What is the difference between Halal and Haram?

Halal is what Islamic law permits and Haram is what it forbids. Between them are doubtful matters, which the Prophet ﷺ advised avoiding (Sahih al-Bukhari 52). On isithalal.food these are rated Halal if verified: the source decides.

What Is Haram? Foods That Are Not Halal, Checked

Q: What does Haram mean?

Haram is Arabic for “forbidden”: what Islamic law prohibits. For food that means pork, blood, carrion, meat not slaughtered in Allah’s name, and intoxicating drinks. Its opposite is Halal, “permitted”.

What does Haram mean?

Haram (حرام) is Arabic for “forbidden”: what Islamic law prohibits, whether a food, a drink or an act such as gambling (Qur’an 5:90). Its opposite is Halal (حلال), “permitted”. The Qur’an describes the Prophet ﷺ as one who “permits for them what is lawful and forbids to them what is impure” (7:157), and warns against declaring things lawful or unlawful on one’s own say-so (16:116).

For food, the Haram list is short, and it is set out below. Most real questions are about where an ingredient came from or how an animal was slaughtered.

Halal vs Haram, and the doubtful middle

The Prophet ﷺ said: “The lawful is evident and the unlawful is evident, and between them are doubtful matters that many people do not know. Whoever avoids these dubious things protects his faith and reputation” (Sahih al-Bukhari 52, also reported by Muslim). Those doubtful things are often called mashbooh. On this site they are the foods rated Halal if verified: Halal from one source and Haram from another, such as gelatine or E471. Our five verdicts explain each rating.

The rules behind the list

Pork and everything made from the pig: meat, fat, gelatine. Qur’an 2:173, 5:3
Blood, as in blood sausage. Qur’an 2:173
Carrion: an animal that died without being slaughtered. Qur’an 5:3
Meat not slaughtered in Allah’s name, or slaughtered in the name of another. Qur’an 6:121, 2:173
Intoxicants: wine and every intoxicating drink. Qur’an 5:90

Someone compelled by extreme hunger, not intending to sin, is not blamed (Qur’an 2:173, 5:3). For how rulings are reached, see the Halal guide.

Pork and foods made from it

Pork Haram

Pork is forbidden in four verses of the Qur'an, with its fat, gelatin and other derivatives.
Bacon Haram

Traditional bacon is cured pork.
Ham Haram

Ham is cured pork, and pork is forbidden in the Qur'an.
Prosciutto Haram

Prosciutto is dry-cured pork leg, and curing does not change pork.
Lard (Pork Fat) Haram

Lard is rendered pork fat, and every part of the pig is forbidden in the Qur'an.
Pork Gelatin Haram

Pork gelatin comes from pig skin and bones, and all four Sunni schools forbid it.
Chorizo Haram

Spanish and Mexican chorizo are traditionally pork sausage seasoned with paprika.
Maltese Sausage Haram

Traditional Maltese sausage (zalzett tal-Malti / zalzett) is a fresh or cured pork sausage seasoned with salt, pepper, coriander, and garlic.
Black Pudding Haram

Black pudding is a British blood sausage, usually pork blood and fat.
White Pudding Haram

Irish white pudding is an oatmeal breakfast sausage made with pork meat and fat.
Porceddu Haram

Porceddu is Sardinia's spit-roasted suckling pig, and the potatoes roasted in its drippings are Haram too.
Bigos Haram

Bigos, the Polish hunter's stew, is sauerkraut cooked with pork, smoked sausage, bacon and often red wine.
Sheftalia Haram

Sheftalia, the Cypriot grilled sausage, is pork mince wrapped in pig caul fat.
Francesinha Haram

Francesinha, Porto's sandwich, is stacked with cured ham and linguiça pork sausage, and its sauce is made with beer and often port wine.
Squashies Haram

Every Squashies flavour lists gelatine, and the official Squashies account says it is pork gelatine.
Maoam Haram

Haribo UK says its UK range, Maoam included, uses gelatine from pork.
Peeps Haram

Just Born, the maker, says the gelatin in Peeps marshmallow candies is derived from pork.
Hi-Chew Haram

Morinaga's US FAQ says Hi-Chew contains pork gelatin, and pack lists in the US and Europe name gelatin in every flavour we checked.
Welch's Fruit Snacks Haram

Welch's Fruit Snacks are made with pork or beef gelatin, Welch's says.
Peelerz Haram

UK Peelerz packs list pork gelatine; US packs list gelatin without naming the animal.
Spam Haram

SPAM Classic and its standard varieties are pork with ham.

