skills/sistani-guidance/references/books/west/pages-097-108.md

# A Code of Practice for Muslims in the West

PDF pages 97 to 108. Physical PDF numbering, not inferred printed labels.

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Previous block: [pages 85 to 96](pages-085-096.md).

Next block: [pages 109 to 120](pages-109-120.md).

## PDF PAGE 97

```text
..……………………………………………… ٧٩A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
(a) The fish must have scales on it. [That is, it should not be a
skin fish.]
(b)The Muslim should be certain or satisfied that the fish has
come out of the water alive or that it died while it was already
in the fishing net.
It is not necessary for the fisherman to be a Muslim or to utter
the name of Allah for the fish to become halal. So, if a non-
Muslim catches a fish and brings it alive from the water or it
dies after getting caught in his fishing net or fishing line, and it
has scales on it, it is permissible to eat.
A Muslim can ascertain the first condition by examining the
fish if it is being displayed or by observing its name [which can
tell you whether it is a skin fish or a scale fish] as long as you
can trust the authenticity of the label. A list of scale fish has
been appended at the end of this book.
The second condition is fulfilled in almost all the countries, as
they say, because the universal method in fishing ensures that
the fish comes out of the water alive or they die after they are
caught in the fishing net. Based on this, it is permissible to eat
the fish that one gets from a non-Muslim just as one gets from
a Muslim, irrespective of whether it is canned or uncanned.
(See the question-answer section below.)
It is permissible to eat shrimps, if they are brought out of the
water alive. It is forbidden to eat frogs, lobsters, turtles, every
amphibious animal, snails, and crayfish. (See the question-
answer section below.)
```

## PDF PAGE 98

```text
..……………………………………………… ٨٩A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
The law concerning eggs of fish follows the fish itself: the eggs
of a halal fish are permissible to eat and those of a haram one
are forbidden.
Some experts of fisheries say that scaleless fish mostly feed
upon the waste of the sea and are in a way purifier of the filth,
the squalor and the garbage of the sea.
It is forbidden to drink wine, beer, and everything that causes
intoxication or drunkenness in solid or liquid form. Almighty
Allah says in the Qur’an: “O you who believe! Intoxicants and
games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and
(dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the Shatan’s
work; shun it therefore that you may be successful.” (٠٩:٥- )١٩
Our noble Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said, “One who drinks
intoxicants after Allah has made them haram by my statement
is not worthy of marriage [to your daughter] if he proposes to
her, or of intercession when he asks for a good word, or of any
credibility when he speaks, or of being entrusted with
anything.”  )١( ١
In another hadith, he says, “Allah has accursed alcohol, its
growers, those who squeeze it [from the grapes], its drinkers,
its servers, its buyers, its sellers, those who live on its income,
its transporter, and the one to whom it is being transported.”  )٢(٢
 ١Al-Kulayni, Muhammad bin Ya'qûb, Furû'u 'l-Kafi, vol.  ,٦p.
 .٦٩٣
 ٢As-Sadûq, Man La Yahdhurhu 'l-Faqih, vol.  ,٤p.  .٤
```

## PDF PAGE 99

```text
..……………………………………………… ٩٩A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
There are many more ahadith you will find in books of hadith
and jurisprudence.  )٣( ١
It is haram to eat at the table on which alcohol or any other
intoxicants are being consumed. Based on obligatory
precaution, it is haram to even sit at such a table. (See the
question-answer section below.)
It is permissible for a Muslim to go to places where wine is
being served with the food, provided that it does not lead to
promotion of those restaurants. However, he cannot eat from
the table on which wine is being consumed and should not,
based on obligatory precaution, sit at that table. There is no
problem though, in sitting at a table near the table on which
wine is being consumed.
It has been mentioned in Chapter Three, Part One that all kinds
of alcohol whether derived from wood or other sources are
pure (tahir). Therefore, the food in whose preparation alcohol
was used is tahir; the liquids in which it has been dissolved are
also tahir. (See the question-answer section below.)
It is haram to use anything that causes serious harm to the
human being like taking poison. It is also haram for a pregnant
woman to drink something that would cause miscarriage.
Similarly, anything that is known to be harmful or supposed to
be harmful or has the probability of harm [is also haram], if
that probability is considerable in the views of sensible people
 ١See Furû'u 'l-Kafi, vol.  ,٦p.  .٦٩٣
```

## PDF PAGE 100

```text
..……………………………………………… ٠٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
and that harm is serious enough to cause death or to disable a
limb of the body.
There is certain etiquette to be observed at the dining table.
Starting with the name of Allah; eating with the right hand;
making small morsels; sitting longer at the table; chewing the
food well; thanking Allah after the food; washing the fruits and
vegetables before eating; not eating after satisfying the
appetite; not over eating; not looking at the faces of others
while eating; not taking away the food from others who are
sitting at the table; and tasting the salt at the beginning and the
end of the dinner.
```

