Kombucha is a probiotic superdrink that you can find in every health store and it’s even available in mainstream Costco and Walmart. While Muslims can’t drink alcohol, it is haram, and not halal or allowed. Is kombucha, with very low amounts of alcohol allowed?

What is that strange brew known as kombucha? 

Kombucha is a fermented tea that contains probiotics, making it popular for its health benefits. We have a recipe here for making it at home. However, its halal status is a topic of debate due to the small amounts of alcohol produced during fermentation. While biofuels, a product of alcohol are under debate, the answer among Muslims about kombucha, is maybe. When in doubt, look for a halal certifcation. When making kombucha at home, as your local authorities.

Here’s a breakdown of the key points to ask about kombucha.

Why Kombucha Might Be Considered Halal:

1. Low Alcohol Content: The alcohol in properly brewed kombucha is typically less than 0.5% ABV (alcohol by volume), and it’s safe for children to drink and similar to non-alcoholic beverages. This amount is not enough to cause intoxication, which is the primary concern in Islamic law regarding alcohol.
2. Natural Fermentation: The alcohol is a byproduct of the natural fermentation process, not added intentionally. Many Islamic scholars consider this different from beverages where alcohol is the main purpose.

Related: Why Muslims don’t drink alcohol

Why Some Muslim Authorities Might Consider Kombucha Haram:

1. Potential for Higher Alcohol Levels: If kombucha is over-fermented or homemade without careful control, the alcohol content can exceed 0.5%, potentially reaching up to 3% or more.
2. Different Scholarly Opinions: Some scholars argue that any amount of alcohol, regardless of its source or concentration, is haram if it exists in a consumable form.

Scholarly Consensus:

• Many modern Islamic scholars and halal certification bodies consider commercially produced kombucha with controlled fermentation (under 0.5% ABV) to be halal.
• Homemade kombucha requires more caution because it’s harder to control alcohol levels.

Related: make halal aloe vera juice at home

Conclusion:

For Muslims who want to enjoy kombucha:

• Check for Halal Certification: Some brands have official halal certification.
• Mind Homemade Brews: If making it at home, limit fermentation time to keep alcohol levels low.
• When in Doubt: Follow your personal or local scholar’s guidance, as opinions can vary.
• Or make your own non-alcoholic drinks.

10 alcohol-free mocktails for summer

https://www.greenprophet.com/2010/07/aloe-vera-recipes/

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One of Green Prophet’s most-read stories ever is our how-to article on sugar-waxing, an ancient method of hair removal that predates waxing. What is it about body hair that makes for riveting reading? Come learn what I’ve picked up about dealing with body hair in the Arab Middle East.

Feedback welcome: I’ve been knocking around the region for four years, happy to hear if I’m presenting “fake news”!

The Hairline Timeline

Humans first started removing hair from men’s faces, most likely for cleanliness, and the first “razors” were rock blades made of flint. Shaving got a boost by Alexander the Great who required his soldiers to be beardless in battle so as to gain an advantage in hand-to-hand combat. Many contemporary militaries still follow this practice.

Egyptians are also credited with inventing sugaring, believed to predate shaving. It’s similar to waxing, but uses a sugar-syrup paste that gets spread onto skin. When the mixture cools, it’s quickly peeled off, yanking hair out at the roots. You can eat the sweet pre-product if you use our recipe.

Hair removal by “threading” started in India 6,000 years ago using thin cotton thread to wrap and tug hair out in a rapid rolling motion. Called fatlah or khite in Arabic, Middle Eastern men and women both partake as a method to highly define brow shape. Fingers and toes also get plucked as part of the routine regime in most gender-segregated beauty salons.

Below-the-chin hairlessness now seems the norm for women, while men tend towards judicious man-scaping. If you’re dealing with a forest of fur (see our lead image), electrolysis may be the answer. Performed by licensed technicians, a needle-like probe is inserted into each individual hair follicle, zaps it with heat or chemicals, and the hair is removed with tweezers. Multiple treatments are needed, but your hair will be history.

To grow a beard or shave?

According to a hadith of Ibn ‘Umar’s (a hadith is a collection of traditions containing sayings of the prophet Muhammad which, with accounts of his daily practice (the Sunna), constitute the major source of guidance for Muslims apart from the Koran), Muslim men are obligated to keep their beards as a means to differentiate them from non-believers, advising men to, “Do the opposite of what the pagans do. Keep the beards and cut the mustaches short.”

But what about all the hipster beards we see today?

Or those that can’t grow can knit one instead. Pattern is here.

Most Islamic scholars agree that the mustache should be trimmed to ensure hygienic practice so the hair does not touch the lip, and that beards are kept at an appropriate length, which is generally a fist length.

What About the Hairy Head?

According to Islamic scholars, there are only several kinds of head shaving that are permissible: when performing Hajj, Umrah, shaving a child’s head on the seventh day after birth, when a man converts to Islam, and shaving the head as a remedy for disease.

Pubic Hair and Shaving for Women

Women are not permitted to shave their heads or eyebrows, but everything else is fair game including the pubic region, armpit and forearm hair, and thighs.

When showing the above image to local Arab men in Aqaba, Jordan, they didn’t see the gorgeous face, instead recoiled from the naturally hairy arms!

Curiously, removing a unibrow is permissible as it is not exactly part of the eyebrows. Although in some countries and regions like among Bukharian Jews, a woman is revered for her unibrow.

