Goose falls in the category of game birds. These birds hunt in the wild either for food or sport. According to Islamic law, the goose is a halal bird as it does not catch prey with its claw and eats water plants, grass, corn, etc. (Source: https://central-mosque.com/index.php/General-Fiqh/the-fiqh-of-halal-and-haram-animals.html)
Besides availability in the wild, geese meat and fat are also widely available in supermarkets in the UK, and therefore this delicacy is readily available for UK Muslims. If it is slaughtered according to the Islamic Zabihah method, the geese’s meat is halal, but what about geese’s fat?
Are geese fat halal or haram? This blog will discuss whether geese fat is halal or haram, so keep in touch.
Islamic Injunction about Halal and Haram
Allah (SWT), in Surah Al Baqarah, has clarified the halal and haram food for Muslims.
“He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [it’s limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Quran 2:173)
(Source of above-cited Quranic Verse: https://quran.com/2/173?translations=84,17,95,101,22,20)
This Quranic verse is the guiding principle for distinguishing halal food from haram in Islam. According to this verse of the Holy Quran, carrion, i.e. dead meat, the blood, and swine (pig) meat, is haram. And also, it is haram to dedicate to Allah, putting any halal animal to the slaughter.
In addition, some parts of the halal animals are also haram (like blood), while some are undesirable (makrooh) to eat. The haram or unpleasant parts of a halal animal include;
- Flowing blood (Absolutely haram)
- Male genitals
- Female genitals
- Testicles
- Bladder
- Gallbladder
- Glands
- Haraam marrow (Spinal marrow)
- The two muscles of the neck that stretch up to the shoulders
- The blood from the liver
- The blood from the spleen
- The blood that comes out from the meat after slaughtering
- The blood from the heart
- Bile, i.e. the yellow fluid from inside the gallbladder
- The nasal fluid, usually found in sheep
- Anus
- Tripe
- Intestines
- Sperm
- The sperm that transforms into blood
- The sperm that transforms into flesh
- The sperm that transforms into an animal but is found dead, or if it was not, it died without being put to the slaughter.
(Source: https://musjidulhaq.com/2015/09/06/non-halaal-parts-in-the-bodies-of-halaal-animals/)
Though the blood is absolutely haram, there may be differences in opinion among jurists and mujtahids of different Islamic schools of thought. Therefore, it is advisable to seek guidance from an established scholar of your school of thought before making any final decision regarding eating the above-stated parts of a halal animal.
Is Goose Fat Halal or Haram?
According to the above-cited verse, the goose is halal, so its fat is halal. You can eat natural goose fat, but if you want to buy processed goose fat, you must lookup for any haram ingredient added to the fat during processing.
Similarly, if any product contains goose fat, it will also be halal if it doesn’t have any other haram ingredient.
Islamic law considers three aspects when ascertaining whether a food is halal or haram. The first is that the food must come from a halal animal.
The second aspect is slaughtering the halal animal according to the Islamic slaughtering method (Zabihah). If killing the halal animal is against the Zabihah method, then the halal animal will become haram, and none of its parts will be halal for Muslims to eat.
The last aspect is that no haram ingredient is added when any halal part of the animal is processed or preserved.
So, if slaughtering a goose according to the Zabihah method and its fat has no haram additive, you can buy it from the superstore and eat it.
To Sum it Up
Holy Quran and Sunnah are the two primary sources of guidance for all Muslim populace. So, according to the Quran and Sunnah, slaughtering a goose using the Islamic Zabihah method, its fat, as its meat, is halal to eat.
