ISTIHALAH AND ITS EFFECTS ON FOOD: AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

Istihalah is the main issue amongst Muslim scholars regarding food and beverage in this age of biotechnology by which the original form of good food production can be changed. A discussion of istihalah is not only limited to issues related to foods and beverage, but also involves issues regarding cleanliness or taharah in Islam. Currently, the main issue related to food and beverage industry is the mixing of halal with haram substances. The objective of this study is to determine whether the istihalah process can be categorized as istihalah sahihah (complete transformation) or istihalah fasidah (imperfect transformation), through physico-chemical changes and properties such as the nature, taste, smell, colour of foods that have undergone the istihalah process. Views of fiqh scholars were taken and examined to unravel these issues. This is a qualitative study using the methods of applying evidence from the alQur'an and Hadith and also scholars' opinions from credible sources such as fiqh books, food science books, websites and other related resources. The study concludes that the istihalah process is allowed in Islam only if it is istihalah sahihah. However, it is not easy to determine the halal or haram status of food produced using the biotechnology process. A detailed and careful study is needed to determine halal status taking into account several elements.