Question Summary:
What are the effects of consuming Haraam?

Question Detail:

What religious consequences shall I have to face if I eat non-halal chicken intentionally or by mistake? You are requested to guide me for the both things.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.


Almighty Allah proclaims:
 
يـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُلُواْ مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ للَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ 
“Oh you who believe, Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allah Ta’ala, if it is indeed He Whom you worship”.
Eating Haraam promotes evils instincts, kills the taste of ‘Ibaadah and makes the prayers ineffective. In contrast, eating Halaal generates inner light, creates a distaste for evils deeds, leads towards high morals, and creates a state in which the heart welcomes ‘Ibaadah and finds the very thought of sin sickening and of course, prayers are answered. Therefore Almighty Allah told all the His Prophets to eat from what is good and to do what is righteous:-
يأَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُواْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَـتِ وَاعْمَلُواْ صَـلِحاً إِنِّى بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ
Oh Messengers! Eat of the pure and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am well-acquainted with what you do. (Surah 23: Verse 51)
Almighty Allah commands His believing servants to eat from the pure things that He has created for them and to thank Him for it, if they are truly His servants. Eating from pure sources is a cause for the acceptance of supplications and acts of worship, just as eating from impure sources prevents the acceptance of supplications and acts of worship, as mentioned in a Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad that Abu Hurayrah (Radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) said that Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi Wassallam)said:  
Oh people! Allah is Pure and only accepts that which is pure. Allah has indeed commanded the believers same as He has commanded the Messengers. Almighty says;
“Oh Messengers! Eat of the pure and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am well-acquainted with what you” Then he mentioned a man, (who is engaged in a long journey, whose hair is untidy and who is covered in dust, he raises his hands to the sky, and says, `Oh Lord! Oh Lord!' Yet, his food is from the unlawful, his drink is from the unlawful, his clothes are from the unlawful, and he was nourished by the unlawful, so how can it his supplication be accepted'' (Sahih Muslim & Tirmidhi as quoted by Ibn Kathir)¹
 
Once Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas (Radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) asked Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi Wassallam) to make du’aa that Almighty Allah make him from the Mustajaabad da’wah (one whose du‘aas are always accepted). Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi Wassallam) replied, “Oh Sa‘ad, make your food pure: you will become Mustajaabad da‘wah.”(At-Tibraani and Bayhaqi)
It is also reported in the Hadith that one night Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi Wassallam) found a date under his side and ate it. He then spent the rest of the night awake and restless. When his wife asked him about it he replied: “I found a date under my side and I ate it. [Then I remembered that] we had some Sadaqah dates [in the house] and I feared that it was from them.” (Ahmad) ²
 
Such was the cautiousness of Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi Wassallam) in matters of Halaal and Haraam. The Sahaabah (Radhiyallaahu ‘anhum) too went to great lengths to ensure they only consumed what was pure and Halaal. Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaah ‘anhu) had a servant who used to bring him food. On one such occasion, after Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) had eaten some of the food, the servant asked, “Do you know what that was?”Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) replied, “What was it?”He said, “I used to practice divination in the times of Jaahiliyyah (ignorance), and I was no expert. I deceived a person, and he came to me and paid me for it, and what you just ate was from that [payment].”Hearing this, Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaah ‘anhu) inserted his hand into his mouth and vomited out the contents of his stomach. (Sahih Bukhaari) ²
 
Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi Wassallam) said; “That body will not enter Jannah which has been nourished with Haraam.” (Bayhaqi) ³
If you ate Haraam food, you should make sincere repentance (Tawbah) and seek forgiveness from Almighty Allah and never indulge yourself in consuming such food as that will definitely have a pessimistic effect on your ‘Ibaadat. Hence if absentmindedly you consumed any Haraam food, in that case you won’t be a sinner or culpable.
 
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mohammad Ashhad Bin Saeed
Mauritius
 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
 
 
¹أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ اللهَ طَيِّبٌ، لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّـبًا، وَإنَّ اللهَ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، يأَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُواْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَـتِ وَاعْمَلُواْ صَـلِحاً إِنِّى بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ- ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ: يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ، وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَملْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَغُذِّيَ بالْحَرَامِ فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذلِكَ
Riyaadhul Jannah Vol 22/Issue 2-²

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى بْنِ شَيْبَةَ، ثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الِاحْتِيَاطِيُّ، ثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْجَوْزَجَانِيُّ رَفِيقُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ، ثَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، [ص:311] عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: تُلِيَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مِمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا} [البقرة: 168] فَقَامَ سَعْدُ بْنُ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، ادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَجْعَلَنِي مُسْتَجَابَ الدَّعْوَةِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «يَا سَعْدُ أَطِبْ مَطْعَمَكَ تَكُنْ مُسْتَجَابَ الدَّعْوَةِ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَقْذِفُ اللُّقْمَةَ الْحَرَامَ فِي جَوْفِهِ مَا يُتَقَبَّلُ مِنْهُ عَمَلَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، وَأَيُّمَا عَبْدٍ نَبَتَ لَحْمُهُ مِنَ السُّحْتِ وَالرِّبَا فَالنَّارُ أَوْلَى بِهِ»
لَا يُرْوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ إِلَّا بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ، تَفَرَّدَ بِهِ الِاحْتِيَاطِيُّ " (المعجم الأوسط للطبرانى)
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، حَدَّثَنِي أَخِي، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ بِلاَلٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ القَاسِمِ، عَنِ القَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا، قَالَتْ: " كَانَ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ غُلاَمٌ يُخْرِجُ لَهُ الخَرَاجَ، وَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ خَرَاجِهِ، فَجَاءَ يَوْمًا بِشَيْءٍ فَأَكَلَ مِنْهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الغُلاَمُ: أَتَدْرِي مَا هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: وَمَا هُوَ؟ قَالَ: كُنْتُ تَكَهَّنْتُ لِإِنْسَانٍ فِي الجَاهِلِيَّةِ، وَمَا أُحْسِنُ الكِهَانَةَ، إِلَّا أَنِّي خَدَعْتُهُ، فَلَقِيَنِي فَأَعْطَانِي بِذَلِكَ، فَهَذَا الَّذِي أَكَلْتَ مِنْهُ، فَأَدْخَلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَدَهُ، فَقَاءَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فِي بَطْنِهِ " (صحيح البخارى، رقم الحديث 3842)
³ وَعَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ جَسَدٌ غُذِّيَ
بالحرَامِ» . رَوَاهُ الْبَيْهَقِيّ فِي شعب الْإِيمَان كذا فى المشكاة