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

APPENDIX

FATWA OF MUFTI ABDUH OF EGYPT ABOUT

MECHANICAL SLAUGHTER

(An exposition of a mistaken verdict)
Mufti Abduh (1849-1905) of Egypt, against the consensus of the whole of the Ummah and four Imams, declared that all kinds of slaughter methods prevailing in Europe are lawful. A wave of great resentment and anxiety arose all over the Islamic World. Demands were made to remove Mufti Abduh from his high post in Dar-ul-Ifta and renowned Ulama of the Muslim World rejected his verdict.
Although no one can deny the high intellectual attainments and scholarship of Mufti Abduh, yet no one is innocent except the Prophets of Allah (saw). It is an outstanding miracle of Islam that whenever any scholar, however, great he may be , is found indulging in error in contravention of the provisions of the Qur'an and the Sunnah while giving a verdict, the Ummah, inspite of having due regard for his high scholarship, never accepts his wrong verdict.
Not to speak of Mufti Abduh, when Imam Shafi'i (a recognised religious luminary of Muslims) differing from the majority of Ummah said that although it is not lawful to forsake recitation of “Bismillah” intentionally at the time of slaughtering an animal and eating of such meat it makrooh (disapproved), yet we cannot declare it Haram, the majority of the Um'mah relying upon a Qur'anic Nass, and disagreeing with him believes such slaughter to be totally Haram. Hence eminent Ulama and Jurists of Ummah having full regard for the high status of the said Imam declared that it was an error of judgment on his part. Several the Ulama belonging to the Shafi School of thought also disregarded his opinion.
No doubt, Mufti Abduh was a great scholar, yet there is no comparison between Mufti Abduh and Imam Shafi. The Ummah, which did not hesitate to declare the opinion of Imam Shafi, as mistaken how can it accept such a manifest error of Mufti Abduh? Again in Imam Shafi's opinion such action is not quite lawful and use of meat is Makrooh, whereas Mufti Abduh setting aside all the principles and conditions of slaughtering under the Shari'ah declared the European way of slaughtering as definitely Halal (lawful) which is also repugnant to Imam Shafi's approach. So the Ulama vehemently rejected Mufti Abduh's verdict as being against the Nass of the Qur'an and the Sunnah as well as the opinion of four Imams and leading Jurists. Articles from all corners of the Islamic World were published denouncing the opinion of Mufti Abduh.
Allama Rashid Reza, an eminent disciple of Mufti Abduh was a great scholar and journalist. He wrote many articles in favor of his guide and mentor and gained favor of some Ulama on account of his high position in the Government circles. However, the mischief was curbed by Ulama-e-Haq and made ineffective. But there is a world of difference between suppressing a mischief and getting a verdict accepted by the people. If we study newspapers and journals of that period, it will become clearly evident that the Ulama of whole world had declared the verdict of Mufti Abduh as wrong and unreliable.
The rules and regulations of slaughtering, according to the Qur'an and Sunnah, have already been stated in the foregoing pages. After this there is no need for entangling the readers in a detailed repudiation of Mufti Abduh's verdict, it will be sufficient to reproduce the opinion of Mufti Abduh and Rashid Reza in its original form which the people have lost sight of on account of lengthy debates and discussions. If it is presented in a clear and original form before Muslims, it will be repudiated by itself because it is so clearly repugnant to the Nass of the Qur'an and the Sunnah as well as to the unanimous opinion of the four Imams and Jurists that every educated Muslim will feel inclined to oppose it.

CURIOUS FINDINGS OF MUFTI ABDUH ABOUT ZABIHAH

Muslims of every age and sect from the dawn of Islam till today unanimously believe that just as marriage and divorce are particular modes of social behavior, similarly the act of slaughter cannot be lawful unless it is carried out under the prescribed injunctions set out in the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. Hence it is compulsory under the Qur'anic Nass to recite Bismillah just before starting the slaughtering and it is also compulsory that slaughtering must be done by a Muslim or by the " People of the Book." These conditions are matters of religious obligation.

In one of the Hadiths recorded by Bukhari, Islamic slaughtering had been stated as one of the Signs (which make a Muslim distinct from the followers of other religions. The English translation of the text of the Hadith is given under: -

Anas reported Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying:

“He who observes our prayer, faces our Qibla and eats the animal slaughtered by us (according to the Shari'ah)

is a Muslim,

one for whom there is guarantee (of the safety of his life and property) from Allah and

the guarantee from His Messenger.

Therefore, break not the covenant of Allah with regard to his protection.”

