Is Kosher the same as Halal?

Quran Surah: Al-Maeda 88: Eat of that which Allah hath bestowed on you as food lawful and good, and keep your duty to Allah in whom ye are believers.

Quran Surah: Al-Baqara 172: O ye who believe! Eat of the good things where with We have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He whom ye worship.

Foods and drinks that are consumed by Jews are called kosher, kasrut, and kasher. According to the Webster World University Dictionary, kosher or kashrut (kasher) food is ceremonially cleaned, conforming to the Jewish dietary law. Food that is not allowed to be consumed, according to this law, is called trefa or trayfah. Based on the Talmud, the Jewish law, certain animals must be slaughtered and prepared in certain ritually prescribed ways, otherwise their meat becomes trefa, uncleaned and hence unfit for consumption.

Besides animal that could not be slaughtered, swine is also haram (not allowed) to be consumed by Jews. It seems similar to the halal-haram rules in Islam. Swine is mentioned in the Al-Quran: Al-Maeda: 3 “Forbidden unto you (for food) are carrion and blood and swine-flesh…. “. Also from the Prophet’s hadith, narrated by Jabir (Allah be well pleased with him), that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Allah does not permit in selling (and buying) wine, dead body of animals, and swine.”

One of the companions asked, “O Allah’s messenger, how about the swine’s fat? Swine’s fat can be used for painting a boat, smoothing skin, and can be used as light fuel.” The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) answered, “No, it is still haram. Allah cursed the Jews. Allah did not permit them to eat swine’s fat, but they collected it then sold it, and ate the product.” (Hadith Bukhari, Muslim, and Ashabus Sunan).

It is true that there are similarities between kosher and halal. However, some products are contradictive between the Jewish and Islamic concepts. Wine and all other gelatin are kosher according to the Jews. But for Islam, wine is khamr and it is prohibited.

Every intoxicant is khamr and khamr is prohibited. Therefore, liquors are prohibited. Allah SWT said, “O ye who believe! Wine and gambling and stone altars and divining arrows are only an abomination, a handiwork of Satan, shun it wherefore, that haply ye may fare well.” (Al-Maeda:90).

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Allah has cursed wine, its drinker, its server, its seller, its buyer, its presser, the one for whom it is pressed, the one who conveys it, and the one to whom it is conveyed” (Hadith Sunan Abu Dawud). He also said, “All liquors are khamr and all khamr are prohibited” (Hadith Muslim from Ibn Umar). The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Liquor that is if much make you intoxicated, then if little also is prohibited” (Hadith Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Daraqutni).

Gelatin is kosher, but not all gelatin is halal. Gelatin is usually syubhat (doubted) according to Islam, except gelatin that is halal certified. Gelatin which is more efficient and economically produced is made of swine’s bone or skin (Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 2nd ed., 1996).

On the other hand, meat other than swine is halal based on Islamic law, even though it is not kosher. Jewish law does not allow mentioning God’s name (Jehovah or Yehuvah Elohim) at un-sacred places like at slaughterhouses.

Examples of halal animals that are not considered as kosher are animals with cloven hooves like horses, sea animals which have shells such as shrimp, lobster, crab, etc, wild fowl, fish with no fin or scale. Even meat also becomes not kosher if it is consumed together with cheese or milk.

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