Alcoholic drinks

Wine Haram

Wine is the khamr the Qur'an forbids, and that includes wine cooked into food.
Beer Haram

Beer is an intoxicating drink, and every intoxicant is khamr under Qur'an 5:90 and the hadith.
Guinness Haram

Guinness is an Irish stout, an intoxicating beer, and every intoxicant is khamr.
Cider Haram

Hard cider is fermented apple juice with alcohol, an intoxicant.
Champagne Haram

Champagne is sparkling wine at about 12% alcohol, and wine is the khamr the Qur'an forbids.
Cava Haram

Cava is Spanish sparkling wine at about 11-12% alcohol, and wine is khamr.
Gin Haram

Gin is a juniper-flavoured distilled spirit bottled at 40% alcohol or more, and every intoxicant is khamr.
Vodka Haram

Vodka is a distilled spirit at 35–50% alcohol, a concentrated form of khamr.
Rum Haram

Rum is a distilled alcoholic spirit made from sugarcane juice or molasses.
Whiskey Haram

Whisky, bourbon and rye are distilled spirits, usually 40% alcohol or more, and every intoxicant is khamr.
Brandy Haram

Brandy is a spirit distilled from wine or fermented fruit at 35–60% alcohol.
Tequila Haram

Tequila is a distilled agave spirit at 35–55% alcohol, khamr like all liquor.
Sake Haram

Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage brewed from rice, koji mold, water, and yeast.
Soju Haram

Soju is a Korean distilled spirit, usually 13–25% alcohol.
Tsikoudia Haram

Tsikoudia, Crete's grape-pomace spirit also called raki, is about 40% alcohol.

Other intoxicants

Kava Haram

Fatwas from Darul Uloom Deoband, Darul Ifta Australia and IslamWeb treat kava, the Pacific root drink, as an intoxicant that Muslims may not drink.

Meat that its seller says is not Halal

Flat Iron Haram

Flat Iron's own FAQ says 'Our beef is not halal.
Wahaca Haram

Wahaca's FAQ says it doesn't serve Halal meat.
Miller & Carter Haram

Miller & Carter's FAQ says none of the meals on its menus are prepared or cooked to a Halal standard.
Chick-fil-A Haram

Chick-fil-A says none of its menu items meet Halal standards, and its UK restaurants make no Halal claim.
Toby Carvery Haram

Toby Carvery's FAQ says none of the meals on its menus are prepared or cooked to a Halal standard.
Zizzi Haram

Zizzi's FAQ says it is not a Halal or Kosher restaurant: all its restaurants serve pork and beef, with no Halal handling policies.
ASK Italian Haram

ASK Italian's FAQ says it is not a Halal or Kosher restaurant: all its restaurants serve pork and beef, with no Halal handling policies.
Prezzo Haram

Prezzo's FAQ says it does not currently offer Halal meat at its restaurants.
TGI Fridays Haram

TGI Fridays UK's FAQ says it does not currently offer Halal produce in its restaurants.
Texas de Brazil Haram

Texas de Brazil buys Halal lamb but cooks all meats, pork included, on the same skewers, so it says the cooked lamb is not Halal.

On labels: can come from pork or another non-Halal source

Not Haram in themselves, but the source decides. A Halal mark, or a plant or Halal-animal source named on the pack, settles it.

Gelatin Halal if verified

Gelatin (often nicknamed E441 in older/informal additive lists) is collagen protein from animal skins/bones.
E471 (Mono- and Diglycerides) Halal if verified

E471 (emulsifier 471, INS 471) is Halal from plant oils, Haram from pork or non-zabiha fat.
L-Cysteine Halal if verified

L-cysteine (E920) is a dough conditioner that may be made from human hair, feathers, porcine bristles, or synthetic/microbial routes.
Glycerin (Glycerol, E422) Halal if verified

Glycerin (glycerol, E422) can be plant (palm/soy/coconut), synthetic, or animal-fat derived.
Pepsin Halal if verified

Pepsin is a proteolytic enzyme historically extracted from animal stomachs—very often pigs.
Collagen Halal if verified

Collagen comes from cattle, fish or pigs.
Natural Flavors Halal if verified

'Natural flavor' only means a plant or animal origin, not Halal.

Not Halal in some schools

Haram in at least one school and Halal in others. Each page sets out the schools’ views.

Shellfish Scholarly difference

Shellfish is a category (crustaceans and mollusks), not one animal.
Shrimp (Prawns) Scholarly difference

Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali scholars permit shrimp as sea food; many Hanafi authorities do not treat it as fish.
Crab Scholarly difference

The Maliki and Hanbali schools permit crab; the Hanafi school, the stronger Shafi'i view and Ja'fari law do not.
Lobster Scholarly difference

Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali scholars permit lobster as sea food; Hanafis limit seafood to fish.
Octopus Scholarly difference

Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali rulings treat octopus as Halal sea food; Hanafis who limit seafood to fish do not.
Squid Scholarly difference

Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali practice treats squid as lawful sea food; named Hanafi answers limit seafood to fish and do not permit it.
Eel Scholarly difference

Hanafi and other Sunni rulings treat eel as a permissible fish; Ja'fari rulings do not.
Crocodile Scholarly difference

One view treats crocodile as a permitted water animal; another forbids it as a fanged predator.
Escargot Scholarly difference

The Maliki school permits land snails; the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools do not.
Rennet Scholarly difference

Pork rennet is Haram and microbial rennet is fine; animal rennet from non-Halal slaughter is a recognised difference between the schools.
Carmine (Cochineal, E120) Scholarly difference

Carmine (E120, cochineal) is a red dye from insects.
Nutmeg Scholarly difference

An intoxicating amount of nutmeg is forbidden by agreement; Egypt's and Jordan's fatwa bodies allow a little to flavour food, others forbid any.
Kangaroo Scholarly difference

Taqi Usmani and Darul Ifta Birmingham permit kangaroo if Islamically slaughtered; Deoband forbids it.
Frog Scholarly difference

Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis forbid frog, as Egypt's Dar al-Ifta does; Malik and some early scholars permitted it.