(Bukhari)

In this Hadith Islamic slaughtering has been described as a sign of one's being a Muslim like the prayer and facing the Qibla. In another Hadith the Messenger of Allah said about the Magians that they should be dealt with like People of the Book, except in two matters i.e. it is not lawful for a Muslim to marry with a Magian woman and eat their slaughter.
It is evident from this Hadith that although marriage is a social necessity and among the natural needs of human beings, yet Islam has laid down certain restrictions on it which are necessary to be fulfilled, otherwise marriage will not be legal under the Shari'ah. It is the case with slaughter on which certain restrictions imposed by the Shari'ah are well known to Muslims of every age and sect. It is regarded as one of the fundamentals of Deen, so there is no need to give proof in support of the accepted principles.
Three words have been used in the Holy Qur'an for slaughtering according to the Islamic way i.e. Zakah, Zibaha and Nahar. Zakah is a common word used for Zibah and Naharas, well. It is unanimously regarded a Qur'anic term just like Salat, and Saum. We regard only that meaning of salat and saum as authentic, which is proved by other verses of the Holy Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet. It it a distortion to make an inference merely from its literal meaning. Zakah is a purely Islamic technical term having its two forms i.e. optional and non-optional, which have been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Separate regulations have been prescribed for both. Narrators of Ahadith and Jurists have called the optional Zakah as Zibah and the non-optional as shayd (game) respectively. But there are certain requirements and conditions as laid down in the Qur'an and Sunnah, which have been explained earlier.
But Mufti Abduh by overriding the verdicts of all the jurists and commentators of the Qur'an attributed a new meaning to the said Qur'anic term. The gist of his research is that for Zakah it will be sufficient to kill an animal with the intention of eating, whatever may be form of killing. He equated non-optional Zakah against clear elaborations found in the Qur'an and the Sunnah with optional Zakah by his own guesswork. He, therefore, refused to accept the basic condition of cutting veins of throat in intentional slaughtering which is a prescribed condition according to the unanimous opinion of the Ummah. He even went further and said that killing of an animal by electric shock (stunning) is also lawful (Halal). It is not only Halal but is also a better and preferable method. The whole discussion and detail is given in his famous commentary of the Holy Qur'an called Tafseer AI-Manar (vol. 6 P. 144). One sentence of the commentary being

"And I believe that if the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) had knowledge of any method of slaughtering which may facilitate and prove painless for the animal, such as killing by electric shock (stunning), the Prophet of Allah would certainly have declared it superior to the Islamic method of slaughtering."
Mufti Abduh declared that killing by electric shock (stunning) was not different from slaughtering. It was really a great audacity on the part of Mufti Abduh that by insisting on his baseless and wrong concept, he claimed that if the Prophet of Allah (saw) had knowledge of this method, .he would have certainly given up the Islamic Way and adopted it. (A matter of great sorrow indeed).
A complement of his aforesaid Ijtehad is that if we kill an animal by strangulation, it is also Halal. He has tried to answer this open violation of the Qur'anic verse by taking support of a wrong discussion over “strangulated” which is against the consensus of the companions of the holy Prophet, Tabeen and the majority of the Ummah. (AI-Manar, vol. VI p. 137).
Mufti Abduh had already denied the necessity of reciting Allah's name at the time of slaughter, now he did away with the requirement of cutting throat's veins. Animals killed intentionally by strangulation also become Halal. According to his investigation the only Haram animal is that which dies a natural death or without the interference of any man dies by falling from any high place or by automatic strangulation. Any animal which is killed with the intention that it will be used by human beings is Halal: whoever may be the killer, whatever may be the method of killing, whether he recites Allah's name or not, the slaughterer may be a Muslim or a non-Muslim, whether he cuts the veins of throat or not, all is lawful according to Mufti Abduh. His research particularly about the people of the Book is that the food of the people of the Book is Halal without any condition or restriction whether they have killed the animal by strangulation or electric tock or by any other method. (AI-Manar vol. VI, p. 200).
He was kind enough towards Muslims in so far as he did not declare the swine flesh Halal for them which is also included in the food of People of Book, though the basic purpose of his commentary was to prove in general that the food of the " People of the Book " is lawful for Muslims. Consequently the meat of pig as well could have entered the list.
Proceeding ahead he openly said that eating of animals meat is one of the natural habits of human beings having no link with religion. Religious restrictions are confined only to acts of worship. His words are as under :-
“The customary matters relating to eating and clothing are not from laws of rituals ordained by Allah for the people to follow. The laws relating to rituals are established by the text (nass) of the law-Giver."
In a nutshell Mufti Abduh's Ijtehad is nothing except that the distinction of Halal and Haram in the articles of eating, drinking, dressing and of daily use, is meaningless. If such type of Ijtehad is correct, then marriages and divorces are also amongst the matters of habit and custom. Hence discussion of Halal and Haram about the same is useless and religious restrictions imposed on them are wrong.
There can't be a more suitable ljtehid in the modern age of absolute freedom and religious indifference than that of Mufti Abduh. As such the Westernized generation liked it very much.
It was an error, no doubt a great error of Mufti Abduh and Allama Rashid Reza, yet in the light of their services in the field of education and with the grace of Allah, it is hoped that Allah might forgive them for giving a wrong verdict. We are, however, worried about the people who under some pretext and without any solid argument have followed his opinion only for case and comfort and the satisfaction of their baser selves.
The commission of an error is possible, howsoever great a scholar may be. It is a well-known saying in Arabic:

"Every good horse may have a fall. "
And every scholar may commit a mistake and make nonsensical remarks. That person is really unfortunate whom in spite of knowing the opinion and verdict of the majority of the Ummah continues to follow the same error and makes it his religion. Zahbi in his famous book has quoted the following saying of Imam Auzam Abu Hanefi (ra):
"Whosoever follows the stray opinions of the Ulama makes his exit from the fold of Islam."

It is learnt that many Arabs who visit Europe and USA or are settled there, do not take the least care about food and eat the unslaughtered animals meat, under the pretext of mufti Abduh's verdict, which is unlawful. The people naturally regard Arabs as their religious leader, so many of them start to follow them in this matter. Still there are some true Muslims who care for their religion; we often receive their references about slaughtering methods followed in Europe and USA. I had replied in Arabic to such a reference long ago. Thinking it suitable and proper, the Urdu translation of the same has been added at the end of this brochure so that the Muslims residing in Europe and USA may take guidance from it. Surely Allah is the greatest helper.

--Translated from Urdu from Mufti Muhammad Shafi's (Grand Mufti of Pakistan)

booklet (pp. 37-42)published by Maktaba Dar-ul-Uloom, Karachi- 1 4. (Rajab 1387-H).

ULAMA-E-SOO

(Non-virtuous ulama)
The ulama-e-dhalal...... the ulama-e-soo' are those who lack the ability to distinguish between right and wrong (haqq and batil,) hence they are like those who gather firewood in an excessively dark night.

They know not on what their hands fall. They suffer from oblique vision.

Thus they say that pictures of living beings and animals are permissible whereas Rasullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that these are haram.

They say that music is permissible, but Rasullah (saw) said that it is haram.

They say that the keeping of a beard is not obligatory, but Rasullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that it is compulsory.

They say that the recital of Tasmiah, when slaughtering is unnecessary but the Qur'an declares that it is essential.

They say that the intermingling of sexes is permissible, but the Qur'an prohibits it.

They say that the expected advent of Imam Mehdi (alayhis salam) is a myth, but Rasullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) categorically asserted its reality.

They are the ulama-e-soo who sap the blood of thie Deen.

They are those about whom Nabi-eKareem (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said

"Leaders who lead astray..................

"They are astray and lead (others) astray."
Th e Majlis, vol. 5 No. 1, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

REFERENCES

1. For an exposition of Mufti Abduh's fatwa please see Appendix.
2. Among them are Sheikh Muhammad Abduh, former Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Rashid Reda, a disciplen of Shaikh Abduh and Shaikh Mahmoud Shattout, former Shaikh of AlAhzar and Dr. Yusuf at-Qaradawi of Qatar etc.
3. Dr. Abdel Aziz El Khayat. Dean. Faculty of Islamic Law, University of Jordan, Amman in " Report on Food and Slaughtered Animals in Islam " (pp. 35--44) submitted to the Veterinary Institute, West Berlin.
4. "Quorbans in Islamic Law" (Arabic) by Dr. Abdalla El-Abbadi pp. (64-67.)
5. "Rissalat Hokm El Mustawrada and Zabaeh Ahlul Kitab by Sheikh Abdullah ben Hamid as a reply to Sheikh Abdullah ben Zaid bin Mahmoud El-Qatari.
6. Recently the BBC has been broadcasting certain educational programmers on the alleged barbarities and brutalities of the Islamic method of slaughtering animals. Well how do “civilized people" slaughter their livestock? In the more modern slaughter houses the cattle are penned up in a row with their beads sticking out of stocks. A man then passes from one beast's head to the next touching the forehead of each with a hydraulic hammer. Once trigger on the hammer is pressed the head of the beast is instantly shattered. Chicken& arc more painfully killed their beads are cramped into a row but instead of using a hydraulic hammer a man passes from one bird to the next jamming an ice-pick through the mouth of each into brain. The blood is cleaned out of these poor birds and beasts only after skinning and gutting and thus much blood has had time to adhere to the flesh making the meat more corruptible and far less hygienic than any halâl meat. This is a scientific fact, which the BBC has neglected to impart in its ‘educational’ programme. But let us not neglect to touch on that most civilized method of slaughter of most respectable antiquity in Britain: pig-sticking! A spike is held pointed towards the forehead of the swine and hammer is used to drive the stake into the animal's brain. The terror and agony of the animal is reflected in its shrill and lingering, dying screams. Hence what has appeared on the BBC in the guise of education is nothing more than a contemptible anti-Islamic demagogy.

