Fatwas from Friends? Red Flags to Look out for in Islamic Advice

***DISCLAIMER/CLARIFICATION:

I mention in the episode that saying “veganism is haram,” is inaccurate and baseless. I was referring specifically to the act of not eating meat--NOT the belief of many vegans that eating meat is innately immoral and the consumption of meat of all kinds should be avoided.

This belief that meat is never okay (which I held myself before converting to Islam), is incompatible with Islam. We believe that Allah SWT made plants and animals for us to eat. However, meat is not made obligatory for us. Interestingly, I never hear Muslims getting mad about someone not eating enough vegetables; apparently they’re only worried about your diet when you don’t eat their favorite foods. 

Again, I completely support (legitimate) halal meat and its consumption because it minimizes the pain and suffering felt by the animals before slaughter, and simply because it is what Allah has allowed for us. I have been vegan for twice as long as I’ve been Muslim so I do not intend on going back to eating meat at this point and I believe legitimately halal meat is hard to find in my country of residence (US); the meat and dairy industry here is a nightmare. My point is that there is nuance to everything in Islam and calling anything you don’t like “haram” is unacceptable. 

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Asalaamu alaikum and welcome back to my podcast by and for reverts to Islam: {Re}born Muslim. In this episode, I describe some red flags to look out for when someone is giving you “Islamic advice,” and how to pursue answers from reputable sources in order to get real answers. This is a huge issue for reverts because we often don’t know what to look out for and might listen to anyone who sounds confident. InshaAllah this is helpful and thank you for listening!  

 

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