The word halal حلال is an Arabic word found in the religion of Islam’s holy book, The Quran, and closely translates to the English word “lawful”. Throughout The Quran, halal is mentioned in various surahs to notify the followers of Islam things Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala commanded as being lawful and good for the righteous.
Here are a few Quran verses mentioning the word halal (lawful).
O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
(Surah Al Baqarah, Ayah 168)
And eat of what Allāh has provided for you [which is] lawful and good. And fear Allāh, in whom you are believers.
(Surah Al Ma'idah, Ayah 88)
Then eat of what Allāh has provided for you [which is] lawful and good. And be grateful for the favor of Allāh, if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.
(Surah An Nahl, Ayah 114)
And here are some Quran verses specific to food Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala provides for His servants and that are good for His servants.
[He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allāh equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].
(Surah Al Baqarah, Ayah 22)
O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts. Lawful for you are the animals of grazing livestock except for that which is recited to you [in this Qur’ān] - hunting not being permitted while you are in the state of iḥrām. Indeed, Allāh ordains what He intends.
(Surah Al Ma'idah, Ayah 1)
And He it is who causes gardens to grow, [both] trellised and untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different [kinds of] food and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of [each of] its fruit when it yields and give its due [zakāh] on the day of its harvest. And be not excessive. Indeed, He does not like those who commit excess.
(Surah Al An'am, Ayah 141)
And indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give you drink from what is in their bellies - between excretion and blood - pure milk, palatable to drinkers.
(Surah An Nahl, Ayah 66)
The Quran also mentions foods Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala commands as being forbidden.
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
(Surah Al Baqarah, Ayah 173)
Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh, and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islām as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
(Surah Al Ma'idah, Ayah 3)
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
(Surah An Nahl, Ayah 115)