LOL I am so lazy. Every time someone asks me to write something up, I figure, why waste it? I’m on a da’wah mailing list and here’s something I wrote to help someone who had a research paper due about food. (Man, if he plagiarizes it, he is so busted!)

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Introduction

In general, since Islam is a religion, the actual criteria for “halaal” (allowed) and “haraam” (prohibited) foods is the decree of God. The only things not allowed (as food) are 4 (mentioned in the Quran):

1. dead flesh (carrion)
2. blood (large amount)
3. the flesh of swine (pigs, hogs, etc.)
4. what is slaughtered ritualistically for other than God (pagan sacrifices, etc.)

Aside from that, we are not allowed to consume alcohol (although we can use it to clean/disinfect, etc.) or other intoxicants (marijuana, etc.).

Besides that, we are allowed to eat or drink anything else (special exceptions might be poison used for suicide, etc.). So you should realize that since it is religious (as opposed to scientific or socialogically based, etc.) there is not always a clear match up to those issues (they do exist but are not exclusively correlated).

Now that you have some basic information, here is a look at the factors you mentioned:

1. Physiological Factors - In general, aside from what is absolutely prohibited (above), the Quran tells Muslims to “eat what is lawful and good of the earth”. Therefore, one can see that Muslims are recommended to eat what is beneficial to their bodies and to avoid what is unhealthy.

Another point of interest might be that the Quran continually talks about God and how he provides “fruits” for us, and if you look at nutrition and what we know about fruits in particular, they are amazingly beneficial, some even able to ward of cancer and such! So to us this is a miraculous aspect of God reminding us again and again how nourishing and benficial fruits are.

Also God mentions that alchol is prohibited EVEN THOUGH there is a benefit in it (this is also mentioned in the Quran) - yet God says the benefit is overshadowed by the harm it causes. And if you look at the science on this, with all the recent talk of having a glass of wine a day, etc. and comparing it with the fact that so many social (addiction, abuse, date rape, etc.) and physical (liver, killing of brain cells, etc.) diseases come from it, you will see the words of the Quran are true.

Islam also encourages (and during the month of Ramadhan) mandates moderation in food. Not only is this good for the body, it gives a person self-control over their body (rather than having the body control you). The Prophetic “Sunnah”, or practice, was to fill 1/3 of the stomach with food, 1/3 with water, and leave 1/3 for it to “breathe”. So balance is key.

2. Psychological Factors - Again, since Islam is religious guidance, there is heavy (probably heavier than physical) emphasis on the internal states of one eating or drinking. When a Muslim eats or drinks, they experience the following mental states:

a. practicality (in that they do not see food as the purpose of life but rather that it is a means to keep the mind and heart going)
b. gratitude (in that they are grateful to God that they have the food)
c. compassion (the experience of fasting helps relate to the Muslim the pain of hunger and deprivation of food)
d. spirituality (the person eats what God allows, remembering God before eating and thanking God afterwards)
e. discipline (in that the person does not exceed the bounds of moderation and also in not becoming too attached to the material indulgence of food)

3. Economic Factors - I am not too sure what you mean by this, but here is some info: in Islam, a person should earn their own money and of course they cannot steal it etc. In addition, a Muslim cannot conduct dishonest or unfair business practices (ex: cheating in weights and measures or tricking someone in their dealings). Islam also protects the rights of all involved, including workers - the Prophet, peace be upon him, instructed us that we should pay the worker “before the sweat on his body dries”. On top of all that, Muslims are mandated to give 1/40th of their excess wealth to the poor - this is not optional, but the “right” of the poor (the “poor-due”). Of course, charity itself is highly encouraged in Islam and the Quran repeatedly mentions “feeding the hungry” in specific. All of this combines to ensure a just society where everyone’s needs are met and one segment does not oppress or exploit the other.

4. Social Factors - Again I am not sure exactly what you are looking for but I will try my best - Islam is a social religion. Eating with the family, with friends, neighbors, etc. is very important. The Prophet said that he is not a believer who goes to bed full while his neighbor is hungry. He also taught us the mannerisms of eating communally (when eating together). In addition, many of the rituals and celebrations of Islam include feeding people (ex: the marriage and birth ceremonies). There are also prayers to make asking God to “feed the one who fed me and give drink to the one who gave drink to me”. All in all, the social aspect of food in Islam enjoins the Muslim not to be selfish.

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