When science is taught without its spiritual context and shariah without reference to contemporary laboratories, industries, and markets, an implicit secularism quietly shapes higher institutions( Bakar, Noor, & Yusoff, 2025).

In this fragmented approach, science is often portrayed as the realm of what " works," while shariah is reduced to what is " allowed or not allowed ". Both lose sight of their larger purposes. This gap risks the loss of faith-bound values and overemphasis on economic aspects of the halal industry, notably when research lacks a fundamental tawhidic basis( Hashim et al., 2024)

Science, in its true sense, is a disciplined understanding of Allah ' s signs in creation, intended to benefit humanity and strengthen confidence in khilafah( human stewardship). Shariah is not a rigid set of rules, but rather a path that balances faith, life, intelligence, lineage, and wealth.

BRIDGING THE GAP

This disconnect is not only external but also internal, appearing as a split within the Muslim mindset. A student may pray on time and attend usrah( religious study circles), but when he enters the laboratory or classes, he leaves his shariah consciousness behind.

A shariah student, on the other hand, can discuss halal and haram while dismissing factories and bioreactors as " complex " and best left to others. Buya Hamka( 1908 – 1981), a prominent Indonesian scholar, writer, and Islamic thinker, once described the believer who separates his faith from his daily life as having the Quran on his tongue but not in his heart.

In the halal context, some keep halal on their lips but not in their spreadsheets, lab notebooks, or procurement contracts. As a result, a generation loves Islam but struggles to apply it within the complex ecosystems of the modern halal industry.

BY MUHAMMAD IRHAMMUDIN BIN IBRAHIM

International Institute

for Halal Research and

Training( INHART),

International Islamic

University Malaysia( IIUM)

MODERN HALAL INDUSTRY

The halal industry exists at the intersection of science and shariah. Issues like stunning, cultured meat, synthetic biology, enzyme technology, food additives, nanotechnology in packaging, blockchains in supply chain traceability, and environmental, social, and governance( ESG) reporting cannot be solved with slogans. T hey require advanced scientific knowledge, extensive shariah understanding, and sensitivity to social reality( Bakar, Noor, & Yusoff, 2025). Currently, many graduates hesitate at the edge of these grey areas, afraid to step forward. The halal industry needs graduates who can enter those spaces with knowledge, humility and courage- and bring clarity.

BUILDING THE BRIDGE

To move from rhetoric to reality, universities must reinvent their frameworks, courses, and culture so that the 3S model becomes a lived practice rather than a mere catchphrase. Several shifts are necessary.

First, universities should develop fully integrated halal studies and tracks. A Bachelor of Halal Industry or equivalent studies shall not be advertised as a " Islamic business degree with a halal label ". Instead, it must stand as a genuinely multidisciplinary program, integrating food science, biotechnology, veterinary science, logistics, law, shariah, ethics, and social science.

Students should study microbiology alongside fiqh al-at ' imah( jurisprudence of food) and usul al-fiqh( principles of Islamic jurisprudence), applying these directly to food safety and product development( Bakar, Noor, & Yusoff, 2025).

Second, they should implement team teaching and co-supervised projects. Instead of separating science and shariah, universities should create modules in which a shariah expert and a food technologist share a lecture space. They should jointly discuss topics like gelatine and cultured meat; one explaining the scientific method, the other exploring juristic principles.

This collaborative format trains students to synthesise knowledge rather than compartmentalise it. Students then collaborate on projects in mixed teams,

with each member bringing scientific and shariah viewpoints to the table( Bakar, Noor, & Yusoff, 2025).

Third, universities must incorporate industry-related halal issues into teaching and research. Final year projects, master ' s dissertations, and doctoral theses should address real-world questions posed by halal certification agencies, halal parks, farms, abattoirs, logistics firms, and regulators.

Strong partnerships with halal authorities, industry players, and government agencies are essential. The availability of the halal ecosystem can also positively contribute to the internationalisation strategy of Higher Education Institutions( Jamil et al., 2020). When a student works to enhance traceability for halal imports at the border, he or she knows that knowledge is more than a grade. It is for service.

Fourth, spiritual and ethical development must take place alongside technical training. It is not sufficient to include a single " Islamic ethics " subject at the start of a degree. Students need continuous opportunities for reflection, mentoring, and spiritual support throughout their studies.

Ethical formation should permeate laboratories, seminars, and fieldwork, reminding students that halal professionalism is grounded in taqwa( God consciousness), humility, and integrity. Buya Hamka frequently reminded readers that true knowledge should ease the heart, not harden it. Halal abilities must be developed as persons of taqwa and humility, not arrogance.

Fifth, universities should train their lecturers in 3S thinking. A science lecturer who has never extensively studied shariah sources may unwittingly promote a secular viewpoint. A shariah lecturer who has never visited a modern factory may ignore scientific complexities, leading to incorrect responses.

Continuous professional growth that exposes academics to both domains can gradually change this attitude. Workshops, cooperative retreats, sabbaticals in industry or Islamic institutions, and crossdisciplinary research groups can serve as catalysts( Bakar, Noor, & Yusoff, 2025).

Sixth, assessment and quality assurance procedures must represent the integration