For an analysis and rebuttal of false and baseless propaganda against Islam and its institutions, the readers are advised to consult and circulate publications such as:

1. 
   DISTORTIONS ABOUT ISLAM IN THE WEST
   
2. 
   THE CROSS AND THE CRESCENT
   
3. 
   THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS IN THE LIGHT OF AL-QURAN.
   

[By the grace of Allah, these books (published by Malik Sirajuddin & Sons, Kashmiri Bazaar, Lahore-8, PAKISTAN) together with the examples set by pious Muslims can help eradicate misconceptions about Islam in the West and throw its doors open for the reception of the glorious Message of Islam.]
7. It would still be desirable if Muslims avoid eating the slaughter of non-practicing "People of the Book "as the permission to eat even their lawful slaughter is confined only to the committed "People of the Book," and we know for certain most of the people in the West today are Christian by tradition rather by any strong faith or conviction. Further, it is the Muslims who label commercial producers of meat as PEOPLE OF THE BOOK. The producers themselves are honest in saying they make no claim to any form of religious practice in their slaughtering. How then can Muslims say they are PEOPLE OF THE BOOK if they themselves say they have nothing to do with any form of religious practice in their production, which bears no resemblance whatsoever to any method of slaughter mentioned in what is left of the Bible or other Holy books. Also the Kosher meat produced for Jewish consumption states that only the fore-quarters of the meat are to be eaten. How then can Muslims eat the hind-quarters if they are agreeing with Kosher law?

Allah (swt) didn't make ALL the food of the people of the book Halal for us (Muslims), Sura 5:5 "This day it is made lawful for you the Tayebat (good, pure and healthy)food Halal for you..."

Which means only the Tayebat among the food of the people of the book is Halal, not every food of the people of the book, if it is not among Tayebat then it is not Halal.

Because the people of the book eat pork and drink alcohol feed their animals on animal protein, blood, by-products (mammal feed), give hormones for fattening, use “factory farming” for breeding and don’t slaughter the animals according to the Islamic rites, all these are haram.

FROM BUSINESS POINT OF VIEW IT IS NOT PROFITABLE FOR TRADERS TO BUY ORGANIC MEAT or organic raised animals, because it is very expensive comparing it to the non-organic meat and animals! -"The animals NOWADAYS which are fed on animal protein from day one" so they are Jallalah and Haram accordingly.

ALLAH (swt) made the good, pure and healthy food of the people of the book Halal for us, when we read the Tafseer or the commentary of this 5:5 , there are even tribes, at the time of the Muhammad (saw), “the people of the book” whose food was not Halal So we cannot say all the food of the people of the book is Halal for the Muslims to eat. Accordingly, only the Tayebat of the people of the book food is Halal for Muslims.

To make the meat Halal, we have to consider not only the way the animal is slaughtered, but also we have to take in consideration what the animal was fed on, animals should not be fed on other animals. Jallalah is: Jallalah refers to a permissible to eat animal but it eats the waste or flesh of other animals, such as camels, cows, sheep, chickens, geese, and so on. Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah forbade the drinking of such animals' milk. This hadith is related by "the five," except for Ibn Majah. At-Tirmidhi grades it as sahih. In one narration it states, "It is also prohibited to ride upon a jallalah. (As for the jallalah, he prohibited riding or eating them." (Related by Ahamad, an-Nasa'i and Abu Dawud.) If the jallalah animal is kept away from the other animals for 40 days and is given clean food to eat, then it becomes pure and is no longer called jallalah, if this is the case, it becomes permissible to eat, as the reason for its prohibition was the change it underwent due to eating filth, a state that would no longer be present. [This is in case that the animal accidentally ate filth or other animal flesh once or twice not in regard to animals that are fed on other animals’ flesh, blood and filth all their life as the animals in USA, and Europe.

SUNAN OF ABU DAWOOD ;
HADITH 3778
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade riding and drinking the milk of the camel, which feeds on filth.[So other animals will be the same i.e. cow, sheep, goat and so on in regard to drinking its milk. See next hadith.
HADITH 3777
The Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited to drink the milk of the animal which feeds on filth.
HADITH 3776
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) prohibited eating and drinking the milk of an animal which feeds on filth.
HADITH 3802
On the day of Khaybar the Apostle of Allah (May peace be upon him) forbade (eating) the flesh of the animal which feeds on filth and forbade riding it too.
Nowadays, generally, the animals are raised and fed, on animal protein and animal by-products derived from pigs, cows, dogs, cats and all other road kills animals. So today , if we are not eating organic meat and animal product food naturaliy, then eating Jallalah, which is haram according to the Islamic rules.


