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Ustadh Abdullah responds ! - Tariqulislam1 - 03-04-2005
AS-Salaamu-Alaikum
Is it permissible to eat the meat of the Christians and Jews? Do I
simply say 'bismillah' over the meat and eat it? What is the proper
way to slaughter animals...and can a hunting dog be used?
Ustadh Abdullah provides a excellent response to these questions
for our members!
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Was-Salaam
Question:
I know that there has been so many questions (and answers) regarding
halal meat and that the standard answer is that meat from animals
that aren't slaughtered observing Islamic rituals are haraam.
However I would like to know what a Muslim who is living in a
country where halal meat isn't available at all should do.
I'm Brazilian and the position adopted by most, if not all, Islamic
centers in Brazil is that it is enough to say "bismillah" to make
the meat halal. The argument is that there is no halal meat
available and that it's haraam to consume such meat only when a
Muslim has the choice to eat halal meat and is careless about it.
They also say that imposing more conditions would create much
hardship for Muslims in Brazil.
Is this a valid opinion, even if a weak one, in the Maliki school?
If not, is there a more lenient opinion in another school that
Brazilians could take in this case?
Ustadh Abdullah's Response:
The Qur'an forbids the following:
1- Carrion
2- Blood
3- Swine
4- Meet slaughtered as an offering to one other than Allah (i.e.
slaughtered in another's name, like in the name of "Jesus"or an
idol)
5- Animals that die from estrangulation (who die before being
properly slaughtered)
6 - What has been stricken with a heavy object like a rock, stick,
bullet, etc. until it died
7- What dies from a headlong fall (before being properly
slaughtered)
8- What dies from being rammed by another animal
9- What a predatory animal has killed and eaten from
[see Surat Al-Ma'ida: 3-5]
The Islamic guidelines for slaughtering animals that are halal to
eat are:
- Mentioning Allah's name over it when slaughtering
- Cutting the jugular vein and windpipe (some say the jugular is
sufficient). This is if it is a small animal like a sheep or goat.
But it is also permissible to just puncture the main artery of
larger animals like camels, which is found in the neck or upper
thigh.
Exceptions to these rules are animals that are hard to catch, like
birds, rabbits, etc. They can be eaten after being shot by arrows,
bullets, spears, javelins, or if they are caught by a hunting dog as
long as the dog hasn't eaten from the animal after catching it. One
should just make sure that he/she mentions Allah's name before
firing or setting the dog loose for the hunt.
Mentioning Allah's name when slaughtering the animal is highly
recommended in the Maliki School as well as others, which means that
were one not to mention Allah's name, the meat would still be
permissible to eat as long as the jugular and windpipe are severed.
But one shouldn't intentionally not mention His name.
As for the meat slaughtered by the People of the Book, Malikis are
strict and stipulate that a Muslim be present during the slaughter
to insure that the Christian, in particular, does not mention "In
the name of Jesus." If it is verified that a Christian mentions the
name of "Jesus" over the animal, the meat is not permitted for a
Muslim to eat.
The same goes if it happens that a Muslim, Christian, or Jew happen
to offer a Muslim to eat any of the aforementioned forbidden
categories of meat. That is, it is forbidden for one to eat.
As for the meat of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), the
Qur'an permits it without placing any clear cut restrictions or
conditions on it, except for if it happens to be one of the
aforementioned forbidden types of meat. And because the Qur'an or
the Sunnah don't make it clear that the Christians or Jews are to
slaughter their food as Muslims do, scholars have differed since the
time of the Salaf (Sahaba, Tabi'in, etc.).
Some held the view that they are to slaughter according to the same
conditions that Muslims do while others held that it is sufficient
that the meat come from the People of the Book as long as it is not
established that the meat they are giving to Muslims is one of the
forbidden categories. So it then becomes a Muslim's duty to mention
Allah's name over the meat, especially since it has been reported
that once some of the Companions came to Allah's Messenger (pbuh)
complaining that a people offered them meat but they didn't know if
Allah's name was mentioned over. And the Prophet's reply was,
"Then you mention His name."
If Muslims cooperated with one another more for the good of the
whole, we wouldn't have this issue before us. If we had our own
farms and slaughter houses and meat markets, there would be no need
to patronize Jews and Christians, especially since Allah didn't say
that it was "compulsory" to eat the meat of the People of the Book.
He said that it is "permitted" to eat the meat of the People of the
Book. As for us, he gave to us our own guidelines to follow.
One should be very cautious about meat. Avoiding meat as much as
possible in the absence of Islamically slaughtered meat would be
best for Muslims. But if it happens that one takes the view that
it's permissible to eat the meat of the People of the Book, even if
they don't slaughter as Muslims do and as long as their slaughter
isn't one that falls within the meaning of the other impermissible
meats, there is no basis for condemnation, because the scholars of
Islam have different much about this matter. And it is not
permissible to object to a person doing a thing if there is no
unanimous consensus (ijma') that the act is impermissible.
And Allah knows best.
Was Salam
Abdullah
Ustadh Abdullah bin Hamid Ali is the first American to attend and
graduate from the University of Al- Qarawiyeen's Faculty of Shariah
The focus of his study was the understanding of the science of fiqh,
Usool Al-Fiqh, and`Aqeedah. He has studied under some of the top
scholars of Islam including Dr Abdullah Ghaazeewee, Professor of
Usool Al-Fiqh, Sheikh Muhammad At-Ta'weel, Muftee, Scholar, and
Professor of Usool Al-Fiqh, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Ghaazee Husainee,
Grand Muftee of Morocco and Professor of Al-Fiqh Al-Muqaaran, Sheikh
Ahmad Zweetin, Professor of Fiqhul-Hadeeth and many others!
Please visit us at http://lamppostproductions.org for more
interesting articles from a variety of Islamic scholars!