Does every product require a ‘Halal Certification’?

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

May Allah, Most High, reward you for your desire to increase in knowledge.

As a general rule, you should stick to this Hadith:

“leave that what gives you doubt for that which does not give you doubt.”

(Tirmidhi, al-Sunan)

And this juristic principle:

 “The normative rule for all things is that they are permissible until a sign/proof of impermissibility appears” (Zuhayli, Qawaid al-Fiqhiyya)

If a packaged product does not have any signs of impermissibility, there is no obligation on you to think about whether it has been contaminated or if it contains hidden ingredients.

If your heart tells you that this product could be doubtful, then leaving it would not be necessary but rather from scrupulousness and piety.

Muhammad al Baqir said: There is no better act of worship than being scrupulous in regards to one’s food….”

(Habib Zayn bin Sumayt, al-Manhaj as-Sawi)

And Allah alone knows best,

[Ustadh] Omar Popal

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani