Permissibility Of Reading Cooking Books

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

I have recently purchased a book about cooking, only to find that sometimes the author mentions things about haram ingredients (wine, pork). Is this book halal for me to read for the purpose of only learning halal techniques, recipes, etc.?

Answer

I pray you are well.

Yes, it is permissible to read cooking books even if they have haram ingredients listed in them. Reading about them is not the same as ingesting them.

Replace the haram ingredients with halal alternatives, enjoy the food, and thank Allah: “O Believers, eat the delicious foods We have provided you and thank Allah – if you truly do worship Him.” (Quran, 2:172)

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital, and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.