8. Where such arrangements do not exist, efforts should be made by the local Islamic Centers to procure Halal meat for the Muslim Community. Alternatively a group of Muslims can band together and slaughter cow, sheep or chickens on weekends and preserve the meat for use during the week. This can be done successfully at places where Halal meat is not easily available provided one has the zeal and concern for the Faith by sacrificing a little time and undergoing a little hardship in this regard.

"And that man hath only that for which he maketh effort." (AI-Qur'an, 53: 39).

"But lo! with hardship goeth case, lo ! with hardship goeth case so when thou art relieved, still toil and strive to please thy Lord." (94 . 5-8).

"As for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo ! Allah is with the good." (29 : 69)
9. Kosher;Kashrut (in Hebrew) is the system of Jewish dietary laws. Kosher (kashur in Hebrew) means 'fit, or proper for use' according to Jewish law. Examples of kosher are: the meat of the 'fore quarter*' of the cattle and lambs slaughtered ritually (the jews do not aet hine quarters), fruits, vegetables, all fish that have fins*, all wines*, all cheeses*, gelatin*.
The opposite of Kosher, as applied to food in Treif (in Yiddish), or trefah (in Hebrew) meaning 'not suitable for use', or 'forbidden'. Trefah literally means 'torn by a wild beast' (Exodus 22:30). Examples of Trefah are: blood, swine, rabbit*, all shell fish*, wild birds such as wild hen*, wild duck*, and the birds of prey.
(*) these food items exhibit a marked difference between kosher and Halal as well as trefah and haram.

Is Kosher Halal; Often times Muslim consumers tend to assume 'Kosher' is similar to 'Halal'. Although the slaughtering rituals of Jewish people resemble those of Muslims; kosher and halal are two different entities carrying a different meaning and spirit. Muslims, therefore, are provided with the following basic information about Kosher so they can exercise care in distinguishing halal from kosher

The differences are explained elsewhere in this section.

Caution to Muslim Consumers:

Halal is a comprehensive Islamic term encompassing not only the matters of food and drink, but all other matters of daily life. Islam being the final and perfect Deen (religion) for mankind, it supersedes all the previously revealed religions including Christianity and Judaism. The rituals in all matters were perfected by Islam (al-Quran 5:3)

According to Islamic Jurisprudence, no one except Allah can change forbidden (Haram) things into lawful (halal) for vice-versa. It is forbidden for people to change the lawful (Halal) things into unlawful (Haram), or vice-versa. Those people who make summary judgments regarding Haram and Halal should keep the following ayah in mind;

“O you who believe1 forbid not the good things which Allah has made ‘lawful’ for you, and transgress not. Lo1 Allah loves not transgressors. Eat of that which Allah has bestowed on you as food ‘lawful’ and good, and keep your duty to Allah in whom you are believers.” (5:87-88).

It is only Allah (swt) who can legislate what is Haram and what is Halal.

Halal is a unique Islamic concept and eating dhabiha (Islamically slaughtered) meat is a distinguishing part of a Muslim's identity as expressed by Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Salient differences between kosher and halal are:

Islam prohibits all intoxicating alcohols, liquors, wines and drugs. kashrut regards all wines kosher. Hence food items and drinks showing the kosher symbol containing alcohol are not halal.

Gelatin is considered kosher regardless of its source of origin. If the gelatin is prepared from swine, Muslims consider it haram (prohibited). Hence foods items such as marshmallows, yogurt, etc., showing kosher symbols are not halal.

Enzymes (irrespective of their sources even from non-kosher animals) in cheese making are considered mere secretion (pirsah b'almah) according to some kashrut organizations, hence all cheeses are considered kosher. Muslims look for the source of the enzyme in cheese making. If it is coming from the swine, it is considered haram(forbidden). Hence cheeses showing kosher symbols may not be halal.

Jews do not pronounce the name of Allah on each animal while slaughtering. They feel that uttering the name of Allah, out of context, is wasteful. Muslims on the other hand pronounce the name of Allah on all animals while slaughtering.

Pastries prepared with lard (pork-fat) or gelatin deserts like jelts and marshmallows are also haram if suspected of having been prepared with pork products. Most of the cheese products in France and other European countries are prepared with stomach extract (engime-rennet) of swine or non Zabiha animals and are not lawful for Muslims.

The salient differences between kosher and halal have been illustrated so that Muslim consumers can distinguish halal from kosher.

