Halal Certification, the End Times, Prophet Isa and Swine

Today, Muslims rely heavily on halal certification when choosing food.

When there is a halal logo, the heart feels somewhat at ease. When there is no halal logo, doubt begins to arise. Every time we want to eat at a new place, we have to check its halal status. We have to ask. We have to search for information. We have to examine the ingredients. We have to know who owns the place. We have to make sure of the source.

This is not a small matter.

In the past, things were not as complicated as they are today. Muslims would usually choose Muslim-owned shops. They knew the seller. They knew how the slaughtering was done. They knew whose kitchen it was. They knew what ingredients were used. Doubt still existed, but it was not as widespread as it is in the modern world today.

Now, the issue is no longer only about who owns the restaurant.

The issue has entered the chain of ingredients itself.

In food, there are processed ingredients. In medicine, there is gelatin. In cosmetics, there are animal fats. In fast food, there are flavourings. In cakes and bread, there are emulsifiers. In medicine capsules, there are sources that are not clearly known. In the modern industry, something may look clean, yet its source may not be clean.

This is where the anxiety of Muslims begins.

One of the greatest causes of doubt is the presence of swine-related elements.

This does not mean that swine is the only issue in halal matters. Alcohol has its own issue. Carrion has its own issue. Invalid slaughter has its own issue. Contamination with impurity also has its own issue. However, in the modern chain of food, medicine, healthcare, cosmetics and industrial materials, swine has become one of the biggest causes of doubt that leaves Muslims constantly uncertain.

So halal certification today is not merely a label.

It has become a line of defence for Muslims in a world that has become mixed and contaminated. It is a sign that we are living in a deeply complex age. It is proof that food can no longer be easily identified by the naked eye.

But pay attention to one thing.

As long as the root cause remains, a verification system will continue to be needed. As long as forbidden materials continue to enter the human supply chain, Muslims will have to keep checking, filtering, asking and remaining cautious.

That is why the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ concerning the descent of Prophet Isa عليه السلام carries such profound meaning.

Prophet Isa does not descend as an ordinary figure. He descends as a just judge. He does not merely offer advice. He does not merely repair a broken system from the margins. He comes with judgement. He comes with authority. He comes to decide what is true and to demolish what is false.

In the authentic hadith, among the matters mentioned is that Prophet Isa will break the cross and kill the swine.

This is not an ordinary statement.

Breaking the cross signifies the collapse of a false religious symbol that was falsely attached to him. Killing the swine points to the removal of a source of corruption that has long been allowed to live within human systems.

When swine is removed from the human chain, one of the greatest causes of halal doubt also disappears.

No swine in food ingredients.

No swine in gelatin.

No swine in capsules.

No swine in hidden fats.

No swine in the processing chain.

No swine in the industries that have forced Muslims to live in constant doubt and endless checking.

This is the message.

We may build many laws. We may add more procedures. We may tighten audits. We may make certification compulsory. We may expand enforcement departments.

All of that is useful to a certain extent.

However, if the root cause is still left intact, the problem will continue to return. If forbidden materials remain part of the industrial chain, Muslims will continue to live in doubt.

Prophet Isa does not come to patch up corruption.

He comes as a just judge.

He resolves the root cause.

That is why this hadith is deeply profound. It is not merely a story about the End Times. It also opens our eyes to the fact that part of the anxiety Muslims face today comes from a world where halal and haram have become mixed, until people need a certificate just to feel safe when eating.

So do not take the issue of swine lightly.

It is not merely an animal.

In the context of the End Times and the modern chain of life, it becomes a symbol of a forbidden source that has entered food, medicine, trade, healthcare, cosmetics and the daily life of mankind.

When Prophet Isa descends, he does not come as a follower of the modern world system.

He comes as a just judge.

He breaks the cross.

He kills the swine.

He abolishes the jizyah.

Wealth overflows until no one wants to accept it.

At that time, the value of the world collapses.

One prostration becomes better than the world and everything in it.

So read the hadiths below with a conscious soul.

This is not merely a hadith about the End Times.

This is a hadith about judgement.

This is a hadith about the collapse of false symbols.

This is a hadith about the cleansing of sources of corruption.

This is a hadith about a world that will finally be made to submit to the law of Allah.

Hadith 1

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا الزُّهْرِيُّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ، سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَنْزِلَ فِيكُمُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ حَكَمًا مُقْسِطًا، فَيَكْسِرَ الصَّلِيبَ، وَيَقْتُلَ الْخِنْزِيرَ، وَيَضَعَ الْجِزْيَةَ، وَيَفِيضَ الْمَالُ حَتَّى لاَ يَقْبَلَهُ أَحَدٌ ‏"‏‏.‏

From Abu Hurairah,

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary descends among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the swine, abolish the jizyah and wealth will overflow until no one will accept it.”

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 2476
In-book reference: Book 46, Hadith 37
USC-MSA web reference: Vol. 3, Book 43, Hadith 656

Hadith 2

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ فِيكُمُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ حَكَمًا مُقْسِطًا فَيَكْسِرَ الصَّلِيبَ، وَيَقْتُلَ الْخِنْزِيرَ، وَيَضَعَ الْجِزْيَةَ، وَيَفِيضَ الْمَالُ حَتَّى لاَ يَقْبَلَهُ أَحَدٌ ‏"‏‏.‏

From Abu Hurairah,

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the time is near when the son of Mary will descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the swine, abolish the jizyah and wealth will overflow until no one will accept it.”

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 2222
In-book reference: Book 34, Hadith 169
USC-MSA web reference: Vol. 3, Book 34, Hadith 425

Hadith 3

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ، أَخْبَرَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنْ صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، أَنَّ سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ، سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ فِيكُمُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ حَكَمًا عَدْلاً، فَيَكْسِرَ الصَّلِيبَ، وَيَقْتُلَ الْخِنْزِيرَ، وَيَضَعَ الْجِزْيَةَ، وَيَفِيضَ الْمَالُ حَتَّى لاَ يَقْبَلَهُ أَحَدٌ، حَتَّى تَكُونَ السَّجْدَةُ الْوَاحِدَةُ خَيْرًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا ‏"‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ وَاقْرَءُوا إِنْ شِئْتُمْ ‏{‏وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلاَّ لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا‏}‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah said,

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the time is near when the son of Mary will descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the swine, abolish the jizyah and wealth will overflow until no one will accept it, until a single prostration becomes better than the world and everything in it.”

Then Abu Hurairah said:

“Read, if you wish:

وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلاَّ لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا

‘There is none from the People of the Book except that he will surely believe in him before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them.’”

Surah an-Nisa’ 4:159

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 3448
In-book reference: Book 60, Hadith 118
USC-MSA web reference: Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith 657

Closing

Halal certification is a necessity of this age.

However, the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ teaches us to look deeper than labels. The problem Muslims face today is not only about certification. The problem lies in a world that has mixed halal and haram into the very chain of human life.

When Prophet Isa عليه السلام descends as a just judge, he does not merely manage doubt. He removes the root cause of doubt.

The cross is broken.

The swine is killed.

The jizyah is abolished.

The world loses its value.

Prostration becomes more valuable than the world and everything in it.

May this be of benefit.