It is widely advised for Muslim men and women to remove pubic hair and armpit hair as a way to remain clean; pubic hair is shaved with a razor,  while armpit hair is tweezed (ouch!), but what matters is the removal, and in modern times depilatory substances (even edibles ones like sugar wax!) are permissible.

Make your own sugar wax

In an increasingly challenging sociopolitical and geopolitical climate, the symbols and meanings attached to fatwas are rapidly changing. Which hair removal method you choose and on which part of your body seems less important in comparison to very real and pressing issues the Muslim world is facing.

Curious about a new movement to keep body here? Follow Januhairy.

The post Muslim shaving: the halal and the haram appeared first on Green Prophet.

The quinoa craze turned what was once a cheap, nourishing staple diet for Bolivians and Peruvians into an unaffordable grain for many of the poor locally. Read here about the dirty secret of quinoa. The appetite of western culture, and fanatic vegetarianism has increased demand for quinoa stratospherically: in 2013 the price of quinoa tripled from 2006 prices.

Prices have risen to such an extent that the poorer populations of Peru and Bolivia can no longer afford it and instead substitute for cheaper imported junk food. In Lima, quinoa now costs more than chicken and outside the cities land is increasingly being turned into quinoa monocultures.

Gaga for agar-agar

A similar story is happening in Morocco, El Jadida, with “red gold” a mineral rich seaweed used to produce agar- agar a natural gelling agent popular with cooks and professional chefs, used in pharmacology and cosmetics and an alternative to animal-sourced gelatins for vegetarians and religious groups that ban pork.

Over in Japan, agar is used for sauces, soups, jellies, and desserts. In the Western world, it is used as a gelling and stabilizing agent by meat and fish canneries, and in baked goods, dairy products, and candies as well.

In 2010 over exploitation pushed the fishing ministry to place quotas restricting its harvest, and today rising demand and falling supply has resulted in increasing export prices.

Agar-agar is an important gelling agent for people who cannot consume pork products, like Jews and Muslims. But it is also a staple for vegans.

Yet fishermen and are not seeing the economic benefits from these rising prices, research has shown that fishermen often sell the produce half the price pre-established by the quota  and are forced to dive deeper, with dangerous consequences  in the hope of finding this increasingly scarce, expensive “gold” (which by the way, currently sells at 0.4 USD per Kg- so not really gold) .

Killing Morocco’s ecosystem and society

Aside from the negative social consequences, overharvesting seaweed also has obvious negative to the local marine ecosystem.  Seaweed plays a major role in marine ecosystems , in fact they are considered “keystone species” since they are one of the first organism in marine food chains.

They provide nutrients and energy for animals, either directly when fronds are eaten, or indirectly when decomposing parts break down into fine particles and are taken up by filter-feeding animals. Seaweeds also act as filters by taking up nutrients and carbon dioxide from seawater reducing local coastal eutrophication and ocean acidification.

What was once ordinary red algae, has now become “red gold” with negative consequences on the fishermen and the environment.

We have to remember that nowadays crazes have a more significant impact than in the past. Globalization, increasing communication streams, increasing population, and rising incomes and the concomitant increase in purchasing power means that the decisions we make today have a larger ripple on effect on populations and environments that are far from our sight.

Using exotic foods, supplements and medicine to fulfill health habits, or becoming fanatic about not using certain produce may not be the answer to a more sustainable, global economy.

Looking at your own country’s tradition, local crop and seed wealth and medicinal herbs is just as efficient at supporting health and has a marginal and sustainable impact on local economies.  Like always, balance is the key and the solution lies right next to you.

Image of Red gold seaweed harvest in Morocco by Fadel Senna; image of agar red seaweed from Shutterstock

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Black, with two mixing containers: a wet one and a dry. I’d heard my step-son and writing colleague praise the blender with fervour (read here on how to make a date shake).

Why are people so excited about a blender?

This machine is an earth-loving, green girl’s fantasy. It’s one of those machines that can replace every other machine on your counter. It gives you the option to make green shakes, juices (but can be messy), ice-cream (yes!), your own ground coffee, home-made and home-ground organic baby formula, vegan pate, fresh tehini, and a pot of soup right in the blender.

Apparently there are stages of addiction with the Vitamix and I am at the first stage: ice-cream. The addiction doesn’t go away, apparently, but it changes form.

Within 24 hours I’d made and eaten five kinds of ice-cream, all of them 100 percent vegan and 100% sugar-free. And boy was it delicious. You have to know that I am neither a vegan nor do I strive to be sugar free. These two benefits are byproducts of my addiction. This is coming from a girl who will eat nothing less than Baskin Robbins, and if given a choice will only eat Hagen Daaz.

I will supply a recipe that emerged from my addiction below. You can try it in a regular blender (the folks that don’t have a Vitamix), but it probably won’t work.

The truth is, my husband is watching his sugar intake and his health. And now we have two little kids that shouldn’t eat sugar.

Vitamix Anon?

And there are a few reasons why the Vitamix blender takes the cake. The size of the motor is apparently strong enough to crush stones, according to my step-son. At a workshop I was on at New Horizon in Israel (one of the only places where they are available in the Middle East), the machine can actually process dried chickpeas. Mixing hummus that’s cooked is a no brainer.