Islam is a complete way of life providing infallible guidance to all its followers in all walks of life. Halal brings immense satisfaction to the Muslim life both now and in the hereafter. Muslims therefore, do not have to depend on any other set of laws for want of convenience.

The final, divine laws of Islam are indeed perfect and the best for all its followers for all time to come.

Muslims in non-Muslim countries should strive to follow the Islamic injunctions in their diet (as well as in every walk of life) and establish their own businesses and institutions to cater to the needs of the Muslims. By doing so, not only the identity of the Muslims will be preserved, but they will be recognized and respected for their beliefs and practices. What a subtle means of Dawa!

And who doth greater wrong than he who is reminded of the revelations of his Lord, then turned from them? Lo! We shall requite the guilty.

(AI-Qur'an, 32:22)

The Issue of Halal Meat
A prevalent corruption within the Muslim community regarding Halal (lawful) meat has successfully evolved into serious confusion and widespread “controversy.” The result of such wickedness is the belief that the following three errant justifications are legitimate:
1. Just because the meat is not pork, it is Halal.

2. The meat of the Ahl-al-Kitab (People of the Book) is Halal, regardless of how it was slaughtered of what the actual meat is.

3. If there is a possibility the food may be Haram (forbidden), saying “Bismillah” (In the Name of Allah) over it is permissible, thereby making it Halal.
These three assumptions are deceptively propagated to Muslims who are either new to Al-Islam or uneducated concerning their Deen. The intent of this article is to expose and correct the fallacies cited above.

Dhabiha

Dhabiha is the actual slaughter of an animal for consumption. Dhabiha is performed by cutting the jugular vein of an animal and allowing its blood to drain. It is mandated by Qur’an and Hadith that all animals killed for food, except fish, must be slain via dhabiha. All animals, the flesh of which is edible except fish, are unlawful. Dhabiha must be performed by a Muslim or by someone who is Ahl-al-Kitab.
The Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has said,

"You may deal with them (Magians) as well as with the Ahl-al-Kitab, but you must not marry their women, nor eat of animals in which dhabiha is performed by them."
The dhabiha of an idolater is Haram because he or she does not believe in the Ambiya (Prophets), and the dhabiha of an apostate is Haram because he is not permitted to continue in the faith from which he has turned, but must rather be punished by death.

Those Muslims who are either undereducated or new to Al-Islam are misled into assuming that if the meat is not pork, then it is edible, consequently they need to be aware of is that dhabiha is what is to be considered when consuming meat that isn’t pork.

What is Haram

Allahu Ta’ala clearly mentions what is Haram in Holy Qur’an (Surah Al-Maa’idah, 5:3):

"Haram to you (for food) is carrion; blood; the flesh of swine; that which any name other than Allah has been invoked; that which has been killed by strangling; and beat to death, or dead through falling from a height; and killed by the goring of horns; and that which was eaten by wild beasts, unless you are able to perform dhabiha; and that which is sacrificed to idols."
Allah also states in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:168):

"Eat of that which is Halal and tayyib (clean, pure, good) in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaytaan. Surely he is an open enemy to you!"

The only instance when a Muslim is permitted to consume Haram provisions is if he or she is on the verge of starvation and the only food available to him or her is food which is ordinarily Haram. Allah states in Holy Qur’an (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:173):

"But if one is forced by necessity, neither by desire nor transgressing, it is no sin upon him. Surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful!"

Ahl-al-Kitab and dhabiha

Allah states in Holy Qur’an (Surah Al-Maa’idah, 5:5):

"The food of the People of the Book is Halal for you and your food is Halal for them."

Many are misled to assume that if the food is from a Christian or Jew, it is Halal whether or not dhabiha has been performed. The truth of the situation is, as related by Ibn Abbas (r.a.),

"Their (Ahl-al-Kitab) food means their dhabiha."

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]

From this, it can be seen that in the issue of Halal meat dhabiha is fardh (obligatory), and if the meat is to originate from a Jew or a Christian, then this is the major and critical and critical concern.

It is a transgression to knowingly consume Haram meat.

Allah says in Holy Qur’an (Surah Al-An’aam, 6:121):

"And do not eat that which the name of Allah has not been mentioned. And surely it is a transgression. Surely the Shayateen (devils) inspire their friends to dispute with you. But if you were to obey them you would indeed be of the mushrikeen (polytheists)."
Allah makes mention of such an ayah previous to the above in the 118^th and 119^th ayahs:

"Eat of that which the name of Allah has been pronounced if you are believers in his ayahs. How should you not eat that which the name of Allah has been mentioned when He explained to you that which is Haram to you unless you are forced otherwise under compulsion? But surely, many are led astray by their own lusts through ignorance. Surely your Lord knows best those who transgress."

