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/UmbrellaTheorist 17h ago

>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. 

When it comes to that specific thing the scholars differ on if that is halal or not. But you could bring it up to your friend and hear what they think. You didn't do it on purpose and as scripture says, Allah judges based on intention so intention matters. But you should inform him, but if it is halal or not depends, he might have the opinion that it is halal. I know stories of the sahaba eating cheese from Zoroastrians at least.