The fact that the blade is non-removable from the container means that it is a breeze to clean. This is a top point for someone as lazy as me. I love to cook but I hate to clean. A few cups of hot water, some drops of soap, a whirl around the engine and the Vitamix is clean.

The last blender I bought died when I was making a milkshake. The three-minute blend was too much for the machine and it died, puking out a terrible smoke. It almost caught fire when we found it smouldering later on. The Vitamix has a special switch that prevents it from heating up. If you are making too many almond butters or ice-cream (he, he), it will switch off before you can do any damage.

With a 10-year warrantee, I may be willing this machine to my kids. But there is loads of cooking to do before then. Over the next months I plan to take on some traditional Middle East cooking projects using my Vitamix. It can freshly grind flax seeds, for instance, but how will it handle hard hummus beans, making fresh tehini or my own secret falafel mix?

Until then, I am offering you my favorite ice-cream recipe, after five different tries.

Middle East fig ice-cream recipe

Ingredients

6 organic, dried figs
Handful of organic nuts, walnuts are good, cashews or Brazil nuts work too
Frozen organic banana
Tablespoon of dried date paste
Spoon of dried coconut
Dash of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of organic flax seeds (unground)
2 tablespoons of organic, sugar-free, fat-free chocolate
2 cups ice

Blend all the above together (leaving out the ice) on high speed, using the black rod that comes with the machine. I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s very essential to have this thick magic wand in action while the above ingredients are grinding. Push it into the sides as the machine runs on turbo.

After about 40 seconds grinding with some uniform consistency achieved, add in 2 cups of ice. Then get the black wand ready to start mixing. It takes a bit of effort, but it’s worth it. After about another 40 seconds round you’ll have the finest tasting gelato-like ice-cream you’ll ever find on this planet.

And the health benefits? Don’t get me started. For Jewish chefs the result is kosher, pareve. For Muslims, it’s halal. For vegans, it’s vegan. For raw food lovers, it’s raw. For sugar addicts, it’s a more natural way to get your sugar high. Top it off with some crunchy granola and you’ll find heaven on earth. Even if you replace any of the ingredients above with something else similar, you probably won’t go wrong. Don’t try onions, for instance. But if you don’t have bananas, try a frozen orange. If you don’t have coconut, try raisins… the list goes on.

My step-son tells me that after the ice-cream addiction stage, I will probably move on to green shakes. Honestly, I’m already jones’ing for one but we don’t have any apples left from all the stuff we’ve been making over the weekend.

::Vitamix

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The European Commission (EC) approved a meat-based feedstock for farm-raised fish.  Next year, your mullet and trout might contain chicken and pork.

Horsemeat in burgers, meatballs and frozen lasagna is startling, but while these products include a “secret ingredient”, they remain as advertised: meat-based foods.  But what happens when the fish on your dish also contains meat?

Wild salmon won’t be tucking in to a pork roast, but their farmed cousins will soon be dining on ground up pig parts.  A variety of animal byproducts are processed into an animal protein powder, also called meat meal, which is now approved as an additive to fish food.  Byproducts include cartilage (ears, tails), hooves and organs, and it’s not particularly clear that those parts come from perfectly healthy piggies.

The Middle East is a large importer of European seafood.

Seafood labeling is widely a slipshod business: in a study last year, non-profit Oceana performed DNA testing on seafood sold at 74 retail outlets in Los Angeles. Results showed that 55% of 119 fish samples were misidentified. If California can’t get species properly sorted, what’s the likelihood that the Middle East can take it a step further and also identify each fish’s diet?

How’s this swim with Jews and Muslims and pescatarians?

How can you know if your fish purchases are kosher, or halal, or just pure fish? Will the absence of dietary surety mean an exodus of shoppers from the seafood aisle? It could be that the EC is cutting off it’s own metaphorical body part in a misguided attempt to help its aquaculture industry.

In 1997, a similar fish feed was banned for its connection to Mad Cow Disease.  Debate raged over the global food network.  Was it ethical to feed cow products to cows?  Was it safe?  But time passed and rules softened, and in 2008 fish meal was reintroduced to pig and poultry feeds. This latest step flips the food chain, now feeding pork and poultry meat meal to fish.

The news is muffled.  Food Navigator gave it a few paragraphs, as did EurActiv.  But what’s the reaction in Israel and Jordan? Why no squeals from the Gulf states or snorts from Egypt?

Global web mover and shaker Avaaz is raising a stink (appropriate for a subject that combines fish and pigs).  They’ve got a petition in play to pressure governments to stop porkfish from entering our markets. Avaaz has incited over 1 million people to petition against genetically modified food in Europe, and another million to take action against mutant salmon “frankenfish”. Want to join the movement?  Click this link and sign, share with everyone interested in controlling what they eat.

More comfortable sitting back, allowing governments to meddle with your menu?  Then perhaps you should memorize a new take on an old rhyme:

This little cod went to market; this little salmon stayed home, this little tuna ate roast beef, and this little tilapia had none.  And this little porkfish ran all the way home!

 Image of porkfish from Avaaz, and of  salt-water pig from Shutterstock

The post Is Pig-fed kosher or halal? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Faiza Hussain, who has started a small online business selling halal and organic skincare products, tells us why she ditched the chemical-laden products she used to love

Like most women, Faiza Hussain’s fascination with creams, lotions and potions started at a young age. As a teenager she had a collection of skincare products she adored but as the years went by, she became a mother and a wife and also began to wonder what exactly was in the products that were going into her skin. After some research, she found out that lots of products contained alcohol and animal fats (including pork substance) as well as chemicals that were known to cause irritation to sensitive skin. So she began to make her own all halal and organic products for her young family. Soon her friends and family were asking for more and so ‘Halal & Organic’, her online shop, was born. 

