What is your Halal:Haram Ratio? | What is it & How to Calculate it

Imagine: You are courted by a very nice Muslim brother and he seems perfect for you! Conversations flow easily, he’s funny and he prays and fasts. He doesn’t drink and seems to be a good Muslim overall, something that is very important to you. But then… You find out that he celebrates Christmas with Christmas tree and the whole Shabang! That is not something you’re okay with and that’s what you tell him! But he has a nice counter: you pluck your eyebrows. You shape them, groom them, fill them in and make them look pretty. Of course, you know that plucking your eyebrows is haram. So there you both are, both Muslims and sinners in your own right, but in different ways. Apparently, your Halal:Haram ratios don’t mix and that’s okay! If you’ve ever asked yourself: “What is the Halal:Haram Ratio?” I have the answers. Do you want to calculate your Halal:Haram ratio? I can help you with that too.

What is the Halal: Haram Ratio?

The origin of the term Halal:Haram Ratio

Let us first give credit where credit is due. The term Halal:Haram Ratio seems to be coined by a Twitter user named Waseem tweeting the following:

This tweet perfectly encapsulates the way our Muslim brothers and Muslim sisters practise Islam. Of course, the Quran is the official way to live, as our Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) did. But in the Prophet’s time, there were other problems and well… in our time we struggle with other things. There are different ways to practice Islam. Already after the death of our Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), in the first century of Islamic history, issues split our community into several divisions! The most prominent being the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam.

What does the Halal:Haram Ratio mean exactly?

The Halal:Haram Ratio shows you how ‘Islamic’ you are on a scale from 0% to 100%. This scale is not official, but a way to describe your own sins in comparison to your own virtues. No person except for our Prophet or the angels can be 100% Halal. Allah is forgiving because he knows the temptations of life. He tests humankind, knowing that we are made of clay and weak in our own regards.

In the eyes of Allah, we are all Muslims once we’ve said the Shahada. If you are a good Muslim is only something Allah can judge. However, when we look at the life of the Prophet, follow the Quran and read up on the different hadiths, we have a clear guideline of what is seen as ‘good’ in Allah’s eyes and what is ‘bad’. “What are some examples of the Halal:Haram Ratio?” You ask? I’ve made a little bingo card to help you along!

Why is knowing your Halal:Haram Ratio important?

What may come from a silly tweet, is actually a very important thing to consider in life and love! Knowing your own Halal:Haram Ratio will protect you from heartbreak in this Dunya. To go back to my example at the beginning: You pluck your eyebrows and your maybe future husband celebrates Christmas. Both these things are dealbreakers for you both. But imagine, you hadn’t talked about this? You would have gotten married and you would’ve added the extra sin of you celebrating Christmas with your hubby to your list, and he would have to let you continue your plucking business (Read this blog if you want to stop plucking your eyebrows!)

Talking about your dealbreakers before marriage is so important! That’s because your dealbreakers consist of your boundaries, your standards, your values, packed in a neat little “NOPE”. You’ll safe yourself so much heartache sister, by speaking about what you will and won’t allow from your partner and even your friends, family and people you let into your personal space.

Having the same Halal:Haram Ratio as your friends

The people you are friends with, say an awful lot about who you are as a person. We might say, “No, I’m my own person” and blah, blah, blah. But research has shown that we’re more affected by our environment than we think. And let’s be honest, would you hang out with someone who is the direct opposite from you? Would you want to be friends with someone so different from you, everything they say gets lost in translation? Your friends are a statement of who you are choosing to become and how you want others to see you. The people in your environment affect your way of thinking, your self-esteem, and your decisions. We are the collective personality of the people we are closest to. So if you hang out with someone who’s Halal:Haram Ratio is 20:80, what does that say about you?

I’ll give you an example. There was this one girl I used to hang out with. I wear the Hijab, she doesn’t. That’s not the thing that bothered me, to each their own. What bothered me was that once when I visited her at her place, she had ordered fast-food. I’m not really a fast-food eater, but occasionally I’ll indulge myself. She had ordered chicken and thrown away the boxes. She put the food on plates and as we were enjoying each others company and whilst eating, I noticed how good the food tasted. It.was.AMAZING. So, obviously, I had to know where she had ordered from, so I could order from there too… SHE FED ME KFC AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT IS NOT HALAL IN THE NETHERLANDS! I can’t hang out with someone who would feed me non-halal food, so I broke our beginning friendship off.

Having the same Halal:Haram Ratio as your family

Your family plays a big part in what your Halal:Haram Ratio is. For example, if your dad has a tattoo, you might think “well there are worse things like eating pork”. That doesn’t mean that tattoos are suddenly halal, it just means that you don’t see them as that big of a deal. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said:

“May Allaah curse the women who do tattoos and those for whom tattoos are done, those who pluck their eyebrows and those who file their teeth for the purpose of beautification and alter the creation of Allaah.” (al-Bukhaari, al-Libaas, 5587; Muslim, al-Libaas, 5538).

There are so many Muslims who pluck their eyebrows, have tattoos or get veneers. And that is up to them, but the things you see from a young age are seen as more ‘normal’ and ‘okay’. Doesn’t mean they are, but that’s what you grew up with and that influences your Halal:Haram Ratio.

How do I find out what my Halal:Haram Ratio is?

There is a calculator that can measure this for you! You should take this with a grain of salt since not everything is asked in this short calculator quiz. It does give you a broad indication but only if you read up on everything that is haram and halal you’ll have a feeling on what your ratio is. A timely task of course, but that is the most certain way to get an accurate indication of your ratio. What you also can do is just guess. You know yourself pretty well and you have an idea of what is halal and what is haram. Just know that you can never be 100% halal and know that you can’t ve 100% haram when you are a Muslim (of course when you believe in Allah and the Prophet (PBUH) as his messenger) So let’s assume your ratio is between 5% and 95%

Now you can think about all the haram things you do, you allow and you don’t mind. For every haram thing, you take about 5% off the original 100%. Again, this is not a scientific way I’m offering, it’s just a way to get an indication of your Halal:Haram Ratio. In the end, the most important thing is that you try to be the best possible Muslim that you can be. Only Allah’s opinion matters, and if you try, you’re on the right path. And for those who are not in the mood, the calculator does a pretty good job!

What is Your Classy Muslim Sister’s Halal:Haram Ratio?

I do my best, but I’m no angel. According to the calculator, my score is 64% halal and 36% haram. Of course, only Allah knows best! I must say however that I’m not surprised by this score. The important thing is to better yourself every day. I may take little steps, but the most important thing is that I’m on my way to bettering myself. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence are key to this process.

 

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius

Do you want to learn more about Islamic topics such as the Halal:Haram ratio? Take a look in Modesty! I write about Elegance, Self Love and more! Do you want to help the other Muslim sisters in your life too? Share my blog with them and follow me on Social Media! 

Kisses,

Your Classy Muslim Sister