Food in Makkah and Madinah – halal or haram???

Saudi is a Muslim country, so, of course, you must be thinking, the food in Makkah and Madinah has to be halal.

It may take you by surprise, that a lot of the chicken and meat around the holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah is imported from South America and Australia. Whilst one should refrain from labelling all meat imports as haram, one should equally be cautious in labelling them as halal. This is in light of the fraudulent practices that are unfortunately prevalent in the global halal sector. In this regard, this issue is not confined to Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, we are not fully aware of the structures that Saudi has in place to ensure halal standards on imported food. And within this, also comes the debate around the pre-stun and non-stun method of slaughtering.

So, next time you go to perform Umrah and a family member or friend says, ‘you are in Saudi Arabia, a Muslim country, there shouldn't be non-halal meat here, so it's pointless trying to find out, just say bismillah and eat’, a counter response to that would be that to somehow suggest that Saudi Arabia is an Islamic country and that this alone guarantees that the external halal supply chain is genuine, is rather idealistic.

Meat slaughtered in abattoirs within Saudi Arabia tends to be genuinely halal and is available at local Saudi meat shops. As for restaurants and fast-food chains, you need to find out from them whether their meat products are local or imported. Don’t ask them whether the meat is halal or haram, for this will offend them and fail to elicit a reasonable or valid response. Ask whether they cook ‘watani’ or local meat, or whether their meat products are imported. (Al-Baik, for example, clearly mention on their website that their chicken is sourced from Latin America).

Islam teaches us to avoid that which is doubtful and adopt that which is free of doubt. There are many food outlets that use locally sourced meat so it would be advisable to use these outlets. (Al Tazaj is known to use local meat and poultry – but do check when you go). Fish is always a safe bet, and vegetarian dishes are also always on offer in restaurants.

We travel to the holy cities to seek blessings, become closer to Allah and for our prayers to get accepted. One of the biggest drawbacks of eating haram is that our supplications are not accepted, which creates a dichotomy when one of our primary purposes of going for Umrah is for our prayers to be answered.

The Prophet Mohammad (Peace be Upon Him) said,’

“Allah the Almighty is pure and accepts only that which is pure. And verily Allah has commanded the believers to do that which He has commanded the Messengers. So, the Almighty has said: “O Messengers! Eat of the pure foods, and perform righteous deeds.” [23:51] and the Almighty has said: “O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you.” [2:172]” Then he (ﷺ) mentioned the case of a man who, having journeyed a long distance, is dishevelled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying “O Lord! O Lord!,” (in supplication) while his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can his supplication be answered?" [Muslim]

All in all, take precaution when purchasing food in Makkah and Madinah. Always ask whether or not the meat or chicken is ‘watani’ (locally slaughtered).