Fast food has become very popular nowadays, particularly worldwide, including in western nations. Cravings for junk food are unstoppable. While you can’t stop yourself from eating the crispy chips, crunchy wings and cheese-filled meat burgers, you are increasing the chances of various diseases without compromising your health.
With each popular fast-food restaurant, all unhealthy snacks come. But in this situation, people in the West always come up with one question, ‘is it all fast food halal?’
Jollibee restaurant chain is one of those fast-growing food spots that is growing with the global recognition strategy that is undoubtedly moving the entire group away from its fast-food roots. The UK Muslim community also love to indulge in fast food recipe, but what about the Islamic legal status of Jollibee’s restaurant? Are they serving halal food? And we, as Muslims, do we consider halal and haram when it comes to eating junk food?
The fast-food chain is a multinational chain of junk food restaurants. Since December, Jollibee has spread its about 1,500 branches worldwide with restaurants in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, North America, East Asia, and the UK.
In this article, we will discuss whether the Jollibee restaurant is running halal food services or haram so that you can make a wise decision while visiting one of its UK outlets.
Jollibee Restaurant
Jollibee restaurant offers a wide range of fried chicken, spaghetti, sandwiches, tenders, burgers, drinks and desserts. What makes these foods halal or haram are their ingredients. If this company uses halal ingredients, then it will be halal, and if they don’t, then it will be haram.
We will discuss the ingredients of the foods one by one to help you decide whether you should have a meal from this restaurant or not.
Fried Chicken
Fried chicken from Jollibee restaurant consists of chicken parts that are a thick batter with flour and cornstarch used to make a juicy and crispy dish.
Jollibee Spaghetti
There are different varieties of Jollibee spaghetti, including Palabok Fiesta. The ingredients they use in this recipe are noodles, shrimp, egg, garlic sauce and sauteed pork. The pork and hotdogs are two main essential fillings in the spaghetti. So, the pork they used in this dish is haram to eat for Muslims!
In Quran, there is no specific reason for the prohibition of eating pork except 6:145 when God says regarding the meat of swine (pig)
“for that surely is impure.”
As Muslims, we should accept God’s command willingly because we don’t need to know the reasons behind the prohibition and divine rules.
Sandwiches
Jollibee restaurant also has a wide variety of sandwiches, including original chicken sandwiches, Deluxe Chicken sandwiches, Spicy Chicken Sandwich and Spicy Deluxe Chicken Sandwich. Their sandwiches are halal because they make them from chicken breast filet, tomato, lettuce, mayo and jalapenos. Therefore the sandwiches can be eaten because they don’t contain any haram ingredients.
Chicken Tenders
The other food that Jollibee restaurant serves is chicken tender, prepared with white meat chicken. Therefore, this food item is halal to eat because of its ingredients.
Burgers
When it comes to the burgers of Jollibee restaurants, they have different options, including Yumburgers, Cheesy Yumburgers, Big Yum Burger, and Aloha Yum Burger. All of its burgers are made from beef, fresh bun, tomato, lettuce, and beef, except for Aloha Yumburgers, which are made from bacon. The specialty of this type of burger is its bacon meat, which makes it both a special meal and haram!
Burger Steaks
Just like spaghetti and burgers, Jollibee has burger steaks on its menu. When it comes to the halal or haram ingredients of this dish, it is halal as it is prepared from halal ingredients. It contains beef burger patties, mushroom gravy and rice, which is halal for Muslims and is not prohibited in Islam.
Drinks and Desserts
Drinks and desserts are also in a wide range and are halal because of fruits, peach, and pineapple used to make drinks or desserts.
Jollibee Halal or Haram
Jollibee serves both halal and haram food. But the ingredients they are using in their menu have been clarified by us above, and the ingredients they use to prepare their food make that specific food halal or haram.
However, even if they are using halal meat, it should follow the Islamic method of Zabihah, i.e., slaughtering.
While eating halal food, Muslims in the UK often think of meat as halal because of chicken or beef. Still, the concept of Zabiha should also be considered before eating, which is often overlooked!
Despite the haram ingredients in some of its food, Jollibee has received an official halal certificate from the Islamic Development Department. While Jollibee is the dominant market in the Philippines, it is not halal in the USA because this restaurant has a pork option in its food items.
Islamic Principles About Halal and Haram
The basic principle of halal and haram is that Allah created all except for things that are prohibited. Those exceptions are blood, pork and meat of animals that died of factors other than proper slaughtering.
What is allowed is sufficient, and what is forbidden is unnecessary. Allah forbade just what was dispensed with while also offering better alternatives. People may survive and live better without eating unhealthy carrion, pork, blood, or alcohol, which is the foundation of many vices.
Final Thoughts
Muslims have two primary sources for the proper guidance of halal and haram: the Holy Quran and Sunnah. So, in the light of Quranic Hadees, all the restaurant’s ingredients must be halal and follow the concept of Zabihah.
If you still doubt eating the product of Jollibee restaurant, you should consult or take advice from Islamic scholars before jumping to the conclusion about halal or haram.
