Allah means God.
Muslims use the word. Allah is “the God,”.
When translating Arabic expressions; translate all the words for consistency. The translation of “Allahu Akbar,” for example, would be “God is greater,” or “God is Great” not “Allah is greater.”

Muslims are followers of Islam, one of the three Abrahamic faiths, along with Christianity and Judaism. Islam has members around the world and, like Christianity; most of its members are peaceful, law-abiding citizens who worship the one God. Muslims believe Mohammed to be the final Messenger of God. His message is a universal one and is the culmination of the teaching of all earlier prophets such as Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac and David. Also, as with Christianity and other faith traditions throughout history, its teachings have been used by some people to justify violence.

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. In reference to food, it is the dietary standard, as prescribed in the Qur’an (the Muslim scripture). The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life. These terms are commonly used in relation to food products, meat products, cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and food contact materials and others.

Islam places great emphasis in the way in which an animal’s life ends, which has to be in accordance with Islamic regulations. Life is a sacred blessing of God to creation, animals as well as humans.
If the life of an animal has to be ended for human survival, then its life should only be taken in the name of God. Hence, the phrase bismillah (‘in the name of God’) must be uttered just before slaughtering an animal.
Muslims cannot consume the meat of animals that are sacrificed in a name other than God. Any animal slaughtered in the name of a person alive or dead, any deity or idol will be considered as haram and therefore it is not permissible for Muslims to consume that meat.

In the meat and poultry food industry, animals such as cows, veal, lamb, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, ducks, game birds, bison, venison, etc; are considered halal, but they must be slaughtered and prepared according to Islamic laws in order for their meat to be suitable for consumption (see below).

Fish and seafood (with the exception of crocodiles, alligators and frogs) are generally acceptable for Muslims but as always check first, as there may be a personal dietary preference or allergy. The preparation of the fish or seafood should not include alcohol (ie batter or wine, or anything considered haram).

In general every food is considered halal in Islam unless it is specially prohibited by the Qur’an or the Hadith . By official definition, halal foods are those that are:

Free from any component that Muslims are prohibited from consuming according to Islamic law (Shariah).
Processed, made, produced, manufactured and/or stored using utensils, equipment and/or machinery that have been cleansed according to Islamic law.
Muslims eat to maintain a strong and healthy physique in order to be able to contribute their knowledge and effort for the welfare of the society. Muslims are supposed to make an effort to obtain the best quality nutritionally. It is mentioned in a Hadith that the prayer of a person is rejected by Allah if the food consumed is prohibited (haram).

The leader of prayer at a mosque is usually called an Imam. He might also be called a Sheikh [scholar/person of Islamic knowledge]. One of an Imam’s responsibilities is to give sermons on Friday, the holiest day of the typical Islamic week. To journalists, an Imam can be an important local community leader and a good source of information about local Muslims.

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

In cases of necessity, prohibited things may become permissible (Halal) for the duration of the emergency or need, as Islam puts a priority on life over death. Refer to Qur’an at Chapter 2:173 (Al Baqarah).

Halal products are derived from animals and/or poultry that have been prepared according to Islamic law under the following statement, “In the name of God – God is the Greatest/Bismillahi Allahu Akbar”.

Halal products and production are properly separated and clearly identified from non-halal products.