Al-Quran and al-Sunnah are the two main sources of Islam. The explanations and discussions of these two main sources are very broad and diverge into various academic fields.

Therefore, Muslims, inevitably, have to hold on to both of these sources as the most authoritative sources in leading life according to the teachings of revelation and the guidance of the prophet Rasulullah SAW as His messenger. The aspects of life encompass the relationship with Allah SWT, and the relationships between human beings, and the relationships between other creations of Allah.

Nutrition is one of the aspects that have been given serious attention from the recommendations of the Quran and the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) own emphasis. Among them are the aspects of the source, type, safety, halal, goodness, purity and bringing benefits to the body.

Therefore, the nutritional aspects of eating is currently been given much attention among the muslims in Malaysia, in particular, the emphasis on the types of food based on the sunnah.  Hence, the production of various health products that are based on the food mentioned in the sunnah itself. This is followed by the studies and researches that seek to investigate and examine the benefits of the food components as stated in the al-Quran, as stated in the hadith, as well as those that has been practiced by Rasulullah SAW.

In this case, it shows that nutritional aspect based on the Sunnah is of great importance and is in need of exposure and more detailed discussion. In addition, there is a diversity of various food and health products using the “sunnah” label to promote sales. This is proven by the fact that these products are gaining wide coverage and publicity through mass media either through TV stations, radios, billboards, websites and others. Do such actions fulfil the demands of the Prophet’s SAW sunnah or is there actually a need to return to the Sunnah in terms of nutrition?

At the same time, research efforts are actively performed among academicians and researchers from various disciplines to gather, list and investigate the various types of food elements based on plants, herbs, animals  and others which have clearly been mentioned in the al-Quran and hadiths of the Prophet SAW. These researches have opened the eyes of many with regards to the various benefits from different aspects until they become the main side dishes, exclusively among the Malaysian citizens.

Realizing the importance of a more detailed discussion on the aspects of nutrition based on the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW to be more precise, and accurate, the Department of al-Quran and al-Hadith, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya proposes to organize an International Conference on Food Research Based on Sunnah (ICFRS 2016). The seminar is expected to better present the discussion and best solution in discussing the aspects of nutritions based on sunnah, addressing the misuse of the sunnah term in nutrition, and consequently highlight the various researches and studies on the materials mentioned in the al-Quran and al-Sunnah for mutual benefit.