Short answer
No. Both forbid pork and blood and require slaughter by cutting the throat, but they differ on who slaughters and what is said, on alcohol (kosher allows wine), on meat with dairy (halal allows it), and on animals such as camel and rabbit (halal allows them). A kosher label does not make food halal for a Hanafi.
Kosher meat is not relied on in the Deobandi Hanafi position, because Allah's name is not said over each animal at the cut. Kosher non-meat products are judged by their ingredients like any other food.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Many Shafi'i scholars accept kosher meat, since meat slaughtered by a Jew is lawful and saying Allah's name is a sunnah in the school.
Explanation
Halal (Islamic) and kosher (Jewish) food laws come from the same Abrahamic roots, so they overlap a great deal. Both forbid pork, blood and animals that died by themselves, and both require a living animal to be slaughtered by hand with a sharp blade across the throat.
The main differences:
- Slaughter: the Hanafi school requires Allah's name over each animal at the cut. In kosher slaughter a blessing is said at the start of a session.
- Alcohol: kosher allows wine and spirits; halal forbids all intoxicants. A kosher product can contain wine.
- Meat and dairy: kosher forbids mixing them; halal does not, so a halal cheeseburger is fine.
- Animals: kosher forbids camel and rabbit, which are halal. Kosher also forbids shellfish, which the Hanafi school also avoids.
- Parts and additives: kosher forbids certain fats and the sciatic nerve; halal does not. Kosher certifiers may accept gelatin sources a Hanafi would not.
The Quran allows the food of the People of the Book, and the schools differ on how far kosher meat qualifies; see is kosher meat halal and meat of the People of the Book. For packaged food, a kosher or parve symbol tells you about Jewish law only, so read the ingredients or use the halal food checker.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:5
ٱلْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ ۖ وَطَعَامُ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ حِلٌّۭ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّۭ لَّهُمْ ۖ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَٰفِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىٓ أَخْدَانٍۢ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلْإِيمَٰنِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُۥ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ ﴿٥﴾
This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers. And whoever denies the faith - his work has become worthless, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
The basis for discussing kosher meat at all.
Quran, Surah Al-An'aam 6:121
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِسْقٌۭ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِهِمْ لِيُجَٰدِلُوكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ ﴿١٢١﴾
And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him].
Why the Hanafis require Allah's name over each animal.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Dhaba'ih. Mentioning Allah's name at slaughter is a condition, and leaving it out deliberately makes the meat unlawful.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.