“Halal & Organic uses alternatives to alcohol such at Ethanol/ Ethyl and animal fats (including that from Lanolin which is a form of halal alcohol derived from animal fats and animal content such as sheep) which are heavily used within the skincare industry,” explains Faiza Hussain who has a BA Human Resource Management. “Some chemicals are known to cause irritation to sensitive skin, whereas others remove natural oils from the skin which is important to keep the skin hydrated preventing dryness.”

The range she put together takes these issues into consideration and is consequently non-alcoholic, animal fat-free, Vegan, Vegetarian and preservative-free. It is also against animal testing and instead uses natural ingredients that are trialled out by volunteers.

As such, Faiza Hussain is keen to highlight that the range isn’t just for Muslims. She explains that it appeals to everybody who is concerned about the kind of chemicals in their skincare products and is eager to give something more natural a go.

The Halal & Organic range includes moisturisers, skin scrubs, oils and also a range of baby products. “We receive great feedback Alhumdullilah and whilst an online store is suitable for now as it is a small business from London, maybe one day (god willing) we’ll open a store or branch out to retailers supporting the same ideas,” adds Faiza.

Halal & Organic joins a growing selection of Muslim skincare ranges that are halal and green. OnePure, which caters mainly to the Gulf consumer is certified halal and Saaf, offers organic skincare products and oils. Samina Pure Makeup is based in the UK and offers natural mineral makeup without the use of harsh chemicals, parabens, alcohol and animal products.

For more on organic skincare see:
OnePure, A First in Halal Eco Skincare Products
5 Things to Avoid to Keep Your Complexion Healthy
Dye Your Hair Naturally with Henna
5 Natural Ways to Keep Your Skin Beautiful

The post Halal & Organic – The Skincare Range That Cares About The Planet appeared first on Green Prophet.

Look at any Middle East dining table and the humble tomato is usually there front and center, diced into a cucumber salad or sliced in big wedges drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. No one knows fresh tomatoes like the Levant. It makes sense, then, that the Israeli company LycoRed should corner the market for lycopene, a new super-food and natural dye extracted from the tomato.

Lycopene is quickly replacing artificial and animal-based red dyes across America. Health-conscious, vegan, kosher and halal consumers are paying particular attention to this new “green” red dye.

Red food coloring is an attractive way to add a natural tint to milkshakes (Starbucks does it), red velvet cupcakes, candies and yogurts, but recent evidence on six synthetic dyes, including Red 40, links them to behavioral problems in children.

As savvy parents demand better solutions for candies and snack foods, and big retailers such as Starbucks are searching for natural alternatives for their fruit shakes, all eyes are on Israel.

LycoRed has been making natural dyes — from orange to red to red with bluish notes — for about 15 years using carrots or tomatoes. The company recently doubled production of Tomat-O-Red, its antioxidant-rich lycopene compound from non-genetically modified tomatoes grown in California and Israel.

Kosher– and halal-certified, it is recognized as safe for consumption by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Kicking the old red habits

Roee Nir, the company’s color and flavor global commercial manager says that the “Southamptom Six” — Red 40 and five other petroleum-based synthetic food dyes – were found by Southampton University researchers to be linked with childhood reactions including temper tantrums, aggressiveness, kicking, screaming and a lack of self-control. Children are particular susceptible to the effects of Red 40, while in adults it might cause nervousness, migraines or an upset stomach.

Food coloring makes a wide variety of processed foods more attractive.

LycoRed’s colorings offer fresh hope for the food industry. The company’s lycopene is now widely used in products including surimi, an artificial crab meat; smoothies and yogurts; beverages and juices; and confectionary like gummy bears and hard-boiled candies, says Nir.

And now Starbucks? A recent controversy was stirred when Starbucks declared it would no longer use a petroleum-based dye in its Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino. Initially the company announced it would switch to carmine, a dye produced from a beetle, but vegetarians objected and so did kosher consumers, who are not permitted to eat insects. Starbucks quickly replaced its “bug juice” with lycopene.

LycoRed is the only lycopene producer with FDA approval, so it’s a good bet that Starbucks uses the Israeli product, though Nir can’t name names due to non-disclosure agreements.

Cosmetics and drugs and pizza

LycoRed has had to double its production to meet increasing demands, and Tomat-O-Red is expected to transition from the basic foods industry to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Tomatoes, rather than Red 40, can color your luncheon meat.

Though other Red 40 replacements from the natural world include a dye from beetroot, Nir says these other solutions are not as chemically stable as lycopene and tend to degrade at high temperatures or over time. They are also more susceptible to damage from UV light.

That puts LycoRed in an enviable position, particularly as public awareness of lycopene’s health benefits for the skin and heart has really started taking off in America, Nir adds.

A new nutraceutrical is launched 

Lycored, the global leader in naturally derived carotenoids for food, beverage, and dietary supplement products, has just launched Lycomato Beadlets 5%—a new delivery format for their premier anti-inflammaging solution. Their flagship wellness extract Lycomato⁶ formerly known as Lyc-O-Mato.