## PDF PAGE 101

```text
..……………………………………………… ١٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
Question and Answers
Question: On the package of meat that is produced in Muslim
countries by non-Muslim companies, it says, “slaughtered
according to Islamic laws”. Are we allowed to eat that meat?
Can we eat that meat, if it comes from Muslim companies in
non-Muslim countries? And what is the ruling, if the source is
non-Muslim company from a non-Muslim country?
Answer: The writing [on the package] has no value at all. If
the producer is a Muslim or it was produced in a place where
Muslims are in the majority and it is not known that the
producer is a non-Muslim, then it is permissible to eat it.
But if the producer is a non-Muslim or it was produced in a
place where Muslims are not in the majority and it is not
known that the producer is Muslim, then it is not permissible to
eat it.
Question: We enter some super markets in Europe and find
meat in tin containers produced by a European company with
the writing on the package that conveys the sense of it being
“halal” or “slaughtered according to Islamic laws”. Is it
permissible to buy and eat such meat?
Answer: The writing [on the package] has no value if it does
not lead to certainty [that it is actually halal].
Question: Meat companies slaughter a large number of
chickens at one time [that is, simultaneously]. Now if the
```

## PDF PAGE 102

```text
..……………………………………………… ٢٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
person running the slaughtering machine is a Muslim, who
says takbir and says the name of Allah only once at the time of
slaughtering all the chicken [simultaneously], is it permissible
for us to eat those chickens? If we have doubt about these
chickens being halal, can we [ignore that doubt and] eat them
and consider them pure (tahir)?
Answer: If he repeats the name of Allah as long as the
machine is continuing to slaughter, it is sufficient. In the event
of doubt about its being halal (a doubt which arises concerning
the mentioning of the name of Allah), it can be considered pure
and be consumed.
Question: Is it permissible to buy meat thinking that it is
slaughtered according to Islamic laws from a super-market
owned by a Muslim who [also] sells alcoholic drinks?
Answer: Yes, it is permissible; and it is halal to eat, even if it
previously came from a non-Muslim as long as there is a
likelihood that the shopkeeper has ascertained that it was
slaughtered according to the shari‘a laws; but not if there is no
such likelihood.
Question: Some of the cheese manufactured in non-Muslim
countries contain rennet extracted from the calf or other
animals. We do not know whether the rennet was taken from
the animal that was slaughtered according to Islamic laws;
neither do we know that it has transformed into something else.
So is it permissible to eat such cheese?
```

## PDF PAGE 103

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..……………………………………………… ٣٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
Answer: There is no problem in eating such cheese.
Question: Gelatin is used in a number of drinks and food
items in the West. We do not know that gelatin has been
extracted from a vegetable or an animal source; and that if it is
from an animal, is it from its bones or from the tissues around
the bones; neither do we know if the animal was one that is
halal for us or haram. Are we allowed to eat such gelatin?
Answer: It is permissible to eat if the doubt is whether it has
been extracted from an animal or vegetable. But, if it is known
that it was derived from an animal, then it is not permissible to
eat without ascertaining that the animal was slaughtered
according to shari‘a. This prohibition applies, as a matter of
obligatory precaution, even if it was extracted from animal
bones.
Of course, if a chemical change occurs in the original
ingredients during the process of manufacturing the gelatin,
there is no problem at all in eating it. Similarly, even if one has
doubt whether the animal was slaughtered Islamically or not,
still there is no problem in adding the gelatin [made from that
animal] to the food in such a minute amont that it is completely
absorbed in it.
Question: Commercial fishing vessels place their huge nets [in
the sea] and catch tons of fish which are then sold in the
markets. It is well known that modern methods of fishing are
based on catching the fish alive, and that the fishermen throw
the dead fish back into the water for fear of contamination.
Therefore, is it permissible for us to buy such fish in the
```

## PDF PAGE 104

```text
..……………………………………………… ٤٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
markets of non-Muslims? Is it permissible for us to buy such
fish from Muslims who are not considerate of religious laws?
In both the cases to ascertain that this particular fish in front of
me was taken out of the water alive, should seek the advice of
an expert and reliable witness to testify to that fact which may
prove difficult, impractical, and unrealistic.
So, is there a solution for practicing Muslims who face
difficulty in ascertaining whether or not the meat of chicken,
cow or sheep is halal, and therefore take to eating fish instead?
Answer: There is no problem in buying it from Muslims or
non-Muslims; as there is no problem in eating it, if they are
satisfied that the fish was caught by the method mentioned
above and that it belongs to the category of scale fish.
Question: At times we find the name or picture of fish on the
cans and come to know that the fish is a scale fish. So, is it
permissible for us to rely on the name or the picture in
determining the category of fish, knowing well that a wrong
statement of this kind would put the manufacturers in great loss
or even more serious [situation] than just a loss?
Answer: If one is satisfied it is the truth, it is permissible to act
upon it.
Question: Is it permissible to eat lobster, in all its varieties, by
following the pattern of shrimp?
Answer: It is not permissible to eat lobster.
```

## PDF PAGE 105