This does not mean the pronunciation of "Bismillah" is what makes it Halal, instead, it means as long as dhabiha was performed, the pronunciation of the Basmala is required upon consumption of the meat. In ALL collections of Hadith, for every serving of meat brought to Sayyidina Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi

wa Sallam), dhabiha was always performed.
In Sahih Al-Bukhari, Az-Zuhri (r.a.) said:

"There is no harm in eating animals where the dhabiha was performed by Arab Christians. If you hear the one who performs dhabiha on the animals mentioning other than Allah’s Name, then don’t eat of it, but if you don’t hear that, then Allah has allowed the eating of animals where dhabiha has been performed by them, though He knows their disbelief."

The use of a falsified Hadith to justify eating Haram

There has been (and still is) a tendency to resort to the manipulation of a Hadith. Such forgeries can be found in books of deviance, such as Fiqh us-Sunnah and other books from the Saudis. Two variations of the counterfeit evidence are as follows:

Narrated by Hazrat Sayyidah A’isha (Radhi Allahu Anhaa) ...

1. 
   A group of people said to the Nabi (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam), "Some people brought us meat and we didn’t know where it came from."
   

He (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam) said, "Say Bismillah over it and then eat it."

2. 
   A group of people said to the Nabi (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam), "Some people brought us meat and we didn’t know whether or not dhabiha was performed upon the meat.
   

He (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam.) said, "Say Bismillah over it and then eat it."
It is stressed that those who have slandered Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam) and Sayyidah A’isha (Radhi Allahu Anhaa) by quoting such falsehood, should immediately make tawba (repentance) to Allah for such an act of blasphemy.

The original Hadith, found in Sahih al-Bukhari, is:

Narrated by Sayyidah A’isha (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ’anha) :

A group of people said to the Nabi (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam), "Some people brought us meat and we do not know whether or not they have mentioned Allah’s name on slaughtering the animal." He (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam) said, "Mention the Name of Allah over it and then eat it." Those people had embraced Al-Islam recently."

It is clearly stated in this Hadith that the issue at hand wasn’t dhabiha, it was the pronunciation of the Name of Allah over the meat that had already been slaughtered correctly, BY MUSLIMS.

Results of Haram meat

Never forget Allah’s command in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:168):

"Oh mankind! Eat of that which is Halal and tayyib in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaytaan."

In Sahih Muslim, Sayyidina Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam) gives an example of one who consumes Haram provisions:

"Then he (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam) mentioned a man having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty and who spreads out his hands to the sky (saying): O Lord! O Lord! - while his food is Haram, his drink is Haram, his clothing is Haram, and his nourishment is Haram, so how can he be answered!"

In another Hadith, Sayyidina Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam) said:

"The prayers of a person who eats one morsel of Haram food will not be heard for forty days."

Question: What kind of meat can be consumed from the non-Muslim supermarkets/grocery stores here in America?

As stated earlier, the dhabiha of the Ahl-al-Kitab (provided it is performed correctly) is what is lawful to Muslims. The practice of performing dhabiha by Christians has ceased due to the lobby of animal rights groups. However, Jews maintain the ritualistic slaughter which is very similar to the Muslim-performed dhabiha (legal to Islamic dietary standards provided NO alcohol is utilized and no other name is pronounced besides the name of God). Their correctly slaughtered meat is titled as being "KOSHER." Only Halal meat (in a package that explicitly expresses the word Halal) and kosher meat (packaged with a ‘K’, ‘K’ in a circle or triangle, a ‘U’ in a circle, or explicit expression of the word kosher) in non-Muslim supermarkets/grocery stores are lawful to Muslims. All other meats here in America are Haram because 1.) the slaughter of the animals is totally against what Allah says is Halal to us in Holy Qur’an and 2.) they are prepared and sold containing "fillers."

