(Muhamad Nabeel Musharraf - 12/Aug/2026)
One of the most important discussions in Islamic legal theory concerning food, substances, and even moral conduct is the meaning of al-khabāʾith (الخبائث) mentioned in Allah's statement:
وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ
"He makes lawful for them the wholesome things and forbids for them the khabāʾith (foul, impure, or vile things)." (Al-Aʿrāf 7:157)
The jurists differed on a fundamental question:
What exactly makes something "khabīth"?
The following are the major approaches found among the scholars.
Opinion 1: Khabīth Is What the Arabs Considered Repugnant
Many jurists, especially within the Shāfiʿī school, held that when there is no explicit text or consensus regarding a particular animal, its status is determined by the judgment of the Arabs to whom the Qur'an was originally addressed.
As stated:
وأما ضابط المستخبث المحرم: فقد اختلف أهل العلم في تحديده؛ فذهب كثير منهم إلى أن ضابطه هو: ما استخبثه عرب أمصار الحجاز دون غيرهم في عصر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم خاصة
"As for the criterion of the prohibited mustakhbath (repugnant thing), the scholars differed concerning it. Many held that its criterion is whatever was regarded as repugnant by the Arabs of the cities of the Hijaz during the time of the Prophet ﷺ."
Their proof is Allah's statement:
وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ
They argued that the first audience of this verse were the Arabs, therefore their linguistic and customary understanding determines what is considered ṭayyib and khabīth.
This is the position held by Shāfiʿī scholars:
قرره الشافعية رحمهم الله عند عدم النص أو الإجماع
"The Shāfiʿī scholars established this principle when no textual evidence or consensus exists."
They further said:
فكل حيوان لم يرد فيه نص أو إجماع بتحليله أو تحريمه أو لم يأمر بقتله... واستطابته العرب فهو حلال وما استخبثته فهو حرام
"Every animal concerning which there is no text or consensus declaring it lawful or unlawful, and regarding which there is no command to kill it, is lawful if the Arabs regarded it as wholesome; and whatever they regarded as repugnant is unlawful."
The reference point, however, is not simply any Arab:
فالمعول عليه في ذلك هم العرب الأقحاح
"The authoritative standard in this matter is the judgment of the pure/native Arabs."
This approach is discussed in the Shāfiʿī works, particularly al-Umm (2/264).
Opinion 2: Khabīth Is What People Generally Regard as Repugnant
Some scholars broadened the criterion from "Arabs" to human custom more generally.
They state:
ما استخبثه الناس عموماً مما لم يرد فيه نص فهو كذلك
"Whatever people generally regard as repugnant or distasteful, in cases where there is no textual ruling concerning it, is likewise considered so."
According to this approach, the determining factor is widespread human aversion rather than a specifically Arab standard.
This view seeks to account for the fact that customs and perceptions differ between societies, while still recognizing that there are certain things that people naturally recoil from. This view takes the cultural bias out of the equation.
Opinion 3: Khabīth Is Whatever Is Harmful
Another view defines khabīth primarily through the concept of benefit and harm.
It is summarized in the maxim:
فالخبيث هو الضار، والطيب هو النافع
"The khabīth is that which is harmful, and the ṭayyib is that which is beneficial."
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn stated:
ومما ورد الشرع بتحريمه ما كان خبيثاً ضاراً، كما قال الله تعالى في وصف النبي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: (ويحل لهم الطيبات ويحرم عليهم الخبائث)، فما ثبت أنه ضار بالبدن أو بالعقل سواء ضرت البدن بأمراض مستعصية، أو تُخِل بتفكيره فهي محرمة
"Among the things prohibited by the Sharīʿah are those that are foul and harmful, as Allah said concerning the Prophet ﷺ: 'He makes lawful for them the wholesome things and forbids for them the foul things.' Therefore whatever is proven harmful to the body or the mind, whether by causing serious diseases or impairing one's thinking, is prohibited."
Under this approach, the concept of khabīth extends beyond food and substances. It can also include moral harms and destructive behavior.
Opinion 4: Khabīth Means What Allah and His Messenger Have Declared Forbidden (The Strongest View in the opinion of the author of this article)
Many Mālikī scholars and others argued that the ayah below is not giving an independent criterion by which people determine prohibition. Rather, it describes what Allah has already prohibited.
Allah says:
وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ
The Prophet ﷺ said:
الحلال ما أحل الله في كتابه، والحرام ما حرم الله في كتابه، وما سكت عنه فهو ما عفا عنه
"The lawful is what Allah made lawful in His Book, the unlawful is what Allah made unlawful in His Book, and whatever He remained silent about is among the things He pardoned."
The opinion of the Maliki scholars is reported as the following:
مذهب مالك أن الطيبات هي المحللات، فكأنه وصفها بالطيب، إذ هي لفظة تتضمن مدحاً وتشريفاً
"The position of Mālik is that the ṭayyibāt are the things made lawful. It is as though they are described as good because the term contains praise and honor."
And:
وبحسب هذا نقول في الخبائث: إنها المحرمات
"Accordingly, we say concerning the khabāʾith that they are the prohibited things."
According to this view:
- Things are not prohibited because people label them khabīth.
- Rather, they are khabīth because Allah prohibited them.
The verse is therefore descriptive, not a stand-alone legal test.
For matters not specifically mentioned in revelation, jurists rely on the general principles of the Qur'an and Sunnah to determine permissibility and prohibition.
Opinion 5: Every Objectively Khabīth Thing Is Included in the Verse
A final approach maintains that the verse establishes a general principle:
Every truly khabīth thing is forbidden, even if it is not individually named in the texts.
Its proponents argue that the verse itself makes khabāʾith unlawful, so anything shown to possess the qualities of khubth falls under the prohibition.
They opine:
ويرى بعض أهل العلم أن كل ما كان ضاراً ضرراً حسياً أو معنوياً فإنه من الخبائث، ويستدلون بقوله تعالى: (ويحرم عليهم الخبائث) على تحريم كل خبيث حساً أو معنى
"Some scholars hold that everything harmful, whether physically or morally, is among the khabāʾith, and they use the verse 'and He forbids for them the khabāʾith' as proof for the prohibition of every foul thing, physically or morally."
As per this definition, the things that are proven to be harmful, or the ones that people generally dislike to consume will come under the category of Al-Khabaith.
Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm said:
فقد حرم الله في هذه الآية: (ويحرم عليهم الخبائث) كل خبيث، فكل ما يستخبث أو يضر فإنه لا يحل، والخبث والضرر يعرف بآثاره وما يترتب عليه من المفاسد
"Allah prohibited in this verse every khabīth thing. Therefore anything considered foul or harmful is not lawful. Khubth and harm are recognized by their effects and the corruption they bring about."
On this view, khabīth is an objective category whose characteristics can be identified through its consequences and harms.
Conclusion
The scholars have approached the meaning of al-khabāʾith in several ways:
- The Arab-standard view (Shāfiʿī): what the Arabs regarded as repugnant is khabīth.
- The customary view: what people generally regard as repugnant is khabīth.
- The harm-benefit view: khabīth is whatever harms body, mind, or religion.
- The Mālikī view: khabāʾith simply means what Allah and His Messenger prohibited.
- The objective-attribute view: every genuinely harmful or vile thing is included under the verse even if not individually named.
The debate ultimately revolves around a single question: Is "khabīth" defined by custom, by harm, by revelation, or by some combination of these? The answer varies among the jurists, but all of them agree that Allah's statement, وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ, remains one of the foundational texts in determining what is lawful and unlawful.