Sura 5:3 "Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety.

Sura 5:5 "This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them."

This brings us to Halal food. "Halal" is the Arabic word for "permitted." Halal is commonly seen as "Halal food" which means food that is permitted under Islamic guidelines as found in the Qu'ran. According to these guidelines gathered from the Qu'ran, Muslim followers cannot consume the following: pork or pork by products, animals that were dead prior to slaughtering, animals not slaughtered properly or not slaughtered in the name of Allah, blood and blood by products, alcohol, carnivorous animals, birds of prey and land animals without external ears.

These prohibited foods and ingredients are called haram, meaning forbidden in Arabic.

Muslims are taught through the Qu'ran that all animals should be treated with respect and well cared for. The goal is to slaughter the animal, limiting the amount of pain the animal will endure.

When an animal is slaughtered, the jugular vein is cut and the blood is allowed to drain from the animal. Remember, Muslims are prohibited from consuming animal blood.*