“Halal is must for believers in everything not just in what we eat but also in what we wear, what we earn, what we love and etc.”
Lifestyle refers to a style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group. It incorporates different standards, values and principles that is followed on a daily basis. It is what one adopt and prefers in life and it can be through choice, assimilation, imposition or imitation. Most of the time, the kind of lifestyle you lead is the result of culture, background, living conditions or circumstances.
Halal lifestyle is based on Islam. Humans are prone to making mistakes and that is why we have some regulations that keep us in check. Halal lifestyle not only makes one observe the teachings of Islamic laws, but also contribute to the overall well-being of the society. The emergence of halal lifestyle in recent years is driven by the growth of public awareness to apply the teachings of Islam in all aspects of life. This encourages the rapid growth of the halal market on a global scale.
Halal has currently become lifestyle and a trend had spread out in the community. When people think of halal, most would associate it with food. After all, this is the most visible aspect of halal we all interact with. Many also have the common misconception is that halal is about religion. But, the halal concept is not limited to food and goes far beyond that applies to the daily lives of Muslims and non-Muslims. The non-Muslim associates halal with ethical consumerism.
“Focus completely on a Halal way of life and refrain from Haram.”
The popularity of halal lifestyle, for one, is triggered by the increasing population of middle class Muslims who are up to date on lifestyle trends, but at the same time want products and services that reflect spirituality according to Islam. Halal lifestyle will encompass all aspects such as food and beverages, banking and finance, tourism, communication and marketing, jobs, pharmaceuticals, technology, cosmetics and travel just to mention a few. Being halal-conscious and halal-savvy is actually the springboard to an optimal and cordial lifestyle-choice.
Halal lifestyle is universal and in line with the human nature to prioritize health, cleanliness, and comfort. Anyone who implements halal lifestyle will be selective in choosing the products they use, because they must meet halal requirements, not only the source but from the production process to distribution.
Even countries with a majority of non-Muslim population, are attracting the market for halal lifestyle enthusiasts. New Zealand, for instance, now famously known as one of biggest halal meat exporters in the world, Thailand claims to be a Halal Kitchen of the World, while Japan made halal industry as a key economic contributor.
“Every intoxicant is haram in Islam. Avoid haram and be halal only”
The development of a halal lifestyle also needs to involve the wider community, by providing education about the relevance of a halal lifestyle that is not only binding on the Muslim community, but can also be practiced by the wider community, considering that there are so many benefits of this halal lifestyle. Many are proud to be living a halal lifestyle.
Instilling halal lifestyle habits should begin at an early age. The parents and schools, have a strategic role to instill the importance of living halal. To see whether the halal life campaign has been implemented or not among the younger generation, especially students, it is important to know how the halal lifestyle is understood by younger generations. Teenagers are young people who still have a tendency to try new things that are not all in accordance with the values of Islam and local culture, for example smoking and consuming alcohol. Younger generation are the nation’s successors, and it is important for them to have a good level of religiosity and lifestyle.
In general, all Muslims have good level of religiosity which has been build and developed from their childhood. They tend to consume only halal food and beverages. Although, their knowledge related to food and beverages are good, but there is lack of knowledge about halal medicine. This is caused by the difficulty in understanding the content of the medicine which mostly using the chemist terms.
“What is haram will always be haram even if the whole world engages with it, so avoid haram and follow Halal.”
There is a tendency that their awareness of halal medicine is lower compare to awareness of halal food and beverages. Based on the reason that the medicine provided by medical practitioner and their need to cure the sickness, any medicine will be taken without concerning the halal aspect of the related medicine.
The knowledge and awareness of halal aspect even become lower when it relate to financial services. They have limited knowledge about halal (riba free) financial services. Only those with economic and financial background have higher knowledge related to halal financial services. Unfortunately, many do not have such knowledge. This might imply that public education related to Islamic financial products must be improved.
Awareness to have halal lifestyles usually limited to food and beverages, which it should also cover halal medicine, financial services and all aspects of daily living such as tourism, communication and marketing, jobs, pharmaceuticals, technology and cosmetics just to mention a few. Therefore, halal lifestyle should be encouraged through education in various channels including social media. Halal is must for believers in everything not just in what we eat but also in what we wear, what we eat, what we earn, what we love etc.
“Haram is haram even if it is culture, Halal is halal even if it is frowned upon, Fardh is fardh even if it doesn’t fit your schedule, Shirk is shirk even if it is respect.”
