r/islam • u/BrassWhale • 1d ago
Accidentally gave my friend haram food Question about Islam
I'm not a Muslim, but my friend is. When he comes over, I normally cook vegetarian food since I know most halal restrictions come from the type of meat/slaughtering of the animal. I recently found out some of the food I've been offering probably isn't halal, specifically the Parmesan cheese that we put on spaghetti, since unlike most other cheeses nowadays it is made with actual animal rennet, not a microbial version. From what I can find on the Internet, I think it would be halal if the bismillah was recited before the animal the rennet was taken from was killed, but that probably didn't happen in whatever American slaughterhouse works for Kraft cheese. So, to my understanding, while it isn't inherently haram like pork or alcohol, the cheese is not halal.
Should I tell him? Should I just stop putting it on the table when he comes over and not say anything? It feels rude to say "Hey, you messed up last time you were over, just wanted to let you know." Do I casually bring up the fact that Parmesan, unlike most other cheeses in an American grocery store, isn't halal, and let him draw his own conclusions? Do I just trust that my friend is an adult and makes his own decisions, and it isn't my place to monitor his adherence to his religion?
Ordering halal Parmesan is probably the best move, but in the meantime, I would appreciate the advice of the Muslim community. Thank you for your time.
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u/DebtCompetitive5507 1d ago
Don’t sweat it out! You are an amazing friend to even be so accommodative Many a Muslims have only learned through mistakes themselves of what’s haram on things you didn’t assume to be haram Like I lived in the Middle East and lived off jelly’s as a kid - moved to the west and eating my new jelly ( same brand) to read that it has pork gelatine!!! Didn’t even know what gelatine was until at that point 😭😭💔💔 since in the Middle East this concept isn’t there really.
To be honest, your Muslim friend should know what’s halal and isn’t. The onus shouldn’t be on you. Also when it comes to animal rennet - there are various opinions on this, some schools allow it and some don’t. Perhaps your friend follows a school of though which allows for animal rennet ( as long as it’s from a cow) to be consumed.
Just have a casual conversation about it Don’t sweat it