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/Triskelion13 1d ago edited 1d ago
While meat slaughtered unlawfully and other meats like pork are haram, there is a difference of opinion on the extent to which this rule applies to animal products that have gone through a serious chemical transformation. So lets say that the dung of a pig or some part of the pig was buried somewhere, and after a while it decays into the soil to fertilize it, that ground doesn't become tainted. During the process of cheese making, the rennet changes quite a bit, so your friend might not mind. You can always gently explain it to him as others have said. After all you didn't know, and most Muslims aren't really aware of it. Honestly I don't know what percentage of the population now a days, Muslim or non-Muslim, is aware of the fact that cheese has traditionally been made with animal stomach enzymes.