When Western people travel to eastern Islamic countries, they often prefer to eat the folk and favorite local food of the region. But what is it that makes western Muslims starve for a KFC classic chicken–on–the–bone bucket meal, or a McDonalds’ double burger if they don’t eat meat?! Muslims are Muslims, not vegetarians and eating meat in Islam is allowed, But like the followers of other religions who have specific slaughtering rituals, Muslims also have explicit rulings for slaughtering particular animals to make it lawful (Halal).

Eating Meat in Islam

As it is defined in the Quran, believers are welcomed to enjoy all of the blessings of this world [1]. Therefore, about eating meat, Allah does not mention what to eat, but He excludes what is not lawful to eat and maybe physically or spiritually harmful to the human's body and soul.  "You are permitted animals of grazing livestock, except what is [now] announced to you…" (5:1) and what is recited as prohibited is mentioned in the Quran as below:

You have prohibited carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and what has been offered to other than Allah, and the animal strangled or beaten to death, and that which dies by falling or is gored to death, and that which is mangled by a beast of prey— barring that which you may purify —and what is sacrificed on stone altars [to idols], and that you should divide by raffling with arrows...(5:3).

Other than the mentioned meats all other kinds of meat are Halal as described in the Quran: Say, ‘I do not find in what has been revealed to me that anyone is forbidden to eat anything except carrion or spilled blood, or the flesh of swine—for that is indeed unclean—or an impiety offered to other than Allah.’ But should someone be compelled, without being rebellious or aggressive, indeed your Lord is all-forgiving, all-merciful’ (6:145).

Please note that all kinds of lawful (Halal) meat must be slaughtered according to Islamic rulings: “Do not eat [anything] of that over which Allah’s Name has not been mentioned, and that is indeed transgression…” (6:121). 

Even the above mentioned prohibited meats are lawful (Halal) while you are living in a problematic situation and following the rules of Islam will put you in extreme difficulty. Please note that difficulty does not mean that you do not have ready food at home and therefore you may eat forbidden (Haram) meat. A difficulty, as written in Islamic jurisprudence, is when one’s life is at risk, and there is no other food available but forbidden (Haram) meat.

A Detailed Description of Lawful (Halal ) and Forbidden (Haram ) meats

To be more precise on which meat is lawful, let’s have a review of the Islamic jurisprudence.

Lawful and Unlawful Meats

Sea Creatures

Fish that have scales are the only type of Halal sea creatures. Other sea creatures and fish are Haram [2]. 

Land Creatures (Domestic or Wild)

Among all domestic land creatures; sheep, cow, and camel are Halal, but eating the meat of horse and donkey is detestable (Makruh). The rest of domestic land creatures such as dogs, cats, etc. are forbidden (Haram).

Deer, cow, zebra, mountain goat, and wild donkey are all Halal. However, eating the meat of wild predatory animals that are predatory in essence, have strong and sharp nails, claws, and fangs such as, lions, leopards, cheetahs, wolves, or animals with less sharp fangs such as foxes and hyenas as well as rabbits, while not part of the predatory category, are considered Haram.

Also, insects and reptiles, such as snakes, mice, lizards, hedgehogs, fleas, lice, etc., are all Haram. Animals who have undergone metamorphosis (maskh) [i] such as, elephants, monkeys, bears, etc. are Haram as well [3]. 

Birds

Birds that flap their wings more than they glide while flying are Halal, but birds that glide and spread their wings more while flying in the air instead of flapping their wings are Haram. Also, birds with gizzards and spurs at the back of their feet are Halal [ii] [4].

Insects

All insects are Haram [iii] [5]. 

Eating Raw Meat

It is permissible to eat Halal meat cooked or uncooked or even burned (as long as it has no harm to human health) [7].

The Rules of Hunted Meat

Please note that the rules of slaughtering and eating hunted meat are slightly different from all the rulings mentioned above, and we will discuss that in a separate article.

Can Muslims Eat Kosher?

"For every nation, We have appointed a rite so that they might mention Allah’s Name over the livestock He has provided them" (22:34).

Although Jews have their specific rules of slaughtering that have many similarities to the Islamic rulings, as there are minor differences in the slaughtering of Jews and Muslims, therefore kosher meat is not lawful (Halal) for Muslims [8]. 

Notes:
[i] In Arabic, Maskh means for something to change form to an uglier one. In the Quran and Islamic tradition, this term refers to a specific divine punishment that was sent upon the wrongdoers and wrongdoing nations in the past (of course not all wrongdoers, but those who committed certain wrong acts) which can be called metamorphosis [9].

[ii] Birds with sharp claws such as eagles, hawks, falcons, etc. are Haram.

[iii] If a locust is caught by hand or any other means, it is lawful (Halal) (after dying) [6].

References:

1. “Say, who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which he has produced for his servants and the good (lawful) things of provision?”(7:32)
2. Imam Khomeini, Tahrir al-Wasilah, vol. 2, pg. 137, the book of foods and drinks, issue 2; al-Mukhtasar al-Nafi’, pg. 251; Sharayi’ al-Islam, pg. 169.
3. Ibid
4. food in Islam
5. Tawdih al-Masa’il (annotated by Imam Khomeini), vol. 2, pg. 603.
6. Tawdih al-Masa’il (annotated by Imam Khomeini), vol. 2, pg. 593, issue 2622.
7. Imam Khomeini, Tahrir al-Wasilah, vol. 2, pg. 162
8. Halal food
9. halal food in Islam 

Full body ablution (Ghusl) refers to an Islamic ritual in which an adult (Mukallaf) Muslim is recommended to wash his/her full-body with specific rulings. 

