Assalamo Alaikom, Many of nowadays food products have some e-numbers (colors, conservatives and so on) as a part of their ingredients. These e-numbers can be from an animal source, pork, insects or plants. Different websites on the Web indicate different e-numbers as Halal and Haram or Mashbooh; so confusing. The questions are: -Do I have to consider these e-numbers when buying my food? I read a comment somewhere on the Web that it is OK once the material is transformed chemically. -If these numbers matter, is there an authenticate list of the Haram e-numbers? Some lists on the Internet say halal if from plant source for many e-numbers. But most of the products do not indicate the source of the e-numbers. Should I consider them as Mashbooh and avoid them? I live in Europe and by avoiding products with these e-numbers, pork and beef which is not slaughtered according the islamic rules, I have nothing left to eat. I heard that I can say Basmala and eat such beef or chicken meat? Is that true? I buy sometimes a vegetarian pizza but it is baked in the same place with another pizza with pork. Maybe it touches or so. Can I eat such a pizza. This pizza is vegetarian but it has sauces and so. These sauces may have some of the e-numbers. What should I do? What I am looking for is a guide for me and my brothers with me here and all over the western world. Thanks for your efforts. With best regards,

All praise be to Allah and may His peace and blessings be on His final and greatest messenger, Muhammad.
Dear Enquirer,
Thank you for your trust in us as well as your keenness to follow the guidance of Allah and His Messenger. May Allah give us and you consistency and steadfastness on His path.
Let me first tell you that there will always be halal alternatives. Many people choose to be vegetarian or even vegan for their health and many do for religious reasons, such as certain groups of the Buddhists and Hindus. Therefore, if it comes down to becoming vegetarian for the sake of Allah and out of compliance with His true deen, I don’t think that would be a price any sane person would hesitate to pay. Also, many people avoid eating out all together, because it is unhealthy.
Thankfully to Allah, this is not the case. You will always have fish to eat. Also, you may eat all halal and kosher foods.
As for meats, I would choose for abstinence from all meats except the halal or kosher products. This is because there is enough data out there to make us doubt whether the meat is slaughtered and whether it was slaughtered by someone whose meat we can eat.
As for the other food ingredients, I would recommend for you to avoid:
1- Lard (which is almost obsolete).
2- Animal shortening (which is almost obsolete).
3- Gelatin (except in medicines if there were no alternatives).
4- Glycerin (except in medicines if there were no alternatives).
5- Liquor, when not otherwise defined. That is different from chocolate liquor, since the word liquor just means liquid, but when mentioned alone, it refers to Alcoholic beverages.
As for the other products, such as lecithin, mono and diglycerides, and the various enzymes, I would consider them permissible to consume for the following reasons:
1- It has been authentically reported by Abu Dawood and others that the companions after the opened al-Mada’en ate from the cheese of the Zoroastrians. It is made by the enzymes extracted from their animals which are not permissible for us even if they slaughtered them.
2- Many of the ingredients that are controversial get transformed and the transformation changes their ruling according to the majority.
3- Najasah of the dead and non halal animals usually pertains to the animate body parts that have tissue life, not the parts that have vegetable like life such as the hair, teeth, bones, and fluids aside from the known excrements.
4- Najsaat are different in their grades, with the najasah by propinquity being a weaker one. Many times the najasah of enzymes is because of their touching of the dead tissues of the dead animal.
5- Trivial amounts are usually exempt in sharia, and that may apply to the emulsifiers and enzymes that are used in very small amounts to accelerate certain chemical pathways.
May Allah purify your heart and stomach, and the rest of your organs from all evil and every spiritual or physical filth.
Allah knows best.

I would want to know the differences between the Sunni Muslims and the Salafi Muslims?

