Mohd Farhan Md Ariffin

Consideration of ‘Umūm Al-Balwā Method in Food Contamination from Halalan Toyyiban Perspectivūe

Conventionally, there are three types of food contaminations, which are biological, chemical and physical. In halal food production, violation of the halal requirement within the food supply chain can also be considered as contamination—halal contamination. When najs (impurity) or haram (prohibited) substance enters to the food product, the food is said to be halal contaminated, hence effecting its halal status. In Malaysia, cases of halal contamination in food product are nothing new. Many incidents have been reported such as the contamination of porcine DNA in salted butter, confectionery products, etc. However, the contamination can occur via cross-contamination, which is unintentional and difficult to avoid. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the concept of umum al-balwa (widespread hardship) in food contamination perspective. Furthermore, this study will analyze the role of umum al-balwa for halal determination in the case of contaminated food. For this study, the data obtained primarily from classical and contemporary Islamic jurisprudence literature. This study found that the concept of umum al-balwa have an impact in determining the halal status of contaminated food. Therefore, it can be developed to be used as an alternative method in tackling halal food issues.

Understanding the Perception of Islamic Medicine Among the Malaysian Muslim Community

This study was conducted to identify and describe the patients’ perceptions of Islamic medicine based on gender, age, marital, educational level and working status among the Malaysian Muslim population. A nationwide interviewer-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in 2013. An open-ended questionnaire pertaining to Islamic medicine was used to increase the probability of capturing maximum data. This survey implemented a multistage design, stratified by state, proportionate to the size of the state population and was representative of the Malaysian population. Post-survey classification of results was performed accordingly. Complex data analysis was carried out using SPSS 16.0. The discussion was identified and categorised into various sections. The paper concludes that Islamic medicine has a major influence in the Malaysian Muslim community compared to other alternatives. Further, its potential for growth and importance especially for treating spiritual ailments cannot be denied. The respondents indicated that two factors motivate Islamic medicine in Malaysia: (1) the Muslim community opts for alternative healing because of their dissatisfaction with conventional methods; (2) Islamic medicine focuses only on healing spiritual-related problems. The average perception of respondents is that the function of Islamic medicine in healing physical diseases is undervalued and that it is not suitable to replace the functions of modern health institutions.