Issue No.209 – October 2022 : Rabiul Awwal 1444
Over 1400 years ago with the Revelation of the Divine laws and the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the injunction to eat lawful and wholesome was stipulated. Amongst the various regulations is the injunction in Chapter 2 Verse 168 of the Noble Qur’aan which states, “O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and wholesome (pure) and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.”
At the dawn of time, food indeed was wholesome as man solely relied on the earth’s bountiful resources for his survival. He gathered fruits, nuts, other plant foods; and also hunted birds and wild deer for meat. The primary food source came directly from the soil and was organic even when he discovered agriculture.
Over the millennia of time, man’s evolutionary lifestyle has seen a corresponding shift in his diet, from the simple hunter gatherer’s fare to sophisticated modern day fusion cuisine. He has genetically modified foods and introduced fertilisers and pesticides to boost yields. Unique farming, manufacturing, preservation, storage and transport methods were invented. He has created sciences that flavour foods with a wide array of objects to maintain or improve the nutritional value lost, to make it look, smell and taste better, all for the purpose of providing better products and yielding higher profits. This created challenges which necessitated the need for Halaal certification.
Click here for related reading: https://sanha.co.za/flashnews/2013/flashn77.htm
Surveys in the 1940’s showed that 80% of food consumed was whole food, while today the percentage has dropped to 25%. A whole food is that which retains its original constituents. An apple is a whole food and applesauce made from fresh apples at home in a grinder is a whole food too. However, applesauce ground and cooked using machinery, and then processed to create a better texture and supplemented with sugar and a myriad of additives is no longer a whole food.
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, “Indeed, your body has a right over you” (al-Bukhari). Thus, protection and preservation of one’s body from illness and disease is part of this right which is best done by carefully choosing what we eat. Consumption of organic food and a natural lifestyle is perhaps closest to the prescribed Islamic dietary doctrine of Halaal and wholesome. Accordingly, we encourage and support initiatives in this regard.
We have thus partnered with the country’s first ever Organic and Natural Product Expo, which will be held at The Deck at Wanderers, Corlett Drive, Johannesburg from the 21st to the 23rd October 2022. Visit our stand.
Click here for details: https://www.organicandnaturalportal.com/expo/
All attendees that pre-register will get a specially reduced rate available to SANHA subscribers. Click here for the discount code details.
NO HALF MEASURES – GO THE ‘WHOLE’ WAY
Reminder: SANHA AGM on Sunday 30th October, 2022 – click here
