Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Islam has long wrestled with what it means to consume the world. Over the centuries Islamic sages developed a set of sources discussing what it means to consume well and, conversely, what it means to consume poorly. Though scholars have studied Islamic rules about halal, including food prohibitions, production, processing and cooking, Islamic perspectives on the act of eating have gone underappreciated. This project aims to fill that gap by investigating how this global religious tradition reasons about and inspires eating well. From the Qu’ran until today, Islamic sources invoked reasons or rationales to buttress their positions for eating well and against eating poorly. Some of these reasons appeal to authority whereas others turn to theology. Some point to physiology or bodily health to justify their proposals, while others consider cognitive repercussions more compelling. Understanding such reasons and how they function rhetorically are crucial to appreciating how and why the Islamic tradition writ large promotes adaptive, that is, healthy, eating strategies. Close attention will be given to at least four baskets of sources. The first includes relevant comments in the Qur’an that set the stage for subsequent discussions. The second basket includes tafsir, hadith and sunnah literatures. The third are those composed by Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali in 11th Century Persia, especially the treatises pertaining to eating within his authoritative Ihya ulum al-din. The final, modern, set includes the volumes How to Eat to Live by Muhummad Elijah in America.