal kitchen?
• When a non-Muslim bakes something for you, what is the proper way to accept the gift or do you reject it because the source is not halal?

I’m not the most religious person around. Though I’m hoping that by uncovering the answers to these kind of everyday questions will help me be stronger in my faith, and at the same time be able to give an accurate clarification whenever my friends ask me about it.

Q&A is a two-way street. If any of you that are reading this have more questions, comments or even answers to my questions, or would like to link me up to a credible source, that would absolutely make my day. Cheers!

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On a side note, this post is written as part of Blogging 101 Day 4’s assignment: Identify your audience. So far, I’ve only been recounting my experiences for my own viewing pleasure. This time, I want to facilitate interaction. My target audience for this post is my friends and family, as well as anyone who always wondered about the topic of Halal, like I am.

A different element that I’ve incorporated in this post is embedding videos and screenshots that are related to the topic, as well as adding heading fonts to emphasize certain points.