Dear Ali: Is all seafood halal? LK, Abu Dhabi
Dear LK: Many kinds of food from the sea are permissible. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Lawful to you is (the pursuit of) water-game and its use for food – for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel …”
But there are certain types of water animals some scholars exclude from the permission outlined above, such as crocodiles and frogs – the Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade killing frogs. As a general rule, everything we are forbidden to kill we are not allowed to eat. Other examples can include snakes, lobsters, crabs, etc. Some also believe that otters and turtles should be slaughtered properly in order for them to be halal, since they live on both the land and in the sea.
Some sea life can be harmful to eat, and Islam teaches Muslims everything that can cause harm is forbidden as food.
Dear Ali: What exactly is the cultural take on pets in this region? AS, Abu Dhabi
Dear AS: Whenever I’m asked about our cultural relationship to pets (especially dogs) I always bring up this example: “Do you know anyone raising cows inside their living room or bedroom now?”
Thus, it’s all about lack of familiarity. Many Muslims who seem to hate dogs are simply afraid of them. They may make excuses (“I’m allergic”) or emphasise the religious uncleanliness of dogs just to avoid interacting with them.
It is a fundamental tenet of Islam that everything is permissible, except those things that have been explicitly banned. Based on this, most Muslims would agree that it is permissible to have a dog for the purpose of security, hunting, farming or as service animals for the disabled.
Many Muslims strike such a middle ground with dogs, allowing them for such purposes but ensuring that the animals have their own space that does not overlap with human living areas. I read this important message from a good friend who said to me once: Owning a pet is a huge responsibility that Muslims will need to answer for on the Day of Judgment. Those who choose to have a dog must recognise the duty they undertake to provide food, shelter, training, exercise and medical care for the animal. That said, most Muslims recognise that pets are not our children, nor are they humans. One should keep things in perspective.
We must also not let our misunderstandings about dogs lead us to neglect them. The Holy Quran describes pious people who had a dog living among them, and dogs are loyal and intelligent creatures that make excellent work and service animals.
So you see in Islam we are allowed to own dogs, but we should have them for a purpose and not just for fun. A really interesting thing is as much as we’ve been taught that dog saliva is “najs” or unclean, in the Holy Quran it is specifically mentioned that any prey caught by hunting dogs may be eaten without any need for further purification.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “A man was very thirsty while on his way, when he came across a well. He went down the well, quenched his thirst and came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. He said to himself: ‘This dog is suffering from thirst as I did.’ So, he went down the well again and filled his shoe with water and let the dog drink. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him.” (Reported by Bukhari).
In my own words, I always say “God created dogs, so why do some people hate them so much?” I don’t think because it’s “najs” since you can always wash up after interacting with them. But whether it be strangers or animals, some people simply react in fear toward all things with which they are not familiar.
Ali Al Saloom is a cultural adviser and public speaker from the UAE. Follow @AskAli on Twitter, and visit www.ask-ali.com to ask him a question and to find his guidebooks to the UAE, priced at Dh50.
[ weekend@thenational.ae ]
Follow us @LifeNationalUAE
Follow us on Facebook for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news.
