A1:
A similar question was sent to the Presidency, and His Eminence the Mufty Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim
(may Allah be merciful to him) gave a fully detailed answer that reads:Questions about the description of the permissible way of slaughtering animals are sent to us. The person who sent this question mentions that he saw practices that do not conform with the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him). Since this Fatwa addresses everybody, the ordinary and the well-educated people, (Part No. 22; Page No. 355) we decided to issue this Fatwa to be a means of explanation for all people to fulfill our duty and advise all Muslims.Please be informed, may Allah grant you success, that you have to know that the permissible way of slaughtering animals has certain conditions and Sunan (commendable acts). We will cite a Hadith and then mention the conditions and Sunan. As for the Hadith,
Imam
Muslim and As-habu-Sunan (authors of Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes)
reported from
Shaddad ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
Verily, Allah has enjoined goodness upon everything; so when you kill, kill in a good way and when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way. So every one of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably.
There are four conditions:The first:
The person who slaughters the animal has to be legally competent, that is, he has to be a sensible and discerning person whether a Muslim or of the people of the Scriptures. The basic evidence for this is what is authentically reported in
the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
from
`Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him): (Part No. 22; Page No. 356)
The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will have the reward according to what he has intended...
Also it is authentically reported in
the Musnad of Imam
Ahmad, and the Sunan of
Abu Dawud
from
`Abdullah ibn `Amr ibn Al-`As (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said:
Command your children to pray when they become seven years old and beat them for (neglecting) it when they become ten years old; and arrange their beds (to sleep) separately.
So the person at the age of puberty and discernment is considered as a sensible person and legally competent to offer acts of worship. Allah (Exalted be He) says:
The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you
It is authentically reported in
(Sahih
Al-Bukhari)
from
Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that he interpreted the word "the food" as the slaughtered animals of the people of the Scripture.
The second:
the tool: It is permissible to slaughter with any tool that slaughters animals and causes their blood to flow out but not with a Sin (tooth) or a Dhufr (nail). The basic rulings in this regard is
what
Al-Bukhari
related in his Sahih:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Eat what is slaughtered (with any instrument) that makes blood flow out except what is slaughtered with a tooth or a nail.
.The third:
cutting the throat (the tube through which an animal takes in air) and the esophagus, (the tube through which (Part No. 22; Page No. 357) food goes to the animal's stomach), and the two jugular veins. The basic evidence for this is the narration reported in the Sunan of
Abu Dawud,
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported, 'Allah's Messenger forbade the slaughtering that is similar to that of the Devil, i.e. cutting the animal's skin without cutting the jugular veins.
It is known that when something is forbidden, it is unlawful. According to a report in the Sunan of
Sa`id ibn Mansur from
Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) who said, 'If the blood of a sacrifice is shed and its jugular veins are cut, it is permissible to eat its meat.' A Hadith of good Isnad.The place of slaughtering is the throat and the larynx between the neck and the chest. It is not permissible to slaughter from another place. This is according the scholar's general consensus:
`Umar said, 'Slaughtering is at the larynx and the throat.'
It is authentically reported in
Sunan
Al-Daraqutny
from
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, 'Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent
Budail ibn Warqa' crying at people in the roads of
Mina: Slaughtering animals should be by cutting the larynx and the throat.
(Part No. 22; Page No. 358) The fourth:
mentioning the Name of Allah upon slaughtering the animal saying: In the Name of Allah, and the evidence is Allah's Saying:
Eat not (O believers) of that (meat) on which Allâh’s Name has not been pronounced (at the time of the slaughtering of the animal), for sure it is Fisq (a sin and disobedience of Allâh).
Allah (Exalted be He) says:
So eat of that (meat) on which Allâh’s Name has been pronounced (while slaughtering the animal)
So Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) explained either cases and differentiated between the two rulings, but if the person forgot to mention Allah's Name, the meat of his sacrifice is lawful according to
the narration of
Sa`id ibn Mansur in his Sunan:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'It is Halal (permissible) to eat from a sacrifice slaughtered by a Muslim even if he unintentionally did not mention the Name of Allah.
If one of these conditions is not fulfilled, it is unlawful to eat any of the meat of the sacrifice. The Sunan of slaughtering are as follows:1,2 -
The instrument should be sharp, and the person who slaughters the animal should press heavily on it while slaughtering the animal. This is according to the Saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
You should sharpen your knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably.
3, 4 -
Sharpening the instrument away from the eyes of the animal which will be slaughtered
and slaughtering the animal away from the sight of other animals. This is according to what was authentically reported in
Musnad Imam (Part No. 22; Page No. 359)
Ahmad
from
`Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered them to sharpen the blades and take the animals to be slaughtered away from the sight of other animals.
It is also authentically reported in the
books of Al-Tabarani (Al-Mu`jam Al-Kabir) and (Al-Mu`jam Al-Awsat) with trustworthy narrators of those of the two Sahihs' narrators:
On the authority of
`Abdullah ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, "Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) passed by a man placing his foot on the side of a sheep's neck, sharpening the blade in front of the sheep's eyes, and he said, 'Why have you not done this before then, do you want to kill it two times?"
5-
Turning it towards the Qiblah (Ka`bah-direction faced in Prayer), because Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) never slaughtered a sacrifice or a Hady (sacrificial animal offered by pilgrims) unless he turned it towards the Qiblah. He used to slaughter the camels while standing with their left foot tied and slaughter the sheep and cows while lying down on their left side.6-
Delaying breaking its neck and skinning it till its meat becomes cold, that is after the departure of its soul. This is according to the Hadith reported from
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent
Badil ibn Warqa' Al-Khuza`y to walk in the roads of
Mina uttering the words: (Part No. 22; Page No. 360)
Do not hasten in slaughtering the animal.
Related by
Al-Daraqutny.
May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
Hasening to cut the...
