Food Habits of the Malay 1 (Islam) PDF

Food Habits of the Malay 1 (Islam) Dr Maznorila Mohamad N&D Department 1  Lesson Outcomes 1. Explain the influence of religion on Malay food habits – Explain the concepts of faith and worship in Islam – Discuss the religious...

Food Habits of the Malay 1 (Islam) Dr Maznorila Mohamad N&D Department 1  Lesson Outcomes 1. Explain the influence of religion on Malay food habits – Explain the concepts of faith and worship in Islam – Discuss the religious celebrations in Islam – Explain the practice of fasting 2. Describe food avoidance practice among the Malays – Discuss the dietary guidelines, dietary law & food practices a Muslim has to follow 2  Introduction Islam: – Means ‘peace’. Better translation ‘submission’ – Muslim: a person who submits themselves to the will of God Believe god is one & incomparable Purpose of existence: to worship Allah & serving Him as stewards of His creation Founded in 610 by the last prophet, Muhammad (pbuh) in Mecca. Not a new religion, been taught by other prophets. He came to formalize, clarify & purify the faith Articulated by: 1. Qur’an: the verbatim word of Allah 2. Hadith: the actions, personal characteristics & words of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Denomination of Islam: – Sunni Muslims – Majority (70 - 80%) – Shia Islam 3  Concepts of Faith (Iman) 1. God (Allah) Fundamental concept: monotheism Not expected to visualize God Been described & referred to by 99 names or attributes Shirk: unforgivable sin of idolatry or polytheism 2. Angels Created from light With wings (two, or three, or four pairs) Do not have a gender or possess free will, neither do they eat or drink 3. Prophets Human, chosen by God to be His messengers Not divine, though able to perform miracles to prove their claim All prophets (Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad among others) preached the message of Islam, submission to the will of Allah 4  Concepts of Faith (Iman) 4. Revelations The 5 holy books, dictated by God to various prophets 1. Abraham pbuh: Suhuf (Scrolls) 2. David pbuh: Zabur (Psalms) 3. Moses pbuh: Tawrah (Torah) 4. Jesus pbuh: Injeel (Gospels) 5. Muhammad pbuh: Qur'an 5. Resurrection and judgment (Qiyamah) The time of Qiyāmah is preordained by God & unknown to man All mankind will be judged on their good & bad deeds 6. Predestination (al-qadā wa'l-qadar) Everything in the world that occurs, good or evil, has been preordained & nothing can happen unless permitted by God Although events are pre-ordained, man possesses free will to choose between right & wrong, thus responsible for his actions 5  Concepts of worship: The Five pillars 1. Shahadah (Testimony): The basic creed of Islam. ‘There is no God but Allah & Muhammad is his Prophet’ 2. Solat (Prayer): 5 times a day, facing kiblah (Kaaba). Recited in Arabic, consist verses from Qur'an 3. Sawm (Fasting): Abstain from food, drink and other things. Observed from dawn to dusk in Qiblah of Islam is the direction towards the Kaaba Ramadhan 4. Zakat (Alms-giving): A religious obligation that the well-off owe to the needy (their wealth is seen as a ‘trust from God's bounty) 5. Hajj (Pilgrimage): If economically & physically able, every Muslim must make the pilgrimage to Mecca Some 3 million Muslim at least once in a lifetime, in Dzulhijjah pilgrims from more than 160 countries in Mecca6  Islamic Religious Celebrations In Islam, celebration is a form of thanking Allah – A form of physical & spiritual purification Physical: merry-making, going out to parties, visiting friends and relatives & having fun Spiritual: Include… 1. Taking a bath 2. Wearing perfume 3. Putting on clean or new clothes 4. Going to mosque/surau for solat (prayer) 8  1. The day of Ashura On the 10th day of Muharram Commemorates the day that Allah saved the Children of Israel from Pharaoh. Marks the climax of the remembrance of Muharram, such as: 1. Repentance of Prophet Adam a.s was accepted by Allah 2. The ship of Prophet Noah a.s came to rest on a mountain (Al-Judi) 3. Prophet Abraham a.s was born & received the title Khalil-ullah (friend of Allah) 4. The fire which Prophet Abraham a.s was thrown in by king Namrud become cool 5. Prophet Ayub (Job) a.s was restored to prosperity after years of distress 6. Prophet Yunus (Jonah) a.s was casted out on a shore after being swallowed by a huge fish for 40 days 7. Prophet Moses a.s got victory over