Are kosher foods considered to be halal?
The question of whether kosher foods are considered halal is addressed differently within Sunni and Shia scholarship, leading to distinct perspectives.
According to Sunni scholarship, as reflected in Tafsir Ibn Kathir, the general stance is that the food of the People of the Book, which includes Jews, is permissible for Muslims. This is supported by the verse: The food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you
5:5. Ibn Kathir explains that this permissibility refers primarily to the slaughtered animals of the People of the Book, and if they mention Allah's name at the time of slaughter, their meat is acceptable for Muslims. However, some scholars note restrictions based on specific practices of the Jews that may not align with Islamic dietary laws, particularly regarding the parts of the animal that are considered forbidden by Jewish law.
On the other hand, Shia scholarship, as reflected in Majma al-Bayan, concurs that the food of the People of the Book is lawful, but there are nuances in interpretation. The Shia perspective emphasizes that the permissibility applies specifically to those who adhere to the teachings of their respective scriptures and perform the slaughter in accordance with their laws. Thus, some Shia scholars assert that if kosher meat is slaughtered in a manner consistent with Islamic principles—such as invoking Allah's name—it can be considered halal.
In summary, both Sunni and Shia perspectives generally allow kosher food to be halal, provided it meets the necessary conditions, particularly regarding the invocation of Allah's name during slaughter and adherence to specific dietary rules. For a ruling that applies to your specific situation, consult a qualified local scholar.
Sources
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5:5 · Al-Maaida
5:5 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall
ٱلْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ ۖ وَطَعَامُ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ حِلٌّۭ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّۭ لَّهُمْ ۖ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَٰفِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىٓ أَخْدَانٍۢ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلْإِيمَٰنِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُۥ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ
This day are (all) good things made lawful for you. The food of those who have received the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And so are the virtuous women of the believers and the virtuous women of those who received the Scripture before you (lawful for you) when ye give them their marriage portions and live with them in honour, not in fornication, nor taking them as secret concubines. Whoso denieth the faith, his work is vain and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter.
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 5:5
Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 5:5
This verse begins by affirming what Allah has forbidden for His believing servants in terms of impure and harmful foods, followed by what He has permitted from pure and wholesome things. The words "Today, [all] good things have been made lawful for you" serve as an announcement of this permissibility. Then the verse mentions the ruling concerning the slaughtered animals of the People of the Book—that is, the Jews and Christians—stating, "and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you." Ibn Abbas, Abu Umamah, Mujahid, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, and others explain this specifically to mean their slaughtered animals. Scholars agree unanimously that the slaughtered meat of the People of the Book is lawful for Muslims because they believe in the prohibition of slaughtering for anyone other than Allah, and they invoke the name of Allah when they slaughter. Even if they harbor beliefs different from orthodox Islam, they refrain from explicitly accusing their slaughter of unlawfulness. This is supported by an authentic hadith narrated from Abdullah ibn Mughaffal, who recounted an incident from the Battle of Khaybar involving a portion of fatty meat that he did not wish to share that day; the Prophet ﷺ smiled at him in response. Jurists have used this hadith to permit that Muslims consume food acquired from war booty before its formal division, applying it also to lawful food from the People of the Book. However, some scholars, notably the Malikis, restrict this permissibility regarding parts they believe Jews forbid for themselves, such as certain fats, arguing that this sentence "and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you" does not include such forbidden parts since they don't consider these as part of their food. The majority, nevertheless, cite the hadith as evidence supporting the wider permissibility. A stronger proof comes from another authentic report that the Jews of Khaybar gifted the Prophet ﷺ a roasted sheep and named a particular cut their favorite, which the Prophet ﷺ ate but later found was poisoned, leading to illness and the death of a companion. The Prophet's acceptance of this meat confirms his approval to eat from their slaughter without specification or inquiry whether any part was personally forbidden by them. There are also statements from scholars, such as Mak’hul, who interpret that early verses prohibiting eating meat without mentioning Allah's name were later abrogated by this very verse, which explicitly permits the food of the People of the Book. This interpretation takes into account that the People of the Book mention Allah’s name upon slaughter and serve as an exception to the general prohibition. It is clarified as well that the permission to eat food of the People of the Book does not extend to idolaters or those who do not remember Allah's name over their slaughtered animals, nor does it permit eating carrion, which is forbidden for all believers. Turning to the phrase "and [to you] the food of your own people is lawful," this is understood in two ways: either as a statement about reciprocity—that just as you eat their slaughter, it is lawful to feed them from your slaughter—or as a factual description of lawful food. Most likely, it is encouragement for mutual kindness and exchange, exemplified by the Prophet ﷺ's own conduct of clothing and burying an adversary who had been kind to him. Next, the verse permits marriage to chaste women from among the believers, and then extends this permissibility to chaste women from those who were given the Scripture before you. "Chaste" or "protected" here is generally understood to mean free, honorable women who are not involved in licentiousness. There is some discussion among commentators on whether this applies to all chaste women of the People of the Book, whether free or slave, but the general conclusion leans towards free, virtuous women. The scholars also debate whether this permission pertains to all People of the Book or specifically the Israelites. Imam Shafi'i holds the latter view. Some say it includes all dhimmis (non-Muslim subjects under Muslim protection) but excludes those at war with Muslims, citing the Quranic injunction to fight those who do not believe until they pay the jizyah in a state of submission. Abdullah ibn Umar did not permit marriage to Christian women, fearing that their professing Jesus as Lord constituted a fundamental shirk (polytheism), opposing the Divine command not to marry idolaters until they believe. Yet, some Companions married Christian women without objection, relying strictly on the apparent wording of this verse. The verse continues: "and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due dowries..." This indicates that Muslim men should give them their dowries generously, as they are free, chaste women, just as Muslim women receive dowries. Finally, the verse requires that both spouses be chaste—"chaste men besides chaste women"—implying that the men also must avoid fornication and not take lovers or act licentiously. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal states that marriage to an unrepentant fornicator is not valid, and similarly a fornicator cannot contract a marriage with a chaste woman until repentance. Umar ibn al-Khattab desired to prevent anyone who committed a major sin in Islam from marrying chaste women, but was reminded that shirk is even worse and repentance is accepted. This section concludes by indicating that further detailed discussion of such issues will follow later in the tafsir, especially concerning the verses about fornication and marriage in Surat An-Nur. Allah knows best.
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