The addition of the 6 in the branding emphasizes the power of the six tomato-based phytonutrients in the formula, including hero lycopene, phytosterols, phytoene, phytofluene, tocopherols, and beta-carotene. These components work independently and synergistically to support timeless aging and beauty from within.

Over 25 published studies demonstrate the effectiveness of Lycomato⁶ full composition in fighting inflammation and oxidative stress and supporting cellular wellness, skin health and beauty, heart health, and eye health. The innovative dry format unlocks additional application opportunities for Lycomato⁶ including gummies, capsules, powdered beverages and tablets, offering brands new ways to introduce the anti-inflammaging power of Lycomato⁶ to their consumers.

The post Lycored replaces toxic Red 40 with tomato-based dye and it’s halal appeared first on Green Prophet.

I’ve always been incredibly lazy about beauty. This isn’t because I don’t dream of being an illustrious goddess who rides into the sunset with an equally exotic suitor, but because tending to my mind and soul has always taken priority. Every so often I’ll spend money on a nice haircut, but most of the time I do as little as possible to retain my youthful looks.

This philosophy used to work pretty well for me and my friends were jealous of my unblemished skin – until I lived in Viet Nam for four months. My skin has never recovered from Ho Chi Minh City’s pollution, and I’ve done a terrible job of bringing it back to life. Don’t be like me. Avoid the following five things to keep your skin looking so much better than mine.

1. Don’t Forget to Drink Water

I know that water is good for me, but I get so caught up with my work and coffee that I never remember to drink as much as I should. Hopefully you will avoid making this mistake. Almost all health experts agree that drinking a decent amount of water (approximately 64 ounces a day) is essential to good complexion and pretty much anything else. This is nature’s way of purifying your body from the inside out.

2. Don’t Forget to Clean Your Face at Night

When I was living in Viet Nam, where – like Egypt – unprecedented levels of pollution permeate every pore of the body, I scoffed at the ladies who carried around blotters and wore face masks, but I’m laughing last. Instead of cleaning my face every night and taking care of my skin, I was lazy and paid the price. The problem areas that emerged after just four months of living in HCMC flair up time and again. Do you think I learned? Of course not. Often by the time I drag myself to bed I’m so tired that I don’t remember to clean my face. Please don’t do this.

3. Don’t Smoke

One of the smartest decisions I ever made was to quit smoking, but it seems like that decision took up all my intelligence reserves – at least where my complexion is concerned. People who smoke not only get those unsightly lines around their mouth, but smoking deprives the skin of oxygen and important nutrients, completely altering the chemical composition and appearance. Smoking also destroys collagen, so smokers tend to have looser skin. Some scientists believe that smoking is linked to skin-cancer.

4. Don’t Use Harmful Acne Products

When Sicilian photographer Alex Tricani sent me the lead photograph, which he took while I was interviewing the one-eyed salt carver in Siwa, Egypt, I was mortified to see how terrible my skin looks. Although Alex is a first-class photographer and the overall picture is beautiful, I couldn’t get past the unattractive red craters on my face. After that, vanity trumped my  green sensibilities and I went looking for zit blasting ointments, but I soon found that these can actually make the situation worse.

According to WebMD, products containing benzoyl peroxide “can suck the moisture out of your skin and leave it looking red and irritated.” And if you feel the need to cover them up, as I do, it’s better to use mineral-based cosmetics that “contain added ingredients like silica, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide, which both absorb oil and hide redness without irritating skin and causing pimples.” OnePure offers eco-products that are also halal. (WebMD)

5. Don’t Scratch!

I recently dated a man I met on one of my adventures. It didn’t last long (maybe he didn’t like my complexion), but he taught me at least one valuable lesson: “hands and face do not go together.” I’ve developed this terrible habit of scratching my face either while I’m working or reading a book. This is absolutely the worst thing to do because one little zit pretty soon turns into a colony of them and now my face is covered in small scars that may never go away. Occasionally I apply Vitamin E oil to my face before I go to bed and it seems to make a huge difference, but it would be so much better to quit this habit all together.

Check out Miriam’s response to my “rueful” post: 5 Natural Ways to Keep Your Skin Beautiful

images via Earl53 and JavierPsilocybin 

More on Beauty and Skincare from the Middle East:

Grapes in Moisturizer are Sweet for Skin, Not Sour

Some Tips to Consider Before Buying Beauty Products

A First in Halal Beauty Products – One Pure

The post 5 Things to Avoid to Keep Your Complexion Beautiful appeared first on Green Prophet.

It is a well known fact that Muslims don’t drink alcohol. It is haram or not halal, which means forbidden. Muslims don’t eat foods or consume drinks with any kind of alcohol or ethanol, they don’t wear perfumes containing alcoholic ingredients and they stay away from all forms of intoxicating substances. Muslims in Dubai also don’t tolerate medical cannabis of any form, even harmless CBD oil. 

This abstinence from drugs and alcohol is a command from God, the law maker for Muslims’ health and environment. But why else is alcohol, and drugs in general, haram in Islam? Is biofuel haram? According to one leader in Saudi Arabia it is. Let’s take a look.

Alcohol in Islam

Linguistically, khamr (خمر) the Arabic word for “wine”, is alcohol derived from grapes. This is what is prohibited by specific texts of the Quran (see 5:90). Therefore alcohol is categorically unlawful (haraam) and considered impure (najis). Consuming any amount is unlawful, even if it doesn’t create any drunken effects. This is opposite to Judaism which consecrates its Sabbath every Friday night using alcohol specifically made from grapes.

