In the name of allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful What is sin in Islam?

Animals as consumer items

He (saws) also banned vivisection and the use of animals in medical experiments:

The Prophet cursed the one who did muthla to an animal (i e., cut its limbs or some other part of its body while it is still alive). (Bukhari 7.424 Ibn Umar)

When a physician consulted the Prophet (may peace be upon him) about putting frogs in medicine, he forbade him to kill them. (Abu Dawud 3862 Abdul-Rahman bin Uthman, listed under Disapproved Medicines)

Animals are not to be branded on the face. This is a practise common on farms - many cows have plastic tags on their ears. It certainly isn't dignified to treat an animal as a consumer item:

Ibn 'Umar disliked the branding of animals on the face. Ibn 'Umar said, "The Prophet forbade beating (animals) on the face." (Bukhari 7.449 Salim)

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade (the animals to be beaten) on the face or cauterisation on the face. (Muslim 5281 Jabir ibn Abdullah)

When the animal is killed it should be killed swiftly:

Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maitah, blood, the flesh of swine and that on which Allah's name has not been mentioned while slaughtering and that which hath been killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a headlong fall or by being gored to death. (HQ 5:3)

Two are the things which I remember Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) having said: Verily Allah has enjoined goodness to 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. (Muslim 4810 Shaddad ibn Aws)

The animal cannot be tied before being killed. Muslim has listed this in a section entitled 'It is haram to tie the animals (and then kill them)':

Hishim b. Zaid b. Anas b. Malik reported: I visited the house of al-Hakam b. Ayyub along with my grandfather Anas b. Malik, (and there) some people had made a hen a target and were shooting arrows at her. Thereupon Anas said that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had forbidden tying of the animals. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba through other chains of transmitter. (Muslim 4812)

Sa'id b. Jubair reported that Ibn 'Umar happened to pass by some young men of the Quraish who had tied a bird at which they had been shooting arrows Every arrow that they missed came into the possession of the owner of the bird. So no sooner did they see Ibn 'Umar they went away. Thereupon Ibn 'Umar said: Who has done this ? Allah has cursed him who does this. Verily Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) invoked curse upon one who made a live thing a target. (Muslim 4816)

Fatawa

Further stipulations are to be found in the article Animals in Islam by B.A. Masri who has ruled that factory farming is haram. Yet factory farming has been ruled as halal by others and animals are even exported live in ships to Muslim countries. For example, a prominent Sunni alim has ruled that:

As long as the slaughtering has been performed according to Islamic conditions, then there is no problem with eating veal. The calf being too young or being confined in a cage does not make it haram to slaughter and eat.

Similarly, a Shi'a marja responding to a question about slaughtering chickens on an automated assembly line ruled:

If [the slaughterer] repeats the name of Allah as long as the machine is continuing to slaughter, it is sufficient.

These ruling do not consider animals as communities which worship Allah (swt) but as, Peter Singer writes, "machines that convert fodder into flesh...so that their flesh can be made available to humans at the lowest possible cost" (Practical Ethics, p.63)

Milk and eggs

I doubt that the way milk is produced these days conforms to the Prophet's (saws) ethics on kindness to animals, although he liked milk very much. Allah knows best. If you eat free-range eggs have you ever wondered what happened to the roosters? They are killed as chicks.

The Prophet said, "There is no man who kills a sparrow or anything smaller, without its deserving it, but Allah will question him about it". (Nasai 7.206 Ibn Umar)

