What does Halal even mean?

For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the term "halal", the direct translation from Arabic is basically, "permissible" or "lawful". The opposite of halal is haraam, or that which is unlawful or impermissible. In the States, most non-Muslims hear the word "halal" in relation to food. A lot of people perceive it to be a dietary restriction like keeping kosher or being vegan. And at it's most basic and simplistic level, it is a dietary restriction, it's also so much more.

So that's the narrow topic we're going to discuss today. But know, that halal can be anything that is permitted in Islam. Halal with regard to food, it refers to what we as Muslims can eat and what ingredients can be included in our meals. Often times, people think that halal only pertains to a way that an animal is slaughtered. But in truth, halal guidelines apply to the entire lifecycle of an animal. For meat to be considered halal, the animal must have been treated kindly and given clean and appropriate living conditions. Abused‚ underfed or otherwise mistreated animals cannot be killed for halal meat. Basically, #halal was #ethicalmeat before ethical meat was on trend. . . In a world where factory farms are the norm and the treatment of animals can be so horrendous; it's important for our family to raise animals in a halal way. For us, homesteading is about being more self-sufficient and ensuring that we're feeding our family the most ethically raised and highest quality food available.

So as we build our homestead, our foundational operating principles are grounded in halal methodologies. . . Still have questions about halal? Send them my way. I'm not a scholar but I'll do my best to answer them. .