```text
..……………………………………………… ٥٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
Question: Is it permissible to buy a fish from a Muslim who is
not a Shi‘a while we have no knowledge whether it is from the
category of scale fish or not?
Answer: It is permissible to buy it but one cannot eat it unless
he makes sure that it is from the category of scale fish.
Question: Is it permissible to eat halal food which has been
steam cooked with the steam of meat not slaughtered according
to Islamic laws?
Answer: It is not permissible since the food, as mentioned in
the question, will be considered impure (najis) because of
coming into contact with the wet parts from the steam of the
impure meat.
Question: If wine is served at a table, it is haram for a
Muslim to sit at that table. What is meant by “table”? Does this
apply to the entire group [that has gone to the restaurant and
some are being served alcohol] even if the tables are more than
one? Or does it only apply to one table [and not the group], in
the sense that if there are two separate tables, it would be
permissible to sit [at the table on which alcohol is not being
served, even if they are part of the same company]?
Answer: The criterion is one table. However, one should know
that the prohibition of sitting at a table on which wine or
intoxicant drinks are being served is based on precaution; of
course, eating and drinking at that table is haram based on
obligatory precaution.
```

## PDF PAGE 106

```text
..……………………………………………… ٦٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
Question: A Muslim enters a café and sits down at a table to
drink tea, then a stranger comes at the same table to drink
wine. Is it obligatory upon the Muslim to stop drinking tea and
leave?
Answer: Yes, as mentioned earlier, it is obligatory to move
away from that table.
Question: Is it permissible to drink beer that says “alcohol
free” on it?
Answer: It is not permissible to drink, if “beer” means the
drink made from barley that causes mild drunkenness. But if it
means a drink made from barley that does not cause mild
drunkenness, there is no problem in it.
Question: Alcohol is used in the production of many drugs
and medications: Is it permissible to take them? Are they
considered pure (tahir)?
Answer: They are pure; and since the alcohol used in them is
so minute that it dissolves in them, it is therefore permissible to
take them also.
Question: There is this vinegar that is made from wine, in the
sense that it was wine and then, through a manufacturing
process, changed into vinegar. Therefore, the label on the
bottle reads: “wine vinegar” as opposed to the vinegar made
from barley or other items. One of the signs [of differentiating
between “wine vinegar” and the wine itself is that] the bottles
```

## PDF PAGE 107

```text
..……………………………………………… ٧٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
of this vinegar are displayed in the area of vinegar, and it has
never happened that these bottles are placed on the shelves of
wines. Moreover, there is no difference between such vinegar
and the vinegar made from dates for example. So, can this wine
which has turned into vinegar be considered vinegar under the
rule of change (istihalah)?
Answer: If the name “vinegar” can be applied in the view of
common people upon that product, as has been assumed in the
question, the same rule governing vinegar would apply to it.
[That is, it is pure as well as permissible.]
Question: The manufacturers of food and sweets as well as of
the food packed in cans are required to mention the ingredients
of the items being sold. To prevent the food from going bad,
manufacturers add preservatives to them; these preservatives
could be from animal source and are listed by alphabetical
codes like “E” alongside a number like “E  ”٠٥٤or “E  ”,٢٧٤
etc. What is the ruling in the following situations?
When one does not know the origin of these preservatives?
If one sees a list issued by those who have no idea of the rule
of chemical transformation (istihalah: a purifying agent) that
says that the items described by so and so alphabet and/or
number are forbidden because they come from animal source?
When one does preliminary research and is satisfied that the
preservative agent does not retain its original form but
```

## PDF PAGE 108

```text
..……………………………………………… ٨٠١A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
transforms in characteristics and changes into another
substance?
Answer:
It is permissible to eat the food containing those preservatives.
If it is not ascertained that it is from an animal source —even if
such a claim is made— it is permissible to eat it. Similarly, [it
is permissible] if it is ascertained that [it is from an animal
source] but one is uncertain whether it comes from an impure
mayta and that its amount mixed in the food stuff is so minute
that it is completely absorbed in it in the view of common
people.
There is no problem in applying the rule of purity and
permissibility whenever the chemical change is proved in the
form that it transforms into another substance and in the view
of common people nothing of the original substance remains.
Question: It is requested of you to answer the following two
questions:
In itself is gelatin considered pure (tahir)?
If we have doubt whether or not istihala (chemical change) has
occurred [in the process of manufacturing the gelatin] because
of uncertainty about the concept and the extent of applying the
rule of istihala, do we extend the previous knowledge
(istishab) that gelatin is still impure?
```