But when we go back to Islam, the Prophet Muhammad of Islam said, “Intoxicants are from these two trees,” while pointing to grapevines and date-palms. Alcohol derived from dates or raisins is also prohibited, again regardless of the amount consumed.

At first, a general warning in the Quran was given to forbid Muslims from attending prayers while in a drunken state (Quran, 4:43). Then a later verse was revealed to Prophet Muhammad which said that while specifically alcohol had some medicinal benefits, the negative effects of it outweighed the good (Quran, 2:219).

Finally, “intoxicants and gambling” were called “abominations of Satan’s handiwork,” which warned people with self-consciousness to not turn away from God and forget about prayer, and Muslims were ordered to abstain (Quran, 5:90-91).

The Prophet Muhammad also instructed his companions to avoid any intoxicating substances (paraphrased), “if it intoxicates in a large amount, it is forbidden even in a small amount.” For this reason, most observant Muslims avoid alcohol in any form, even small amounts that are sometimes used in cooking.

6 reasons why Muslims don’t drink alcohol

1. Alcohol and prayer do not mix

Prayer (salat) is a fundamental part of the Muslim lifestyle, an obligatory call to God five times a day. A ritual eco “wudhu” (woo-dhoo) is necessary before the prayer which involves a water saving ablution to spiritually connect to environment, health and creation. The presence of alcohol in the same room does not affect the prayer, according to Islamic scholars, but anyone who drinks alcohol cannot pray for a month, unless he or she repents. Another obligation to Muslims is the annual Hajj or Haj pilgrimage, at least once in their lifetime. 

2. It’s addictive

Even when the early Muslims recognised alcohol for its medicinal uses, Prophet Muhammad likened the drink to a “disease”, saying there is no cure in things that God has forbidden. Like the first puff of a cigarette, it is up to individual will-power to continue or stop drinking. Nonetheless, some Muslims seek alcohol treatment.

Read More: Can Muslims drink mocktails?

3. Liquor clouds the intellect

Khamr also describes how alcohol consumption makes it difficult to differentiate between right and wrong. Muslim faith is founded on the intellect, rational thought and good judgement. Anything that could jeopardise this behaviour is forbidden, and another reason why Muslims don’t drink.

4. It gives the wrong message to children

Sitting in a restaurant where alcohol is served is not the same as drinking it. This is why Islamic law has the flexibility to say if someone needs to sit in such a restaurant for a work meeting or because no other diners are available, he/she can, but should not sit at a table where alcohol is served.

Bars and environments where alcohol is served could lead to drinking and in the presence of children, it could teach them to explore drinking. Mature Muslim adults are role models and carry a message that you don’t have to drink to have a good time, to work or to socialise.

Classical and contemporary Islamic scholars have helped explain why an alcohol zone can be as bad as drinking itself,

“The difference between [prohibitions in environment] and [prohibitions related to the end goals] is that while both are forbidden, the former is considered lesser in weight because it is related to causes, whereas the latter is related to an actual forbidden act. Thus, sitting at the table, although not the same as drinking, could lead to it whereas drinking in itself is absolutely forbidden,” says Dr. Abdullah bin Bayyah from Suhaibwebb.

5. Alcohol makes one forget

Any intoxicating substance, whether it’s wine, beer, gin, whiskey or drugs, affects a person’s faculties and behaviour. The result is the same, and the Quran outlines that it is the intoxication-which makes one forgetful of God and prayer-that is harmful.

6. Alcohol can lead to crime

Think about the ridiculous things you might have done when drunk. Although a controversial statement, in Islam alcohol is viewed as the “key to every evil” (hadith), because of its close relation to creating or making criminal behaviour easier to commit. That isn’t an omission of the medicinal uses of alcohol, but to say that a prevention is better than a cure. Thus, the Quran explains, “in alcohol there is a great sin, and some benefits, but the sin outweighs its benefit.” (2:219).

Why Muslims don’t do drugs

All intoxicants were made haraam in Islam’s religious scripture at different times over a period of years. Over the years, the list of intoxicating substances has come to include more modern street drugs and the like. But some plants with intoxicating effects such as chewing khat in Yemen and cannabis have slipped into Islam. According to this site, the Muslim scholars are divided over khat, sometimes spelled ghat or gat:

“The three main positions on khat are that it is halal (permissible), makruh (detested or discouraged) or haraam (forbidden). It may be shown that each view has some support in the scholarly literature of Islam.

“Each was accepted by some members of the focus groups. Most of those who participated in the focus groups had a strong view on the correct position pursuant to Islam and this view influenced their decision to support or reject prohibition and to chew or not to chew khat.”

Islam prohibits the use of narcotics noting that “every intoxicant is haram (unlawful)”. Recreational drugs have become the social culture and despite religious prohibitions, Muslims are just as susceptible to cannabis (marijuana), hashish, and the supposedly herbal ‘hukkah‘ (a tobacco smoking pipe).

We suggest you speak to your local clerics about individual use because the use of these substances is not cut and dry. Nonetheless, this drug abuse is also haram, not to mention encouraging illegal drug trade and addiction.

Wine that’s halal?