Summation

What some consider as halal has been ruled haram by others and, as Ibn Taymiyyah has stated, "slaughtered animals are not made permissible where doubt exists". (The Collection of Fatawa of Ibn Taymiyyah, v.32, p.190).
Ash-Shawkani has concurred with Ibn Taymiyyah declaring that "the slaughtered animal does not become lawful if there is doubt... and the person is not sure if it has been killed in due form or not." (Nayl Al-Awtar, v.8, p.140).
Is 'due form' merely what we consider zabiha, i.e. bleeding the animal to death by cutting the neck veins? As the above ahadith demonstrate there are several conditions which need to be met regarding the use of animals for food to be in accordance with the Prophet's Sunna (saws). Furthermore, if we are to be environmentally conscious, and believe in social justice - both of which are enjoined in Islam, then we must curtail our consumption of meat. When Allah (swt) permits something, it is often qualified by the Sunna. We have the finest example in the Prophet (saws) who remained mostly vegetarian in an area with frequent droughts and sparse vegetation - much of which only animals could eat. Can we really pretend to be serious about solving social injustice or environmental problems when we thoughtlessly take meat as a staple? The myth of overpopulation explodes when we understand that selfishness and greed epitomised in consumption habits and land mismanagement are the problems. Allah (swt) has provided more than enough for everyone to live comfortably!

'Umar bin Khattab got some land in Khaibar and he went to the Prophet to consult him about it saying, "O Allah's Apostle I got some land in Khaibar better than which I have never had, what do you suggest that I do with it?" The Prophet said, "If you like you can give the land as endowment and give its fruits in charity." So Umar gave it in charity as an endowment on the condition that would not be sold nor given to anybody as a present and not to be inherited, but its yield would be given in charity to the poor people, to the kith and kin, for freeing slaves, for Allah's cause, to the travellers and guests; and that there would be no harm if the guardian of the endowment ate from it according to his need with good intention, and fed others without storing it for the future. (Bukhari 3.895 Ibn Umar

THE SLAUGHTERING OF POULTRY

WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES FOR HALAL (LAWFUL) SLAUGHTERING OF POULTRY AND WHAT ARE THE LEGAL JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THESE OPTIONS?

For slaughtering poultry to be halal, the following guidelines MUST be met:

1.The name of Allah (SWT) MUST be mentioned at the BEGINNING of the slaughtering. If the poultry is large in number, it suffices to mention Allah (SWT) once, when the first animal is slaughtered. However, it is preferable to mention Allah’s (SWT) name at the beginning of slaughtering for EVERY bird.
2.Slaughtering must be done WITHOUT electric stunning or suffocating by gas. It should be known, however, that MOST POULTRY ARE STUNNED BEFORE SLAUGHTERING.
3. Slaughtering MUST be done by hand and with a sharp knife although the slaughterer need TO be a Muslim. With regard to slaughtering by hand and with a sharp knife, the Prophet (SAW) said,

"Allah has commanded good performance in every deed … when you slaughter, slaughter well. Sharpen your blade and save your slaughtered animal unnecessary pain." (Muslim)
4. The windpipe or the trachea, the gullet or the esophagus, as well as the blood vessels or the jugular veins, MUST be cut. The ONLY way to save slaughtered animals unnecessary pain is by this method. The Prophet (SAW) is also quoted as saying,

"You can eat the meat of animals whose blood gushes out and the name of Allah is mentioned when they slaughtered." (Muslim)

It is preferred not to cut off the head when you slaughter an animal. However, if it happens by mistake, it is OK.
WHAT ARE THE MERITS OF ADHERING TO THE ABOVE CONDITIONS?

For every step there is a merit:

· As for mentioning the name of Allah (SWT) at the BEGINNING of slaughtering, Allah (SWT) explains that He is the One Who created these animals and breathed a spirit into them. Accordingly, He is their real Owner, and therefore, ANY dealing with these animals can ONLY be performed with His permission. ALL killing is FORBIDDEN unless the One Who breathed a spirit into them ALLOWS IT to be performed. This means that as the slaughterer mentions the name of Allah (SWT) when he slaughters an animal, he INTENDS to say, "I hereby kill this poultry by the permission of Allah (SWT). He is the One Who allows me to do that."

