Tayyib

Tayyib describes food or provision that is pure, wholesome and free of harm, a quality paired with halal, not a separate ruling.

What it means for me: Not everything technically lawful is automatically tayyib. Spoiled meat that came from a properly slaughtered animal is still halal in origin, but it is no longer wholesome to eat. The word points you to quality and safety, alongside the question of what is permitted.

Example: A shopper checks a meat package's date and finds it already turned. The meat is still halal by how the animal was slaughtered, but it has stopped being tayyib and should not be eaten.

Do not confuse with: Halal, the lawful. Halal answers whether something is permitted at all. Tayyib answers whether it is also wholesome, pure, and fit to consume in its actual condition.

If scholars differ: Jurists differ on the exact standard for judging something tayyib. Some measure it by what a sound human disposition finds wholesome anywhere. Others weigh it partly against local custom.