The future of the market is Halal, but what happens when everyone is producing Halal products? The answer is quite simple and can be found in the same verse in the noble Qur’an asking mankind to consume that, which is Halal. This is when tayyib (good and pure) comes into focus.
Nevertheless, it is defining what is good, which is in fact harder to do than defining what is Halal. Good? Good for whom? Good for when? Understanding the extent and the multilevelness of good will certainly make the difference.
In the area of food for instance, you can have Halal beef, which is slaughtered correctly. Nevertheless, when it is concocted and laden with large amounts of sugar, MSG and oil – causing obesity and cardiovascular diseases – needless to say it is no longer tayyib.
On the management’s side, if your product is Halal but the company employs child labour or pays well below market rate and pollutes the environment, is it still tayyib and Halal for that matter? How about its investments – are they ethical? The food – is it genetically modified? And the staff –are they well treated?
For the last few hundred years, Muslims has had standards and terms dealt to them. The time has come for them to stand up and create a universally acceptable standards and practices, which encompass other lesser standards.
As one may have noticed, Halal is just the first level of the basic rules and regulations in Islam. Just like covering yourself to perform your daily prayers – at the end of the day, it is the little extras you do that really make a difference.
**This article was first published in The Halal Journal Mar/Apr 2005 edition.