· Stunning, however, can lead to the bird’s death BEFORE it is slaughtered. If it dies, it is HARAM to eat. If we suppose that is did not die, stunning usually leads to the following:

First: Weakening of the heart. When it is slaughtered, the blood which is supposed to gush out will be VERY LITTLE. Subsequently, MOST of the blood will REMAIN in the veins and this could result in:

1.A SUBSTANTIAL amount of bacteria will remain in the veins and arteries.

2.This meat will stay consumable for a much shorter time, MAXIMUM 10 MONTHS if freezing is direct, fast, and below minus eighteen degrees centigrade, compared to slaughtered poultry WITHOUT stunning which will remain consumable for TWO YEARS.

3.If only refrigerated, it will stay consumable for FEW DAYS AT THE MOST.

4.Stunning results in an increase in the weight of the bird of about 10% of its total weight. This increase does not benefit the consumer because it is clotted blood in the veins and arteries. Cost to consumers may increase by 10% when birds are stunned without any true gain for him.

5.Due to the abundance of bacteria in the blood vessels, the poultry will be less tasteful.
Second: ELECTRIC STUNNING SEVERELY HURTS THE ANIMAL because it causes an immediate nerve shock which causes the bird intense pain. THIS, in effect, IS AN EXTREME TORTURING for this powerless bird. “THOSE WHO STUN POULTRY HAVE NO MERCY IN THEIR HEARTS FOR ANIMALS.”
Third: Most slaughtering firms who practice stunning in slaughtering poultry make their profits from increase of the weight of blood remaining in their blood vessels. STUNNING IS DONE NOT OUT OF MERCY BUT FOR FINANCIAL GAINS.
WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE OF POULTRY WHICH DIE BY STUNNING BEFORE THEY ARE SLAUGHTERED?

The percentage is not fixed, but ranges between 10% to 35 % (24% in UK, it is reported by MAFF) and sometimes HIGHER than that. This ratio depends on two things:

1. The level of electric voltage used in electrifying the water in which the bird is stunned.

2. The level of the bird’s resistance to electric current in oil. Usually this is very small.
WHAT ABOUT THE USE OF GAS TO IMMOBILIZE THE POULTRY BEFORE SLAUGHTERING?

MANY slaughtering firms in the UNITED STATES, Europe, and other countries, USE THIS TECHNIQUE as a substitute for stunning. In brief, the bird passes in a closed tube filled with carbon dioxide. This in many cases leads to its SUFFOCATION. They claim that this approach is preferable to stunning because the meat is more tender. There is no need to comment on this claim because IT IS ONLY A NEW METHOD FOR INCREASING PROFITS because the blood that flows out AFTER slaughtering is very little.
WHAT ARE THE MERITS AND BENEFITS OF HAND SLAUGHTERING?

First, using AUTOMATIC TOOLS in slaughtering in this case does not product sought results; this is because slaughtering DOES NOT ALWAYS TAKE PLACE ON THE NECK. It can occur in the chest or the head or slaughtering MAY NOT TAKE PLACE AT ALL. The reason is that the poultry passes over the slaughtering blade while it is suspended from its legs. Therefore, controlling the passage of the neck of the poultry on the slaughtering blade CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. SLAUGHTERING BY HAND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY OF THESE POSSIBILITIES.
WHAT ABOUT THE CLAIM THAT SLAUGHTERING BY HAND CAUSES SEVERE PAIN TO THE SLAUGHTERED POULTRY?

As mentioned above, it is the stunning which causes the more severe pain. As for slaughtering by hand, the blood gushes out immediately after cutting the jugular veins; the blood gushes out instantly; no blood reaches the brain, and consequently, the poultry becomes unconscious. At the same time, the spinal chord reacts by sending strong pulses which produce successive shaking of all organs of the poultry, and this causes all the blood to flow out. Soon afterwards the pulses of the spinal chord slow down as a result of the paralysis of the brain, and it finally stops sending pulses completely. Accordingly, the poultry ceases to show any reaction which means it died by slaughtering. Thus, it must be known that SLAUGHTERING POULTRY BY HAND SAVES IT FROM FEELING THE PAIN.
BUT DOES NOT SLAUGHTERING BY HAND ADD MORE COST BECAUSE OF THE EXTRA WAGES NEEDED FOR ADDITIONAL SLAUGHTERERS?