Pharaoh 8. Prophet Solomon a.s was made a king (rule mankind, jins, animals, air) 9. Prophet Idris (Enoch) a.s & Prophet Issa (Jesus) a.s were lifted up alive 10.The day of resurrection & judgement will take place on this day 9  Fasting on Muharram 10, known as the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: Day of 'Ashura', expiates for the sins of "The best of fasts besides the the past year. month of Ramadhan is the fasting Fasting on this day. According to of Allah's month of Muharram" scholars, Muslims may choose to fast Prophet Muhammad pbuh fasted on this day & asked Muslims to fast 'Ashura' on three days (9th, 10th and 11th) 10  10 Muharram in Malaysia : bubur Ashura Kelantan Northern Johor 11  2. Ramadan, the month of fasting Ramadan (in the 9th month) Mandatory fasting, lasts for 29 or 30 days Must implement moral code very strictly. Violation, nullifies the fasting A time of spiritual reflection & worship Observing a strict fast: Jawhar – Resist all temptations Mnari, Tunisian member of the – Purity of both thoughts & actions Nuremberg team A time of giving & sharing – Usually prepare special foods & buy gifts for their family & friends – Encourage to donate (sedekah) to the poor Teach about patience, spirituality, humility submissiveness to1A2llah Activities during fasting month Eat a pre-dawn meal (sahoor) Refrain from eating, smoking, drinking or sexual activity between dawn & sunset Avoid obscene and irreligious sights & sound Break fast (iftar) at sunset: – Starts with the eating of 3 dates just as Prophet Muhammad pbuh used to do Read the Quran & perform prayer: – Encouraged to read the entire Qur’an – Some perform Quran recitation through special prayers (Tarawih) 13  I'tekaf (or isolation from the worldly affairs) – Take time off from work for the entire last 10 days of Ramadan – Stay in the masjid, day and night, until the end of Ramadan. Go out for necessities only 14 Laylatul Qadr (the night of decree/Destiny) The night when angels descend with the decree of Allah. The worship & works of this night carry more value than the worship & works of 1,000 months May be any of the odd nights in the last ten days (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th Ramadan) During these nights, Muslims stay awake all night: 1. Reading & studying the Qur'an 2. Listening to religious addresses 3. Performing solat 15 Fasting is considered an opportunity: 1. To earn approval of Allah 2. To clean previous sins 3. To understand the suffering of the poor 4. To train patience & selflessness Also encouraged to fast: 1. Every Mondays & Thursdays 2. Any six days during the month of Shawal (except on the first day) 3. On the 10th day of Muharram (also on the 9th and 11th ) 4. On the 9th day of Dzul Hijjah (the month of Hajj-pilgrimage) 5. Alternate days 6. Three days each month 7. In the month of Shaban 16  3. Eid Al-Fitr (Aidil Fitri) A celebration of fast-breaking (major holiday for the Muslims) Begin on the 1st day of Shawal, after crescent is sighted on the 29th day of Ramadan. If not, Muslims will continue fasting (30 days) On 'Eid day: 1. Gather in a mosque & perform solat al- ‘Eid, followed by an address (khutbah) by the Imam Eid is a day of thanks to Allah. Also the gathering 2. Visit relatives/friends & give gifts to the of families & friends children 17  4. Eid Al-Adha Comes 2 months & 10 days after Aidil Fitri (on 10th of Dzulhijjah) Festival of ‘sacrifice’ to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God Slaughtering animal is recognized as an act of worship On this day: – Perform Solat al-'Eid. Sacrifice an animal (goat, sheep, cow etc) after solat. The meat is divided into 3 parts: – ⅓ is used by the family – ⅓ is distributed among relatives/friends – ⅓ is distributed among the poor & needy The meat is permissible to give it to a non- Muslim & prisoners of war (voluntary charity) 18  5. Yawm Al-Jumuah Means the day of congregation, which is Friday – Gather in a mosque for a khutba (sermon) followed by Solat led by an Imam In a majority of Muslim countries, Friday is the weekly holiday. No mandatory closing of businesses, except for the duration of congregational services 20  Cultural Celebrations Based on local cultures & traditions, with no foundation in the Qur'an or teachings of the Prophet or practices of his companions Discouraged by the informed Islamic scholars: 1. Mawlud al-Nabi – Celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh 2. Al-Isra’ & Al-Mi’raj – Refers to a miraculous journey that Prophet Muhammad pbuh took in one night from Makka to Jerusalem (Isra’: Night Journey) and then ascension to heavens (Mi’raj: Ascension) 3. Nisfu Sha'ban – Takes place on the 15th night of Shaban (to indicate that the fate or destiny of people is decided). No saheeh hadith. – Celebrating the night by praying etc. or singling out this day for fasting, is a bid’ah (innovation). Prophet did not fast all of Sha’ban, but he fasted most of it. 21  Dietary law & Food practices Eating is a matter of faith. Muslim dietary practice is fundamentally about obeying God Muslims follow these because it is God’s word in the Qur’an – God’s commandments are crucial, health benefits are secondary Islam law specifies Halal (lawful) & Haram (unlawful) foods Commandments found in the Quran, Hadith & Sunnah Fatwas by Islamic scholars 22  Forbidden food/ingredients 1. Animals living in both world 2. Any human substance or part 3. Pork, lard or any porcine substance 4. All carnivorous animals & birds of prey 5. Blood collected & solidified 6. Meat that is not slaughtered in the prescribed Islamic way Must pronounce the name of Allah on animal while slaughtering The slaughterer must be ‘ahli kitab’ (Muslim, Jew or Christian) 7. Meat coming from a lawful animal which died before slaughter Animals died of disease, sudden death in a fight, accident or hunger Foods from the water (fish, crabs, prawns, cuttlefish etc.) can be eaten since sea, river & pond are clean 8. Non halal food additives, eg: E numbers (E120, E441, E542 etc.) Gelatin from animal source which is not halal 9. Any food or drink with arak (alcohol) or any intoxicant 25 The Fatwa Committee of the National Fatwa Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia discussing the issue of alcohol in food, drinks, perfumes and medicines in 2011 has decided as follows: 1. Every wine contains alcohol. However not all alcohol are wine. Alcohol that is extracted from the wine making process is ruled as prohibited (haram) and ritually impure (najis). (1984: All liquor contains alcohol, but not all alcohol is liquor) 2. However, alcohol that is not produced through the wine making process is not ruled as impure, but is prohibited (haram) from being consumed in its original form as it is a poison and can kill. 3. Light beverages processed/made not for the purpose of producing wine and containing alcohol below the level of 1% v/v are permissible to be consumed. 26 4. Whereas for light beverages made with the same intention and method of producing wine, regardless of whether their alcohol content is high or low or whether their alcohol content is distilled, their consumption is prohibited. 5. Food or beverages containing natural alcohol such as fruits, nuts, grains or their juices, or alcohol that incidentally forms during the production process of certain food or beverages is not considered impure and is permissible to be consumed. 6. Food or drinks with flavouring or colouring that contains alcohol for stabilisation purposes are permissible to be consumed provided that the alcohol is not produced from the winemaking process, the quantity of such alcohol in the final product is not intoxicating and the alcohol level does not exceed 0.5%. 7. Medicines and perfumes containing alcohol as a solvent agent are not impure and are permissible provided such alcohol is not extracted from the winemaking process. 27  The Etiquette's of Eating and Drinking The Prophet made a point of developing remarkably clean & healthy eating habits among his followers. He asked the companions to: 1. Praising & thanking Allah for the food and drink. Recite the name of God (Allah) before eating & thank God after finishing 2. Wash hands before & after eating 3. To eat using the right hand 4. Not to eat until they really felt hungry & stop before feeling full 5. Not to eat & drink excessively Remember the hungry when you eat Should divide his/her stomach into 3 parts. A third each for food, fluid & respiration 29  References 1. Kittler P.G., Sucher K.P. and Nelms M. Food and Culture. 6th edition. Cengage Publications, 2011. 2. Civitello L. Cuisine and Culture – A history of food and people. 2nd edition. John Wiley and Sons Inc, New Jersey, 2008 3. http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol1/8a.html 4. http://www.questionsaboutislam.com/ 30