Isma Leader Says The Word ‘Rahmah’ Should Not Be Used For Non-Halal Menu
The word Rahmah comes from verses in the Quran and therefore should not be used for non-halal menus, which do not conform to Islamic criterias.
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Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA) women’s chief Shazamawati Zam Hashari said recently that the word ‘rahmah’ for the non-halal menu in Malaysia is not suitable.
As reported by TV Pertiwi, Shazamawati stated that the word Rahmah comes from verses in the Quran and therefore should not be used for menus that do not conform to Islamic criteria.
According to her, some of the characteristics that conform to Islamic criteria are it must be halal food (it doesn’t matter with or without a halal logo), it must follow a healthy balanced diet, and it must be prepared in a clean environment.
Rahmah is a word that is related to Islam, so it must meet the requirements of Islamic qualities. Non-halal food doesn’t follow requirements so it shouldn’t be categorized under the Menu Rahmah.
Shazamawati Zam Hashari, Head of Women from the Malaysian Muslim Solidarity (ISMA)
Makanan tidak halal tidak sepatutnya disenaraikan di bawah inisiatif menu Rahmah yang dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan.
— TV Pertiwi (@TVPertiwi_MY) April 3, 2023
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/1pAh0OGWFy
Last March, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said that the label ‘Menu Rahmah’ will be extended to non-halal eateries nationwide so that needy non-muslims can also benefit from the government’s affordable food initiative.
According to Malaymail, Salahuddin said that the term ‘rahmah’ itself means compassion that goes beyond race and religion, despite its Arabic roots and usage in Islam.
We use the ‘Rahmah’ [label] for other packages so why stop at non-halal food, ‘Rahmah’ is for all.
Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister
Some people don’t agree with her
In TV Pertiwi’s Twitter thread, netizens expressed their opinions and reactions towards Shazamawati’s statement.
Some of them said that ‘rahmah’ derives from an Arabic word and that not every Arabian is Muslim.
“Rahmah” (رَحْمَة) is an Arabic word that means “mercy”, “compassion”, “kindness”, or “benevolence”. It is a central concept in Islamic theology and is often used in the Quran and Hadith to describe the mercy and compassion of Allah towards His creation. The word is derived from
— frightrice (@salzian) April 4, 2023
The Malay language borrows a lot of other words from other languages too
According to a UniSZA lecturer who teaches Arabic, the word ‘Rahmah’ can mean many things according to what context. Generally, in Arabic, the word ‘rahmah’ means love, mercy and grace.
Since the word ‘rahmah’ is a word that also exists in the Qur’an and hadith, it has several specific meanings too according to which verse. Hence, attention should be paid to understanding it so that the public does not misunderstand it when they encounter the word in the Qur’an and hadith.
Apart from that, the Malay language like many around the world borrows from other languages such as Sanskrit, Persian, English, Arabic and many more when it comes to vocabulary.
Since Islam came to Tanah Melayu long ago, we also use Arabic words in our daily lives as Malaysians.
Some of our daily used words borrowed from Arabic are as follows:
- Fitnah
- Berkat
- Adil
- Zalim
- Sedekah
- Mastautin
- Ziarah
- Falsafah
Do you think the word Rahmah should be limited to only specific terms?
READ MORE: Here Are 10 F&B Brands With New Menu Rahmah Items So You Can Feed Yourself At The End Of The Month
READ MORE: We Checked Out ‘Menu Rahmah’, Government’s Latest Initiative To Help With Rising Cost Of Living
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