YES, this additional cost can be added to the price of poultry. But, PIOUS AND ALLAH (SWT) FEARING MUSLIMS ARE WILLING TO TOLERATE THIS SLIGHT INCREASE IN PRICE WHEN THEY REALIZE THAT THEIR FLESH IS BUILT FROM HALAL, NOT HARAM FOOD.
IS IT NOT HALAL FOR MUSLIMS TO EAT POULTRY SLAUGHTERED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE SCRIPTURE WHEN ALLAH (SWT) SAYS,

"THE FOOD (SLAUGHTERED CATTLE, EATABLE ANIMALS, ETC.) OF THE PEOPLE OF THE SCRIPTURE (JEWS AND CHRISTIANS) IS LAWFUL TO YOU AND YOURS IS LAWFUL TO THEM." (AL-MA’DIAH 5:5).

There are two points to be considered in this regard:

First: The above mentioned verse is general; HOWEVER, it was specified in the following verse,

"Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maytata (the dead animals - cattle beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and the meat of that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, or has been slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which Allah’s Name HAS NOT BEEN mentioned WHILE slaughtering, and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns - and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal - unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death) - and that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on An-Nusub (stone-altars)." (Al-Ma’idah 5:3)

Therefore, if a person from the People of the Scripture eats the meat of a suffocated animal or the meat of an animal which dies of itself, then we do not eat from it. We are informed that THE PERCENTAGE OF DEAD BIRDS RESULTING FROM STUNNING AND MACHINE SLAUGHTERING (as is the case in the WEST), MAY REACH 35% (24% in UK, it is reported by MAFF)OF MORE. This is a very HIGH percentage and MUSLIMS MUST COME UP WITH ALTERNATIVES. MUSLIMS CAN EAT OTHER TYPES OF FOOD OR MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO SLAUGHTER POULTRY THE ISLAMIC WAY. Therefore, EATING THE MEAT OF POULTRY SLAUGHTERED BY MACHINES DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE PERMISSIBLE LIMITS mentioned in the following verse,

"And why should you not eat of that (meat) on which Allah’s Name has been pronounced (AT THE TIME OF SLAUGHTERING), while He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under COMPULSION OF NECESSITY?…" (Al-An’am 6:119)

Accordingly, if there is a LEGITIMATE COMPELLING NEED for eating this kind of meat, you are permissible to do so IF YOU KNOW that had you not eaten from this meat, you WOULD HAVE STARVED. Nonetheless, if a person from the People of the Scripture offers a Muslim poultry that has not been slaughtered by machine or stunning, it is all right for the Muslim to eat from it AFTER invoking the name of Allah (SWT) on it, and there is no need to ask the slaughterer what he said when he slaughtered it. This is what is meant by the following verse,

"…The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals, etc.) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you…" (Al-Ma’idah 5:5)
HAS DR. DALLAL HIMSELF SEEN MACHINE SLAUGHTERING IN WHICH POULTRY IS STUNNED OR IS THIS MERELY GENERAL INFORMATION WHICH WAS ACQUIRED FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES?

Dr. Dallal has been directly involved in this matter. In fact, he personally attended and witnessed poultry slaughtering by machines and stunning. For instance, some of the countries which use machine slaughtering and stunning are: Denmark, Belgium, Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan, Holland, France, Germany,England, Bulgaria, as well as many others.

IN GENERAL, SLAUGHTERING BY THIS METHOD IS THE MAIN METHOD OF SLAUGHTERING USED IN NON-MUSLIM AND MUSLIM COUNTRIES.

NOT;

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  THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) DOES NOT HAVE ANY REGULATIONS REGARDING THE SLAUGHTERING OF POULTRY