Without side-sweeping the nutritional value to alcoholic beverages, we must accept that wine in particular is not completely “evil”. Wine contains coronary benefits and according to studies, decreases the risk of peptic ulcers.

Hippocrates recommended specific wines to disinfect wounds, and even the great Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir noted wine’s force for better digestion.

In the Quran is the promise of Paradise for people who conserve God’s laws on Earth and leave it as they found it, or better. This Paradise contains rivers of honey, milk and wine which does not intoxicate (see 47:15):

The description of the Paradise promised to the righteous is that in it are rivers of fresh water, rivers of milk that never changes in taste, rivers of wine delicious to drink, and rivers of pure honey. There they will ˹also˺ have all kinds of fruit, and forgiveness from their Lord. ˹Can they be˺ like those who will stay in the Fire forever, left to drink boiling water that will tear apart their insides?

Some great entrepreneurs took this verse from the Quran as inspiration, leading to the production of halal approved wines such as Halal Champ Wine, and Australia’s Patritti Wines of Dover Gardens, which was accredited by the Islamic Council in 2003.

According to a more lenient school of thought in Islam, creams and deodorants containing alcohol are alright to use as it is invariably a synthetic alcohol and not wine (khamr). In Saudi Arabia though, even fuel containing ethanol is getting the haram boot.

A contemporary fatwa (Islamic ruling) classified non-wine alcohol as permitted in external uses such as perfumes and soaps so long as it’s not used in vain or for intoxicating purposes. However, the main consensus is to religiously avoid it.  

Buying and selling wine in Islam

For Muslims, when something is made haraam, this means that thing is harmful to one’s health and contribution to the community. That also means Muslims aren’t supposed to encourage others to consume in any haraam, irrespective of who they are.

Dealing with the alcohol trade comes under the haraam category. The Prophet Muhammad forbade people from all actions related to the wine industry, including pressing wine, drinking it, serving it, selling it or buying it. This severity is to stop the expansion of harm caused by alcohol.

And above all, drinking is a lifestyle choice for socialising and enjoying food, a lifestyle that Muslims simply do not indulge in. That said, if you want to try a alcoholic summer drink, here are 10 mocktails for Muslims.

More on Muslim health issues:

Khitan – Circumcision Is Healthy For Muslim Sexuality
Lifestyle Poor for Abu Dhabi Women’s Health, Pregnancies, Babies
Egyptians Question the Health of Their Tap Water
If It’s Not Organic, It’s Not Halal (4 Ethical Zabiha Principles)

Updated March, 2023

The post Why Muslims don’t drink alcohol appeared first on Green Prophet.

Islam’s Zabiha method of slaughter came in the line of fire this year when Holland banned ritual slaughter. When one hears counter arguments from animal rights activists and even Muslims who live vegetarian lifestyles, the idea of killing another creature can seem unnecessary, cruel and inorganic, especially in a religious context. Yet, the Islamic faith recognises these concerns and answers them. Traditionally, Muslims carry out a meat Qurbaan (sacrifice) every year for the Eid-ul-Adha festival and slaughter animals for food using the zabiha method any other time.

What can Muslims eat? Why is pork prohibited? And what makes meat zabiha? In Islam’s holy scripture, the Quran, God tells people,

“Forbidden to you (for food) are dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which has been invoked the name of other than Allah [God], that which has been killed by strangling or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death, that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal, unless you are able to slaughter it (in due form).” (Quran, 5:3)

A Muslim’s Meat Is Always Zabiha
For Muslims, animal slaughter is a straight forward concept. Known in Islamic law as zabiha (ذبيحة‎), the word literally means ‘slaughter’ and goes hand-in-hand with animal welfare and moral purification.

Does Islam promote Animal rights?
Prophet Muhammad of Islam was a big advocator of animal rights. Popular narrations demonstrate how providing water to a thirsty dog, feeding a stray cat and guarding a bird’s nest of eggs are actions of merit. Like his predecessors, Prophets Moses and Jesus, Prophet Muhammad was a shepherd – of sheep – and thus trained in a preserving awareness to ‘guide’ his flock towards health and conservation.

When being asked about the importance of quenching the dog’s thirst, Prophet Muhammad told people, “every kind act to the animal is rewarded”.

He also told people,

“Do not overload them (animals), do not treat them badly, do not tie them and shoot them (tying with intent to kill)”. *Hadith mentioned in Imam Muslim.

Animal welfare in Islam is extended to the slaughter process. A sharp knife is required for a single, efficient cut and so the animal “does not feel pain”. Muslims believe animals are ‘alive’ like plants but they do not have a soul like humans. Animals are acutely aware of what’s going on around them. Thus, Prophet Muhammad showed a concern for emotional stability saying “do not kill one animal in front of the other, and do not kill the animal twice.” *Hadith mentioned in Imam Muslim, read more on Wikipedia.

How Muslims Slaughter Animals
When an animal is slaughtered following the zabiha method, only the windpipe and 4 blood vessels are cut with a single slice. For one school of thought in Islam, the gullet (oesophagus) must also be cut. The knife must reach the back of the throat and the head must remain intact. No other harm to the animal’s body is allowed, which was an animal concern by Princess Ali of Jordan in the run before Eid.

Animals chosen for Islamic Qurbaan, the Eid-ul-Adha sacrifice ending the Hajj pilgrimage, need extra checks. If an animal is blind, lame, deaf, disfigured through mutilation or unhealthy, it cannot be used for the sacrifice. The idea behind this is to follow the Abrahamic footsteps by giving up the best, strongest and healthiest meat to distribute amongst the poor.