In this article, we will explain different types of full-body ablution (Ghusl) and their rulings.

Different types of full body ablution (Ghusl)

Muslim jurists have driven the rules of full-body ablution (Ghusl) based on different verses of the Quran and different narrations and traditions. The main verse of the Quran that is referred to in deriving the rules of full-body ablution (Ghusl) is the following: 

“O you who have faith! Do not approach prayer when you are intoxicated, [not] until you know what you are saying, nor [enter mosques] in the state of ritual impurity until you have washed yourselves, except while passing through. But if you are sick or on a journey, or any of you has come from the toilet, or you have touched women, and you cannot find water, then make your full-body ablution on clean ground and wipe a part of your faces and your hands. Indeed Allah is all-excusing, all-forgiving.” (4:43)

Based on the above verse, Muslim jurists have provided the following rules for full-body ablution (Ghusl):

The obligation of full body ablution (Ghusl)

Different types of full-body ablution (Ghusl) can be categorized as follows: 

1-    The obligatory full body ablution (Ghusl) common between men and women:

a)    The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for ritual impurity (Janabah)
b)    The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for touching a corpse (Mass al-Mayyit)
c)     The full-body ablution (Ghusl) given to a corpse (Mayyit) 
d)     The full-body ablution (Ghusl) that becomes obligatory on the account of a vow (Nazr), oath (Qassam), etc.

2-    The obligatory full body ablution (Ghusl) for women: 

a)     The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for menstruation (Haydh)
b)      The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for lochia (Nifas)
c)      The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for irregular blood discharge (Istihadhah) [1]

3-    Recommended full body ablution (Ghusl)

There are some specific times that Muslims are recommended to perform full-body ablution (Ghusl), for example, the Friday Full-body ablution (Ghusl-e Jum’ah), or the full-body ablution (Ghusl) that are recommended to perform on specific Islamic occasions such as the nights of decree. (Laylatul Qadr). [2]

How to perform full body ablution (Ghusl)?

There are two methods to perform full-body ablution (Ghusl) that will be described in this part. The first thing to do before starting the full-body ablution (Ghusl) is to make an intention for it. However, it is not necessary to perform a separate full-body ablution (Ghusl) for different intentions. 
If there are several recommended (Mustahab) or obligatory full-body ablutions (Ghusl) to be performed and one performs one full-body ablution (Ghusl) with the intention of performing all of them, it is sufficient. However, if one of them is full-body ablution (Ghusl) of ritual impurity (Janabah) and the intention is made to perform it, it suffices for all other full-body ablutions (Ghusl), although caution is to make the intention for all of them. [3]

The methods of full body ablution (Ghusl)

1-    Sequential full-body ablution (Ghusl-e Tartibi)

In sequential full-body ablution (Ghusl), one must – based on obligatory precaution – first, with the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl), wash the entire head and neck and then the entire body. It is better to first wash the right side of the body, then the left. If one intentionally or due to being negligent in learning the laws of full-body ablution (Ghusl)does not wash the entire head and neck before washing the body, then based on obligatory precaution his full-body ablution (Ghusl)is invalid. Furthermore, based on obligatory precaution, when performing full-body ablution (Ghusl), it is not sufficient to make the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl) when moving the head, neck, or body while they are already under the flow of water; rather, the part that one wants to perform full-body ablution (Ghusl)on – on the condition that it is already under the flow of water – must be taken out from under the flow of water and then washed with the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl). [4] 

2-    Immersive full-body ablution (Ghusl-e Irtimasi) can be performed in two ways:

a)    Instantaneous (Daf’i): 

In this type of full-body ablution (Ghusl) water must cover the entire body in one go. However, it is not necessary for the entire body to be out of the water before starting the full-body ablution (Ghusl): rather it will suffice if part of the body is out of the water and the person goes under the water completely with the intention of performing full-body ablution (Ghusl). An example of instantaneous immersive full-body ablution (Ghusl)is when a person, with the int¬ention of performing full-body ablution (Ghusl), dives/jumps into a swimming pool and in doing so completely immerses himself in the water; or, the person may already be partly immersed in the water and he then completely immerses himself with the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl). [5]

b)    Gradual (Tadriji)

In gradual immersive full-body ablution (Ghusl), one must gradually – but in a way that can be commonly considered to be one unified action – immerse his body in water with the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl). In this type of full-body ablution (Ghusl), it is necessary for each part of the body to be out of the water before it is washed. An example of gradual immersive full-body ablution (Ghusl) is when a person, with the intention of performing full-body ablution (Ghusl), immerses part of his body in a bath tub of water and then takes that part out of the water; then, he immerses another part of his body and takes it out, and so on until all the parts of his body have been immersed. [6]

Water requirements for full body ablution (Ghusl)

The water that is permissible for full-body ablution (Ghusl) can be Rainwater, Well water, water from spring, sea, or river water, water of melting snow or hail, water of a big tank or pond. Ghusl is not allowed with unclean or impure water or water extracted from fruit and trees. [7] 

References: 

1. Obligatory (wājib) ritual bathing (ghusl) » Introduction
2. Ghusl
3. Rules of Ghusl
4. Obligatory baths (Ghusl) » Sequential ritual bathing (al-ghusl al-tartībī)
5. Obligatory baths (Ghusl) » Immersive ritual bathing (al-ghusl al-irtimāsī)
6. obligatory baths
7. Imam Khomeini, Risalah Tozih al-Masa’el, p. 39-40