In addition to rules and regulations for the perfection of self and for the better relations of man with man, there are certain restrictive regulations of a general nature the object of which is to teach man the ways of clean living. These regulations relate to foods, drinks, dress and a number of other things, and have both a physical and a moral value. It is a recognized fact that the food which a man eats, or even his dress, affects not only his constitution but also the building up of his character, and hence in a complete code of life it was necessary that men should be taught ways of clean eating, clean drinking, clean dressing, clean appearance and clean habits of all kinds. These regulations are sometimes obligatory but very often of a recommendatory nature.
The first general rule regarding foods, and which applies to drink as well, is laid down in the following words in the Holy Qur’ān: “O men, eat the lawful and good things from what is in the earth” (2:168).1 The first condition therefore is that the food and drink should be lawful. Lawful things are not only those which the law has not declared to be forbidden, but even unforbidden things become unlawful if they are acquired unlawfully, e.g., by theft, cheating, bribery, etc. The other condition is that it should be good (tayyib).2 The word tayyib carries the significance of pleasant, delightful, delicious or sweet, and pure or clean (LL.). An impure or unclean thing or a thing which offends good taste should, therefore, not be used as an eatable. The same rule applies to drinks.
1 The Arabic word for lawful is ḥalāl, and that for good things tayyib. Ḥalla means he untied or undid a thing, and hence hill or ḥalāl means being free or allowable.
2 This word is derived from tāba which means it was good, pleasant, delightful, delicious or sweet, or it was considered to be so, or it was or became pure or clean.