The spinal cord is not cut and should not be damaged, otherwise the nerves leading to the heart may get severed causing the animal to go under cardiac arrest.

As the spinal cord remains intact, the heart is still beating, preventing stagnation and allowing a constant flow of blood from the body until death. Since blood is forbidden for consumption in Islam, it’s important to see that the blood is completely drained.

Ask any medical student and they will tell you blood is the carrier of germs and bacteria. Slitting an animal’s throat precisely and sharply emits most of the bacteria from the flow. This keeps the meat healthier and fresher for longer.

4 Ethical Zabiha Principles You Need To Know

1) Animal freedom and organic living

The animal that is going to be sacrificed should be raised to graze freely, treated well, given food and water on the day of slaughter. When brought forward, the animal needs to be kept calmed. Its eyes are covered and it is laid down on the ground. Typically, no other instruments or pressure is involved, and the event is not shown to other animals. Organic Muslim butchers from America, Mercy Halal, have filmed Islam’s zabiha method quite stunningly on their farm. The second video showing the actual slaughter is graphic.

2) Animals allowed in Islamic law

Muslims only eat animals that are herbivores, leading a vegetarian life. Animals shot, killed by accident, birds of prey, pork and porcine substances and roadkill are not halal. Pork in particular is forbidden for major health reasons; while the animal itself is seen as a creature of God, it will eat practically anything put in front of it including excrement and is a carrier of many diseases. Amongst the animals Islam permits for slaughter are: cattle – cows, buffalo, poultry – chicken, pigeons, duck and others, deer, goats, sheep, rabbits. Fish are halal by default.

3) Sanitised sharp tools

The knife intended for the slaughter needs to be sterile and for no irritation, sharpened, but not in front of the animal. Gloves are recommended, as well as a clean workspace with access to water.

4) A Muslim prayer before slaughter

Before slaughtering the animal, Islam asks for the person performing it to be a mature Muslim, and to read a prayer in God’s name, saying “Bismillah” (in the name of God) and “Allahu akbar” (God is Greater). Without the “bismillah”, the animal is not halal for eating.

Do Animals Feel Pain?
One of the major reasons for vegetarianism from the eco-Rabbi and arguments heard from animal rights campaigners is the view that animals feel pain, and as another species, should not be killed without need. Islam holds the view that while animals do feel pain and need loving treatment, the zabiha method does not tolerate any unecessary pain or fear.

For correct slaughter, it is the blood vessels in the animals’ throat that are cut, along with the nerves responsible for pain. Due to a gush of blood, the animal’s muscles contract and relax. When done properly, there is no pain involved in zabiha slaughter. The animal is not writhing in pain, it is simply dying a painless death.

Zabiha Meat – But It Is Halal?
In a nutshell, ‘zabiha’ is the name given to the method of slaughtering an animal by a believer reading a prayer in God’s name. But halal (حلال‎) is the description for products that are permissible by God and which include people’s welfare. Therefore, halal products are also healthy, sustainable and good for you.

A table format breaks down the zabiha method on Green Zabiha, organic and halal meat farmers in America.

In many areas of the less developed world where Muslims are the dominant population, one will find animals being injected with an infamous hormone to fatten them up. DES, Diacecerol Beseserol, is used by farmers to quicken the muscle growth and get more sales for the zabiha flesh. This meat is haram.

Additional preservatives and electrical stunning affect the nervous system of the animal, which Halal Monitoring Committee explains, would also not be considered halal. Figures suggest as high as 80% of worldwide meat is injected with hormones and according to European Union’s Scientific Committee, artificial growth hormones in meat pose a potential risk to human’s health and reproductive system, Sustainable Table reports.

All carginogenic hormones injected into animals – even if slaughtered by the zabiha method, make the animal haram.

The animal is zabiha, but it’s not halal.

What a Muslim Vegetarian Looks Like
Islam does not compel its followers to eat meat. A Muslim can be a great believer and remain a pure vegetarian. But God has given Muslims permission to eat non-vegan food (meat, dairy products, fish, poultry). In the Quran it says, “…Lawful for you are the animals of grazing livestock except for that which is recited to you [in this Qur’an]…” (Chapter 5, verse 1). The Quran also says there are “numerous benefits” to eating meat, which is why most Muslims browse the worldwide restaurant guide Zabiha.com to enjoy a good burger, halal hot-dog and lamb kebab.

Indian Muslim scholar and public speaker Dr Zakir Naik, writes in his book, Non-Vegetarian Food, Permitted or Prohibited for Human Beings?, about the health benefits to the Islamic method of slaughter,

“If the Islamic guidelines are followed and slaughter is done through the Islamic method of Zabiha, blood is removed, hormones are not given, the food is cooked well, hygienic conditions are developed and pork is avoided; most of the (carried) diseases can be prevented.” – Dr Zakir Naik.

More on green halal lifestyles:
10 Easy Ways To Eat More Halal
ARC To Revive Faith In Food
7 Tips for a Sustainable Eid-ul-Adha Festival
Interview With Green Hajj Expert Dr Husna Ahmed

The post If It’s Not Organic, It’s Not Halal (4 Ethical Zabiha Principles) appeared first on Green Prophet.