Meaning & use
halal
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparablereligion
Allowed under Islamic law, especially describing meat that has been prepared and slaughtered in the required way.
Grammar: Either before a noun or after be: halal meat, the chicken is halal.
Patterns
- halal food
- be certified halal
The restaurant serves only halal meat.
Is this cheese halal, or does it contain animal rennet?
They looked for a halal butcher near their new apartment.
adjectivenot comparablereligion
Lawful and morally acceptable according to Islam, covering behavior, work and business as well as food.
Grammar: Used about actions and earnings: halal income.
Patterns
- halal income
- halal way of life
He wanted a halal source of income, so he avoided lending at interest.
The scholar explained which business deals are halal.
noununcountableinformal
Meat or food that meets Islamic rules, or the system of such rules.
Grammar: Often used without a: they only eat halal.
Patterns
- eat halal
- buy halal
The cafeteria now offers halal every day.
She buys halal from a shop on the corner.
Common combinations
- halal meat
- Halal meat is sold at most large supermarkets here.
- halal certified
- The snack bars are halal certified.
- halal butcher
- A halal butcher opened on Elm Street.
- halal food
- Airlines can provide halal food on request.
- strictly halal
- The kitchen is strictly halal and never uses alcohol.
Synonyms and how they differ
- permissible
- Permissible means allowed in a general sense, while halal refers specifically to what Islamic law allows.
- lawful
- Lawful can mean legal under any law, but halal carries a religious meaning.
- kosher
- Kosher is the Jewish equivalent and has its own separate rules, so the two words are not interchangeable.
Opposites
Word family
- haram adjective
- forbidden under Islamic law
- halal-certified adjective
- officially checked as meeting the rules
- halalness noun
- the state of being halal, a rare word
Commonly confused: halal or kosher?
halal vs kosher
Kosher describes food that meets Jewish dietary law, whereas halal follows Islamic law, although some rules look similar.
Practice
A traveler wants to eat meat prepared according to Islamic rules. What should they ask for?
Choose one answer.
Halal is the term for food allowed in Islam. Kosher is the Jewish term, and organic or free-range describe farming methods, not religious rules.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “halal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.