The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (800 page)

itah. Performed by a ritual slaughterman (
sho
et
) it involves complex regulations, part of which at least aim at the removal of blood from the carcass.
Islam
Quranic food rules express a simplified form of Judaic rules. The Qur’
n defines which foods are lawful,
halal
, and which unlawful,
haram
. The unlawful include blood, pig meat, carrion, and the meat of sacrifices. The rules around Islamic slaughter (see
AL-HALAL
) broadly follow the Jewish form.
Christianity
The central rite of Christianity is a food rite (
eucharist
), although one whose meal-like aspects are varyingly stressed. Dominant Christianity contains no explicit food taboos, though monastic observance—in general the avoidance of meat, particularly red meat—and the patterning of fast and feast days, extended to the laity in Friday fasting, draws on a more pervasive structure of meanings.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Fools
:

see
HOLY FOOLS
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Footprint of Ibr
h
m
(Abraham)
.

An impression of a footprint claimed to be that of
Abraham
, which is preserved near the
Ka‘ba
in
Mecca
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Footprint of Mu
ammad
.

An impression in rock, said to be the point from which he took off on his ascent to heaven: see
DOME OF THE ROCK
. The metaphorical idea of ‘following in the footprints of the Prophet’ (
al-qadam al-shar
f
, ‘the noble footprint’) is strong in Islam, underlying as it does the importance of Mu
ammad as the first living commentator on
Qur’
n
.