Haram (/həˈrɑːm,hæˈ-,hɑːˈ-,-ˈræm/ⓘ;[1][2]Arabic:حَرَامḥarām[ħɑˈrɑːm]) is an Arabic term meaning 'taboo'.[3]: 471 This may refer to either somethingsacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowledge; or, in direct contrast, to anevil and thus "sinful action that is forbidden to be done". The term also denotes something "set aside", thus being the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew conceptחרם (ḥērem) and the concept ofsacer (cf. sacred) inRoman law andreligion. InIslamic jurisprudence,haram is used to refer to any act that is forbidden byAllah and is one of the fiveIslamic commandments (الأحكام الخمسةal-ʾAḥkām al-Ḵamsa) that define themorality of human action.[4]
Acts that are haram are typically prohibited in the religious texts of theQuran and thesunnah category of haram is the highest status of prohibition. Something that is considered haram remains prohibited no matter how good the intention is or how honorable the purpose is.[5] Sins, good, and meritorious acts are placed on themizan (weighing scales) on the Day of Judgement and are weighed according to the sincerity of the doer.[6][7] Views of differentmadhhabs or legal schools of thought can vary significantly regarding what is or is not haram based on the scholarly interpretation of the core religious texts (Quran andhadith).[8]
Actions that are haram result in harm one way or another and are therefore considered asin if carried out by aMuslim.[9]
They ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about intoxicants and gambling. Say, “There is great evil in both, as well as some benefit for people—but the evil outweighs the benefit...”
By bringing up the word "benefit" as an opposite to "sin", verse 2:219 of the Quran clarifies thatharam is that which is harmful, in opposition to that which brings benefit; therefore, sin is that which hurts others or oneself.
An Islamic principle related to haram is that if something is prohibited or forbidden, then anything that leads to it is also considered a haram act. A similar principle is that the sin of haram is not limited to the person who engages in the prohibited activity, but the sin also extends to others who support the person in the activity, whether it be material or moral support.[10]
The five categories ofالأحكام الخمسة,al-ʾAḥkām al-Ḵamsa or the hierarchy of acts from permitted to non-permitted are:[4][11]
الحرام لغيره,al-ḥarām li-ġayrihi – Prohibited because of external reasons that are not fundamentally harmful but are associated to something that is prohibited[12]
Ill-gotten wealth obtained through sin. Examples include money earned through cheating, stealing, corruption, murder, and interest, or any means that involve harm to another human being. Also, a deal or sale during Friday's prayers (salat al-jumu'ah). It is prohibited in Islam for a Muslim to profit from such haram actions. Any believer who benefits from or lives off wealth obtained through haram is asinner.
Prayer in a house, taken illegally.
The religious termharam, based on theQuran, is applied to:
Actions, such ascursing, fornication, murder, and disrespecting one's parents
Certain food and drinks (SeeFood & intoxicants), such as pork and alcohol.
Somehalal objects, foods, or actions that are normally halal (permissible) but under some conditions become haram. For example, halal food and drinks during the day inRamadan or a cow or another halal animal that is not slaughtered in the Islamic way and in the name of Allah (God).
Certain inaction, such as abandoning thesalah without a valid reason.
Homosexuality, cross-dressing, and same-sex marriage.
Linguistically, the root of the termharam (compare Ancient Hebrewherem, meaning 'devoted to God', 'forbidden for profane use') is used to form a wide range of other terms that have legal implications, such ashariim (a harem) andihraam (a state of purity). In addition, the same word (haram) is used in the Quran to denote the sacred nature of the Ka'ba and the areas of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.[13] This category of sacred, holy, and inviolable also includes spouses and university campuses.[14] As such, the legal use of the rootح-ر-م is based on an idea of boundaries between the profane and the sacred, as opposed to prohibitions, as is normally assumed.
Colloquially, the wordharam takes on different meanings and operates more closely as a dichotomy withhalal, which denotes the permissible. In Arabic-speaking countries, saying "haram" can mean 'what a shame' or 'what a pity' (this meaning has been adopted byModern Hebrewslang as well and is alike to the Italian use ofpeccato). The term can be used formally as a method for chastising strangers who behave inappropriately, or between friends as a form of teasing. The word is also used to instruct children in how to behave by telling them that harming other children or animals is haram, among other things.
The binary concepts of halal and haram are used in a number of cultural phrases, most notablyibn (boy)al-halal andbint (girl)al-halal. These phrases are often used to refer to appropriate spouses in marriage, and stand in contrast toibn al-haram orbint al-haram, which are used as insults. In this case, the termharam is used to mean ill-mannered or indecent, instead of strictly meaning 'unlawful'.
