Comparison of Islamic and Jewish dietary laws

The Islamic dietary laws (Halal) and the Jewish dietary laws (Kashrut) are both quite detailed, and contain both points of similarity and discord. While both are dietary laws from Abrahamic Religion, they have different roots: an explanation of the Islamic code of law found in the Qur'an and a Jewish code of laws found in Leviticus.

Substance classification

Similarities

• Swine are prohibited in kashrut and Haraam (forbidden) in Islam. ^[1]
• Many animals permitted in kashrut are also Halal, such as bovines. ^[2][3]
• Kashrut forbids and Halal generally forbids the consumption of amphibian animals, such as frogs. ^[4]
• According to kashrut, almost all insects are not kosher. The few kosher insects are specific types of locusts and grasshoppers which are not eaten today in most communities, since it is unknown which species is permitted (the exception being the Yemenite Jews, who claim to have preserved this knowledge). ^[5] It is also a consensus among Muslim scholars that all insects are forbidden except for locusts. ^{[6] [7]}
• Kashrut states that kosher aquatic animals must have scales and fins. Some Muslims (mostly the Shi'ites) also believe that only fish with scales and fins are Halal. ^[8] But many others believe in the interpretation that suggests that all creatures from the ocean or the sea are considered Halal. However, according to Jewish oral law all fish that have scales have fins, thus making all fish with scales kosher and thus the law being essentially the same as dhabiĥa halal. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Differences

For a substance to be Halal, it must not contain alcohol of any kind. The strictness of this with regard to the presence of extremely small quantities of alcohol in cooked foods depends largely on individual commitment and interpretation. Except for grape wine and grape juice (which must be manufactured under Jewish supervision), Kashrut allows any sort of alcohol, as long as it has no non-kosher ingredients (including any unsupervised grape extracts).[12][13]

The list of animals forbidden by kashrut is more restrictive, as kashrut requires that, to be kosher, mammals must chew cud as well as have cloven hooves. Dhabiĥa halal only requires that an animal survive on grass and leaves. Thus, various animals, such as the camel, are permissible as per dhabiĥa halal, but not according to kashrut. [14]

Unless prepared according to a special process, the hindquarters of cows, sheep, goats, and other ruminants are not generally considered kosher. Dhabiĥa halal contains no such restriction regarding the hindquarters.

Kashrut prohibits shellfish, such as lobster, shrimp, clams, and oysters[15]. Most interpretations of halal permit the consumption of all seafood.

Slaughter

Dhabiĥa is the method used to slaughter an animal as per Islamic tradition. Shechita is the ritual slaughter of mammals and birds according to Jewish law. Shechita requires that an animal is conscious and this is taken to mean the modern practice of electrical stunning before slaughter is forbidden. All Muslim authorities also forbid the use of electrical stunning.

Similarities

• Both shechita and dhabiĥa, involve cutting across the neck of the animal with a non-serrated blade in one clean attempt in order to sever the main vessels. [16]
• Both require that the spinal cord be avoided during slaughter.[17][18]
• Both require draining the blood of the animal.[19][20]
• Any adult, sane Jew who knows the proper technique may perform shechita [Maimonides' Code, Laws of Shechita 2:12]. Similarly, Dhabiĥa, can be performed by any "adult sane Muslim...by following the rules prescribed by Shariah" (which are saying "Bismillahu Allahu Akbar".)[21]. Some Islamic authorities, though, state that dhabiĥa can also be performed by Jews [22]