All praise be to Allah and may His peace and blessings be on His final and greatest messenger, Muhammad.
Dear Enquirer,
The word Sunni means one who follows the Sunnah, which means the path of the messenger of Allah (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
The word Salafi means one who follows the Salaf, which are the righteous predecessors, namely the scholars and Muslim imams from the first three generations.
Following the first three generations, more particularly that of the Sahabah, is the path recommended by the messenger of Allah. He (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
عن عبد اللَّهِ بن عَمْرٍو قال: قال رسول اللَّهِ : “لَيَأْتِيَنَّ على أُمَّتِي ما أتى على بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ حَذْوَ النَّعْلِ بِالنَّعْلِ، حتى إن كان منهم من أتى أُمَّهُ عَلَانِيَةً لَكَانَ في أُمَّتِي من يَصْنَعُ ذلك وَإِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ تَفَرَّقَتْ على ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً وَتَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي على ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً كلهم في النَّارِ إلا مِلَّةً وَاحِدَةً قالوا وَمَنْ هِيَ يا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قال ما أنا عليه وَأَصْحَابِي.� قال أبو عِيسَى هذا حَدِيثٌ مُفَسَّرٌ غريب لَا نَعْرِفُهُ مِثْلَ هذا إلا من هذا الْوَجْهِ ‏‏‏.‏ وفي رواية قال �هي الجماعة، يد الله على الجماعة‏�.‏
�My nation will experience everything that the Children of Israel had experienced, following in their footsteps exactly, so much so that if one of them had approached his mother publicly for sex, one of my nation will do the same. The Children of Israel divided into 72 sects. My nation will divide into 73 sects, and all of them will be in the Hellfire save one.� The people asked him: �And which one will that be? He replied: �The one that follows what I and my Companions are upon right now.� And in a different narration, he said about that group: �It is the group/mainstream; Allah�s hand is with the group.�
This hadeeth has been authentically reported � though some disagreed with its authenticity - by Ahmad and the books called as-Sunan, including at-Tirmidhi from which is the above mentioned wording. Its meaning has its roots in the Quran, Allah said:
“فَإِنْ آمَنُواْ بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنتُم بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَواْ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللّهُ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ.”
�So if they believe as ye believe, they are indeed on the right path; but if they turn back, it is they who are in schism; but Allah will suffice thee as against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.� [Al-Baqarah:137]
The people addressed by this are none but the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them).
Given the above, as well as Allah�s accreditation of the Sahabah in many verses of the Quran, it is obvious that the two words Sunni and Salafi overlap, despite having different linguistic origins. It is an overlap like that of Iman and Islam…etc.
It is important, however, to observe that the claim does not necessarily always match the reality. One may claim to be Sunni or Salafi without living up to such noble claims.
The following are signs of those who are both Sunni and Salafi (in truth):
• They follow the revelation (Quran and Sunnah) and quote it appropriately. And they are keen to seek out the authentic Sunnah of our most beloved, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
• They understand the revelation according to the understanding of the righteous predecessors, which are the companions, and those who followed in their footsteps. They don�t reject or defy the consensus of the previous generations.
• In matters of Aqeedah, they receive their faith from the pure sources of the Quran and Sunnah. They don�t liken Allah to his creatures, nor do they negate his attributes. They believe Allah�s rule (Shari�ah) is supreme, and work for its implementation in their societies.
• They believe in predestination without negating man�s choice…etc.
• In matters of fiqh, they may � or may not - follow a madhhab, but are always keen to abide by the Sunnah when it is clear.
• They don�t pursue illegitimate concessions, nor do they neglect to enjoy legitimate ones. They follow a path of moderation between extremism and laxity. And most importantly, they do what they say and vice versa.
• They avoid innovations and resist any addition to or deletion from the deen. A true Salafi is one who says about the companions the opposite of what the disbelievers said! The disbelievers said:
“وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَوْ كَانَ خَيْرًا مَّا سَبَقُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا بِهِ فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَذَا إِفْكٌ قَدِيمٌ.”
�The Unbelievers say of those who believe: “If it were a good thing, (such men) would not have gone to it first, before us!” And seeing that they guide not themselves thereby, they will say, “this is an (old,) falsehood!” [Al-Ahqaf-46/11] Again, those who believed during the time of this revelation are none but the Sahabah. It is our duty to say: �”If it were a good thing, (such men) would have gone to it first.�
• In matters of the history of Islam and the companions and the great imams, they speak well of them and abstain from any mention of them that is belittling or defaming. They respect the scholars of Islam, particularly the ones whose leadership is agreed upon, such as the four imams, Abu Haneefah, Malik, ash-Shafe�ee and Ahmad. And they do so without giving any of them the position of the Messenger of Allah, who is obeyed without questioning in all matters. They are moderate in their following of the madhahib between the extremes of excessive zeal and contempt.
• They work for unity amongst the Muslims. They love them and fear for the disobedient and misguided amongst them and seek to help them through advice (naseehah). They care about the Muslims and grieve over the afflictions the nation may encounter. And they have allegiance for the believers regardless of their race, color, language, nationality, tribe or social or economic status. They never aid their enemies against them.
Having said all that, I prefer that the name Salafi is not used as a way of creating dissension or division, or as a symbol of status, but rather, it may be used at times when one wants to assert his/her following of the early generations.
Allah knows best.

In your presentation you stated that Moses teaching were infallible.
One of my Islamic friends stated that Jesus was not crucified but raised & his twin was placed as a substitute on the cross.
If this is true, what is the meaning & need of the sacrificial system & the sanctuary instituted by Moses?
Why was there a need to sacrifice a “Sinless” animal for the sin of the sinner?
What was the need for a scape goat once a year performed only by the high priest?
If Jesus did not die on the cross for our sins, why was there a need for the sanctuary & the sacrificial system instituted by Moses?
Do you practice the sacrificial system today as the one instituted by Moses?

All praise be to Allah, and may His peace and blessings be on His prophets and messengers,
The sacrifice of an animal is to show devotion, generosity and sympathy for the poor, not because God needs this to wipe out our sins. After all, the meat gets distributed amongst the less fortunate and hungry.
God says in the Quran:
"لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنكُمْ كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ"
“It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah. it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His Guidance to you and proclaim the good news to all who do right.” (Chapter #22, Verse #37)
We do slaughter animals all the time to eat them, so there is nothing wrong with slaughtering them to feed the hungry. After all, God created them for our use, and to say the contrary is to deny the reasoning of 90% of humanity.
Animal protein has essential amino acids, which we need for a balanced and good diet. An expert in nutrition at the State University of New York has once challenged a group of colleagues to win the world championship in wrestling with a team made of vegetarians.
As for the concept of Jesus (peace be upon him) dying for us, we don’t believe in that for the following reasons:
1- God told us in the Quran he was not killed, but raised to the heavens and the one killed was an enemy of his, which God made to look like Jesus (peace be upon him).
2- It would not make sense or be logical to exonerate humanity from the sin of eating an apple by causing them to kill the “Son of God”. It looks like this is somewhat more grievous than eating an apple.
3- What accountability would be there if man was born in sin because someone else made a mistake (ate an apple), and then he gets purified from that sin because someone else paid for it (crucified).
The Quran teaches us:
"منِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلاَ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً"
“Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent an apostle (to give warning).” Chapter #17, Verse #15
Allah knows best.