How we label meal and prayer evidence

Every halal or prayer statement on this site uses one of six labels, and each label has a fixed meaning. This page explains the labels, how we date our sources and the rules we follow. It also lists what we will never say about a venue, so you know what a page can and cannot promise.

What are the six claim states?

We use the same words on every page.

State	What it means
Certified halal	A recognised halal body has certified it, and you can see a valid certificate
Operator-declared	The restaurant, hotel or tour says so, and no certificate has been seen
Muslim-owned	Owned or run by Muslims, which is not the same as certified
Muslim-friendly	Some Muslim needs are considered, such as a prayer room or a halal dish
Pork-free	No pork on the menu, with kitchen and suppliers unchecked
Unknown	Nobody has shown evidence

The five halal claim states guide explains each one with the questions to ask. Unknown is never a polite word for halal.

How do we use source dates?

Every number, date, list and attributed claim comes from a named source. We record the source and the date we accessed it.

Some facts change. For example, JAKIM’s list of recognised foreign halal certification bodies that we reviewed took effect on 21 August 2026¹. Lists like this are revised, so a page that relies on one tells you to check the official page before you fly.

We mark such facts as volatile. If a source is an airline, a news report or an encyclopedia and not the official body, we name the type of source and tell you to confirm it with the official body.

What will we never say about a venue?

These four rules apply everywhere.

1. We never call a named restaurant, hotel, airline meal or tour halal or certified. We describe how you can check, and you decide.
2. We never say “we certify”. Certification belongs to recognised halal bodies, and we explain how to read what they issue.
3. We never present a claim as stronger than its evidence. A sign is a sign. A certificate is a certificate.
4. We never treat unknown as safe. If there is no evidence, the page says so.

We also do not invent venues, reviews, prices, visits or personal experiences, and we do not state prayer times.

How do we treat prayer information?

We name the prayer and the window, such as Zohor or Asar, and we say how to find a prayer room. We do not print clock times for prayers, because they change by date and city. Use your own prayer app or local source for the exact time, and see how to plan sightseeing around five daily prayers for fitting prayer into a day.

For fiqh questions, such as jamak, qasar or what counts as halal for you, we explain the practical side and suggest you ask your own ustaz or state mufti office. We do not issue rulings.

What if a label does not match what you find?

Tell us. Send the venue name, the city, what you saw and when. We will mark the information as unconfirmed until it is rechecked, and we will update the page when we have a dated source. The guide to which arrangements to confirm in writing shows how to get your own record.

How should you use the labels?

Use them as a map of evidence, not as an answer. Write down your own rule, for example “certificate only” or “Muslim-owned or certified, no alcohol”, then compare what you are offered by that rule. The meal-assurance comparison tool and the prayer-stop itinerary checklist help you do that. The halal terms hub lists every explainer.