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Islam and Food

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Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics
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Synonyms

Islamic landscapes for food practice; Muslim identity through food practice

Introduction

An exploration of food and Islam must begin with food’s role in the Qur’ān, Islam’s holy book. For Muslims, this book is the record of divine revelations made to the Prophet Muhammad, intended to guide humanity. The Qur’ān describes how food originates, what it signifies, and what foods are allowable or prohibited, which inform Muslim identities and Islamic theology, law, ethics, and aesthetics. In addition, Muslim food practices follow from traditional stories (ḥadīth) about the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. Islamic legal prescriptions not only identify what foods are religiously sanctioned for Muslims but also the manner of their preparation. After discussing what Muslims are prescribed to do with respect to food, this entry examines practices observed around the world, which show the importance and incorporation of food for ritual occasions, holy festivities, and commemorations....

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Correspondence to Zayn Kassam .

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Kassam, Z., Robinson, S.E. (2019). Islam and Food. In: Kaplan, D.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1179-9_14

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