Title: Eating in a Canadian University Dorm Question: I am a student living in the dorms and on the meal plan at the university here. I do not know whether the meat they give us is halaal or not and neither do the people serving us. Should I stop eating meat here? Answer: In one of my earlier responses to a question regarding the prohibitions relating to edibles in Islam, I wrote: According to the Qur'an, of the things, which have normally been used by man for eating, the following are haraam or prohibited. Flesh of pig; Dead animals; Flowing blood; and Animals, which are not sacrificed in the name of God. The Qur'an has itself given a few details regarding the second and the fourth category. In case of the second category of prohibited meat, the Qur'an says that whatever has been the cause of the death of the particular animal, it is not suitable for eating; the only exception is that the animal was found dying, but was not actually dead and consequently it was slaughtered in the prescribed manner. The Qur'an has termed such "slaughtering in the prescribed manner" as " Zakkaitum ", meaning slaughtering in such a way that most of the blood flows out of the slaughtered body. In case of the fourth category of prohibited meat, the Qur'an says that animals, which are slaughtered at specific revered places (like darbars , i.e., graves of saints and other places considered to be holy and sacred etc.) should also not be eaten. Furthermore, the Qur'an also prohibits eating such animals, which are slaughtered without taking the name of God. These are the directives of the Qur'an regarding Haraam meat. Besides these categories, the Qur'an has allowed all other animals, which have normally been used for eating by man. Keeping the foregoing explanation of food prohibited by the Qur'an in perspective, you will have to decide whether the food being served in your dorm is allowed or prohibited. If the mentioned prohibitions are not served, you may eat the food. On the contrary, if no heed is given to these prohibitions, it would then be advisable that you should refrain from eating such food. You may then make your own independent arrangement or restrict yourself to eating vegetables and fruits. 14 th December 1999