Introduction to the Book:

The objective of religion is the purification of the human self. All commands of the Shariah have been prescribed to achieve this goal. These commands fall into four categories: acts of worship, bodily purification, purification of food and drink, and purification of morals. The prohibitions outlined in these areas relate primarily to conduct and consumption. These are the impurities that defile human actions, dispositions, and dietary habits. The term “haram” (unlawful) is used specifically for such matters. For moral purification, the Quran declares only five things to be haram: obscenities, injustice, wrongful aggression, polytheism, and innovation in religion. As for dietary purification, the Quran establishes the principle that pure (tayyib) items are lawful and impure (khabeeth) items are unlawful, relying on reason and human nature as sufficient guides. However, the Quran itself classifies four ambiguous items as impure and therefore haram: carrion, blood, pork, and any animal sacrificed in the name of other than God. In both moral and dietary prohibitions, the Quran uses the restrictive particle “innamā” to affirm that only these things are haram. This makes it clear that all other prohibitions mentioned in the Quran and hadith must be related to these established categories. Moral offenses fall under the five mentioned sins, while dietary prohibitions are subsumed under what is considered impure.