termPage.definition
That which the Sharī‘ah has permitted. In broader usage, it includes the merely permitted (mubāḥ), the recommended (mustaḥabb), and the obligatory (wājib) — i.e. anything not forbidden.
termPage.pronunciation ḥa-LĀL
termPage.etymologyHeading
From the root ح-ل-ل (ḥ-l-l), meaning 'to untie, to release.' Ḥalāl is what has been released from the bonds of prohibition.
termPage.usageInQuran
'O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth that is lawful and good.' (al-Baqarah 2:168)
termPage.scholarlyNotes
The default in worldly affairs (food, drink, clothing, transactions) is permissibility — until evidence prohibits. The default in worship is the opposite: nothing is legislated except by evidence.
termPage.practicalApplication
Verify the source of income, food, and entertainment. Even small persistent ḥarām earnings affect the answering of du‘ā'.
Mentioned in articles
In classical books
The Four Principles (Al-Qawa'id al-Arba')
Chapter: Third Principle — The Prophet ﷺ Fought All Categories of Worshippers
The Conditions of La ilaha illa Allah
Kitab at-Tawheed
Chapter: Chapter 1 — Tawheed (The Oneness of Allah)
Al-‘Aqeedah al-Wasitiyyah
Chapter: Belief in Allah — His Names and Attributes
Search across the corpus
termPage.relatedTerms
termPage.moreFrom
Major ritual purification — full body washing.
Permissible — neither commanded nor forbidden.
Pilgrimage to Makkah — fifth pillar of Islam.
The minimum wealth threshold making zakāh obligatory.
Fasting — fourth pillar of Islam.
Analogical reasoning in fiqh.