Differences

• The actual requirements of the slaughter in terms of which vessels must be severed and which must be kept intact are different. Shechita requires that the "trachea, (esophagus), the carotid arteries and jugular veins" be severed[23]. There is no conclusive answer as to exactly which vessels are required to be severed as per dhabiĥa but according to the Islamic rules, the two big veins on both sides of the neck should be severed, but it is agreed that "most of the four veins" must be severed[24].
• Today, as a matter of practicality, Shechita is only performed by a licensed, well-trained slaughterman known as a shochet[25]. (While no rule specifies the gender of a shochet, they traditionally have been male). While dhabiĥa slaughter is generally performed by an experienced individual, it is still common in certain parts of the world for families to butcher their own meats.
• Theoretically, in the unlikely event that a minor or mentally ill Jew slaughters an animal, the Shechita would be considered valid after-the-fact if the proper technique was used [Maimonides 2:12 and commentaries ad loc]. The strictness of Dhabiĥa's requirement regarding an "adult, sane" slaughterer is under debate in an identical situation, because there is no primary Islamic source which addresses this specific scenario [26]. However, this is unlikely to occur, and so does not constitute a major difference.
• Dhabiha requires that God's (see Islamic Concept of God) name be pronounced before each slaughter [27]. Some Muslims have accorded meat to be halal but not necessarily dhabiha i.e Kosher meat is considered halal by some Muslims and so is meat slaughtered by Christians. This is according to the Hadith: "it is narrated by Al Bukhari from Aisha the Prophet Muhammad's wife, that some people came to him and said, Oh God's Prophet, some people bring us meat and we do not know if they pronounced the name of God on it or not, and he said pronounce you the name of God and eat." Dhabiha meat by definition is meat that is slaughtered in the shariah manner and the name of God is said before the slaughter. In Shechita, a blessing to God is recited before beginning an uninterrupted period of slaughtering; as long as the Shochet does not have a lengthy pause, interrupt, or otherwise lose concentration, this blessing covers all the animals slaughtered that period. This blessing follows the standard form for a blessing before most Jewish rituals ("Blesséd are you God ... who commanded us regarding [such-and-such]," in this case, Shechita). The general rule in Judaism is that for rituals which have an associated blessing, if one omitted the blessing, the ritual is still valid [see Maimonides Laws of Blessings 11:5]; as such, even if the shochet failed to recite the blessing before Shechita, the slaughter is still valid and the meat is kosher. [Maimonides Laws of Slaughter 1:2 and commentaries ad loc]

Miscellaneous comparisons

Similarities

• After slaughter, both require that the animal be examined to ensure that it is fit for consumption. Dhabiĥa guidelines generally say that the carcass should be inspected [28], while kashrut says that the animal's internal organs must be examined "to make certain the animal was not diseased"[29].
• Both sets of religious rules are subject to arguments among different authorities with regional and sect-related differences in permissible foodstuffs.
• Strictly observant followers of either religion will not eat in restaurants not certified to follow its rules.
• Meat slaughtered and sold as Kosher must still be salted to draw out excess blood and impurities. A similar practice is followed in some Muslim households, but using vinegar. This is done to remove all surface blood from the meat, in accordance to Islam's prohibition against eating blood.

Differences

• During Passover, there is an additional set of restrictions, requiring that no chametz (sour-dough starter or fermented products from the five species of grains) be eaten. However this requirement is specific to the holiday, and nothing to do with the laws of Kashrut. This has no parallel in the laws of dhabiĥa halal.[30]
• Kashrut prohibits mixing meat and dairy products, as well as consuming or even profiting from them. Dhabiĥa halal has no such rules.
• In Judaism, the permissibility of food accompanies a vast corpus of secondary factors. For instance, vessels and implements used to cook food must also be kept separate for dairy products and meat products. If a vessel or implement used to cook dairy is then used to cook meat, in addition to the thus contaminated food becoming non-kosher (according to various situation-specific rules), the vessel or implement itself can no longer be used for the preparation or consumption of a kosher meal. Depending on the material properties of the item (e.g. if it is made of metal or of clay, if it is one piece or has joints, etc...) it may be rendered permissible ("kashered") by certain procedures or it may be irretrievably contaminated. In general, the same policy extends to any apparatus used in the preparation of foods, such as ovens or a stovetop. Laws are somewhat more lenient for modern cooking apparatuses like microwaves or dishwashers, although this depends greatly on tradition (minhag) or individuals' own stringent practices (chumrot). As a result of these factors, many Conservative and Orthodox Jews cannot eat dishes prepared at any restaurant that is not specifically kosher, even if the actual dish ordered uses only kosher ingredients. This level of stringency does not have an analog in Dhabiha Halal.

See also

• Bans on ritual slaughter
• Jhatka Hindu ritual method of slaughter to minimize pain
• Unclean animals

External links

• Laws of Judaism and Islam concerning food