Gift suggestion

mikibell thought this was worth mentioning said Fri, Jul 17th 2015 at 3:33pm ET

I know we don't typically bring religious topic up in the forums, and @jont if you feel this is inappropriate, please delete.. I need a suggestion for a reciprocal gift for a neighbor who quite often sends us food. I mean LOTS of food -- platters of food. I know that they are having financial issues, but I cannot refuse the food:

1.) because it is REALLY good,
2.) they are very nice people and like to share.

I believe they observe Halal regulations. Would me sending them food even pass Halal? Ramadan ended today, and I would like to give them something. I have fresh veggies from the garden. I love to bake, etc. I am afraid of the meat restrictions. Hellpppp!!

2 comments, 3 replies
Comment

Pamtha said Fri, Jul 17th 2015 at 4:32pm ET:

You got my curiosity up - I googled it and found this: http://library.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=showfatwa&Option=FatwaId&Id=81625 and this one is great for saying what is & is not
https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~facilities/documents/GuidetoHalalFoods.pdf

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- @Pamtha Thank you..I tried googling it but must not have had the right terms. I suspected that was true about the gifting of food. I even knew most of the don'ts-- didn't know about vanilla, but it makes sense once I considered it. Sure enough though, my doorbell rang and a platter of kabobs and naan were awaiting.. I gave them squash and jalapenos from the garden.
  
  mikibell said Fri, Jul 17th 2015 at 5:25pm ET
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Pavlov said Fri, Jul 17th 2015 at 8:28pm ET:
Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life but this will be limited to food products, meat products, food ingredients, and food contact materials.

While many things are clearly halal or haram, there are some things which are not clear. Further information is needed to categorize them as halal or haram. Such items are often referred to as mashbooh, which means doubtful or questionable.

All foods are considered halal except the following sources:
- Swine/Pork and its by-products
- Animals NOT properly slaughtered according to Islamic method or dead before slaughtering
  - Alcoholic drinks and intoxicants
  - Carnivorous animals and birds of prey
  - Blood and blood by-products
  - Foods contaminated with any materials from above categories
  - Foods containing ingredients such as gelatin, enzymes, emulsifiers, and flavors are questionable (mashbooh), because the origin of these ingredients or components there of, may be haram.
Meat and poultry should be processed according to Islamic requirements. This is commonly referred to as Zabiha or Dhabiha. Zabiha refers to slaughtering of an animal or bird by a Muslim according to Islamic requirements. In USA and Canada, Halal meat must also meet all federal and/or state meat inspection laws before it can be sold. The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) (www.ifanca.org) is the leading halal-certifying organization in the United States. Products certified by IFANCA normally display the registered Crescent-M service mark on the label.
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- @Pavlov I really hope I get to meet you someday, because you're such a fascinating person online.
  
  dashcloud said Fri, Jul 17th 2015 at 8:49pm ET
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- @dashcloud I easily hold my own at parties. And occasionally others as I'm so inclined. I'm still hoping for regional / national Meh gatherings someday - we'll see.
  
  Pavlov said Fri, Jul 17th 2015 at 9:00pm ET
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