In Holy Qur’an (stated earlier in article under "what is Haram"), Allah says what types of meat are Halal and Haram to Muslims. Due to the profitability of mass production, the industry now slaughters the animals by shooting it, electrocuting it, running it off a cliff, stomping it to death, chopping its head off, and all other forms of cruelty to animals. Two television shows (Nightline and American Journal) exposed the cruelty inflicted to animals by slaughter houses in order to acquire beef, horse meat, and meat from other large animals. The animal is submersed in a pool of iodized water, then electrocuted. This is performed because it speeds up the slaughter process for large animals in the non-Muslim slaughter houses. Each way of slaughter specified above is absolutely against the method of dhabiha prescribed by Allah and His Nabi (Sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa Sallam).
"Fillers" are byproducts of pork and chemicals, and they are used as either a flavoring ingredient or as a substitute for non-pork products in order to maintain a low retail price of the meat. In The FDA Journal, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approves of five percent of the total meat package purchased to consist of fillers. The television show American Journal documented and exposed many supermarket chains for adding over 20% of pork to their ground beef. Slaughter houses also employ the same meat hooks used for holding pork for holding beef, with little to no time for cleaning residue from pork without the proper cleaning of those hooks, an extra five percent of pork can be detected in what one may consider beef from the supermarkets and grocery stores. In total, one may purchase what he or she may think is beef, but in reality, the meat purchased has a very high possibility of containing a total of twenty five percent pork byproduct.
In conclusion, one will never be able to purchase 100% pure beef in America, unless the meat is purchased at a Halal meat store, a kosher meat store, or by way of an acquaintance (either Muslim of Ahl-al-Kitab) who performs dhabiha correctly. One should be informed of the misconceptions and deceptions used to poison one’s body, and eventually one’s salaat/du’a, by way of tampering with his or her adherence to Islamic dietary laws. Since no one on the face of this earth has the power to make Halal what is clearly Haram, one must strive to enforce what is lawful and forbid what is unlawful. Please take heed to what has been presented, so educated decisions can be made in the future. No single individual can survive without their salaat, and the consumption of Haram meat can seriously damage his or her own prayers, amongst other things. May Allah grant us guidance with everything we do and protect us from the ways and practices of Shaytaan. AAMEEN!


THE LAW OF SHARI'AH REGARDING MECHANICAL SLAUGHTER
ALLAH, IN THE NAME OF, THE COMPASSIONATE, MOST MERCIFUL

"PRAISE BE TO ALMIGHTY ALLAH, SALUTATIONS ON THE HOLY

PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SALLAL LAAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM)"

INTRODUCTION

In our present day and age, the method of mechanical slaughter, i.e. slaughter by use of machines, has become a common practice and animals slaughtered mechanically are generally being imported into Muslim countries. In many countries, numerous Muslim butchers, after becoming aware of such meat being imported into their countries, have raised the matter with the authorities and have even established their own abattoirs so that the proper slaughtering of animals is in their control. This was done to prevent the innocent and unsuspecting Muslim masses from eating such meat, and to also avoid themselves from selling Haram meat.

However, certain westernised Molvis have, without providing any proper Islamic reasons, certified such meat as being Halal, and they have also given the green light to Muslims to buy "Halal meat" from non-Muslim butchers. Why such Molvis have implemented this, fails to make sense as there is no complete or partial evidence from the Shari'ah, namely, from the Holy Quran, Ahadith or Books of Fiqh to substantiate their arguments. They have tried various means to establish that the method of mechanical slaughter as being permissible, but were hopelessly unsuccessful.

Due to the fear of the detrimental effect that may be caused by establishing mechanical slaughter, I have decided to give a brief explanation of the differences between mechanical slaughter and proper Islamic Zabiha (Slaughter) so that the unsuspecting Muslims are not trapped into eating Haram meat.

PROPER SLAUGHTERING ACCORDING TO THE SHARI'AH

Every Muslim should at least be aware of the fact that for the flesh of any animal, with the exception of fish and locusts, to become Halal, it must pass through the proper method of Islamic slaughter, i.e. in accordance with the Shari'ah. There are basically two methods of slaughter in Shari'ah, which are:
1. Zibah-e-Ikhtiyaari: Slaughter of animals in one's control, eg. livestock and poultry.
2. Zibah-e-Iztiraari: Slaughter of uncontrolled animals, that is, animals (game) that are hunted.

In both methods, the animal must be slaughtered by a sharp weapon (knife, spear, etc.). With the exception of these methods, almost all the other methods are improper.

In Zibah-e-Ikhtiyaari, the wind pipe, the food pipe, and the two blood vessels on either side of the throat must be severed. If at least three of the four mentioned vessels are severed, then the animal is regarded as Halal.
In Zibah-e-Iztiraari, the animal may be severed (cut) anywhere on the body by being stabbed or cut by the sharp edge of the weapon causing its death. If a trained dog or hunting bird causes such injury to the animals being hunted, thus causing its death, then such an animal is Halal.

Zibah-e-Iztiraari is for those birds, who due to their height of flying cannot be caught, or those animals (such as wild birds and animals) whose speed does not allow them to be easily captured.

Zibah-e-Ikhtiyaari is the law applicable to those animals, such as sheep, poultry, etc. which are in one's control and possession. If an animal in the category of Iztiraari is injured by a spear, etc. or a hunting animal, and such an animal, before its death, comes within the control and possession of the hunter, then until and unless it is not slaughtered in the method of Zibah-e-Ikhtiyaari, it will not be Halal. (Hidayah Aakhirain, pg. 505)