Halal and haram are also used in regards to money (mal).Mal al-haram means ill-gotten money, and brings destruction on those who make their living through such means.[15]
These cultural interpretations of what is haram influence and are influenced by the legal definitions used at a local level. This means that popular conceptions of haram are partly based on formalIslamic jurisprudence and partly on regional culture, and the popular conceptions, in turn, change how the legal system defines and punishes haram actions.[16]
In the Quran and reports by early Muslims, forbidden meat includespork,carnivores (lions, tigers, wolves, dogs, cats, etc.), non-ruminants (donkeys and horses), animals that were slaughtered in the name of a god other than Allah, animals that died due to illness, injury, stunning, poisoning, or slaughtering not in the name of Allah. Herbivores or cud-chewing animals like cattle, deer, sheep, goats, and antelope are some examples of animals that are halal and only if they are treated like sentient beings and slaughtered painlessly while reciting the wordsBismillah andAllahu Akbar. If the animal is treated poorly, or tortured while being slaughtered, the meat is haram.[17]
Dead animals (carrion) - animals must die per Islamic slaughter.[18]
Blood - specifically refers to flowing blood, however, the liver, spleen, and the blood remaining in meat or veins after slaughter are permitted.[19][18]
Islam is very strict in prohibitingzina, whether it be adultery or sexual intercourse between two unmarried individuals.
In terms of marriage proposals, it is considered haram for a Muslim man to propose to a divorced or widowed woman during heriddah (the waiting period during which she is not allowed to marry again).[22] The man is able to express his desire for marriage, but cannot execute an actual proposal. It is also forbidden for a Muslim man to propose to a woman who is married to another man.[23]
Relating to the topic of marriage, there is a common consensus that it is unholy and against the word of God to have romantic relations with someone of the same gender. This idea is not explicitly stated in the Quran, but is heavily frowned upon by the Islamic community.
In Islamic law, it is considered haram for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man.[according to whom?] However, Muslim men can marry Christian or Jewish women.
Polygyny is permissible (a man can have up to 4 wives), but polyandry (a woman having multiple husbands) is forbidden.
It is considered haram for a father to deprive his children of inheritance. It is also haram for a father to deprive the women or the children of a wife who is not favorable to him an inheritance. Additionally, it is haram for one relative todeprive another relative of their inheritance through tricks.[24]
Riba, any excessive addition over and above the principal, such as usury and interest, is prohibited in Islam in all forms.Interest goes against the Islamic pillar ofzakat, which allows wealth to flow from the rich to the poor.Riba is prohibited because it keeps wealth in the hands of the wealthy and keeps it away from the poor. It is also believed thatriba makes a person selfish and greedy.[25][26]
All business and trade practices that do not result in a free and fair exchange of goods and services are considered haram, such asbribery, stealing, andgambling. Therefore, all forms of deceit and dishonesty in business are prohibited in Islam.[25][27]
Many Islamic jurists and religious bodies, includingPermanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta[28] ofSaudi Arabia, have consideredMLM trade to be haram, the reasons behind which are as follows: in this process, followings are related – exchange without labor and labor without exchange, contract on another contract or condition on another condition, similarity withriba (interest), similarity withgambling, widespread uncertainty of profits and losses, not everyone benefiting equally, financial fraud and torture, lying and exaggeration, etc.[29][30]
In Islam, both gold adornments and silk cloths are prohibited for men to wear but are permissible for women as long as they are not used to sexually attract men (other than their husbands). The prohibition of these adornments is part of a broader Islamic principle of avoiding luxurious lifestyles.[31]
It is considered haram for both men and women to wear clothing that fails to cover the body properly (which stated in clothing guidance, the termaurat/awrah) and clothes that are transparent. Additionally, Islam prohibits excess beautifying that involves the altering of one's physical appearance. In Sunni sects, physical alterations such astattoos,teeth filing, andcosmetic surgery are all considered haram.[32]
Some Islamic sects also prohibit the use of gold and silver utensils and pure silk spreads in the household in order to avoid luxurious lifestyles in the home.[33] Statues are also prohibited in homes, and some Muslims are prohibited from participating in making statues for fear of negatingtawhid.[34]
^Al-Qardawi, Yusuf (1999).The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam. American Trust Publications. p. 26.
^American-Arab Message – p. 92, Muhammad Karoub – 2006
^The Holy City: Jerusalem in the theology of the Old Testament – p. 20, Leslie J. Hoppe – 2000
^The Palgrave Handbook of Spirituality and Business – p. 142, Professor Luk Bouckaert, Professor Laszlo Zsolnai – 2011
^Faruki, Kemal (March 1966). "Al-Ahkam Al-Khaimah: The Five Values".Islamic Studies.5: 43.
^Al-Qardawi, Yusuf (1999).The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam. American Trust Publications. p. 22.
^Gibb, H. A. R., ed. (1960).The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill. p. 257.
^Mahbubi Ali, Mohammad; Lokmanulhakim Hussain (9 February 2013). "A Framework of Income Purification for Islamic Financial Institutions".Proceeding of Sharia Economics Conference: 109.
^McAuliffe, Jane Dammen (2001). "Forbidden".Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān.2:224–225.
^Al Jallad, Nader (2008). "The concepts ofal-halal andal-haram in the Arab-Muslim culture: a translational and lexicographical study".Language Design.10:81–84.
^Nanji, Azim A, ed. (1996).The Muslim Almanac: A Reference Work on the History, Faith, Culture, and Peoples of Islam. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. p. 273.
