Eat the meat of animals that were slaughtered according to Shariah
29-6-2004 | IslamWeb
Question:
I am living in Britain. I came here just six months ago to study and to work in the future. I live in not very big town with some Muslims. few hundreds most of them are students in the university. my problem is that now there is only one small shop in the only mosque in this town which brings the meat from London and this usually happens during the Fridays only, not every Friday as well, and if I missed the prayer, I cant get this meat which supposed to be according the Shariah islamiah, but I cant eat in any restaurant chicken or cow beef or lamb or any meat because I don't know if the way of sacrifying it was Islamic or not, also I cant accept any invitation to eat by any One because I don't know the basis of sacrifying,I am planning to stay here for sometimes, this is very tiring for me, the only meal which I eat outside home is the fish. Few days ago I met a Muslim Turkish cook, he has a restaurant in this town, and most of his clients are British and I asked him about The HALAL meat he told me that for example all chicken all the time in his restaurant Halal due it is better for the taste and reputation of the shop. This is likely to be the case in other recusants but I don't know, I can't ask every restaurant, and the problem if I am invited to someone house, everyone knows that we don't eat Ham this easy to avoid but what about the other types. I did not risk until this moment to eat out side the home but fish. This is tiring as I live single.
Answer:
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
What is predominant about way the Christians nowadays slaughter is by electric shock if they are sheep and goats, and they do nearly the same thing with chicken, and they shoot cows in the head. Please refer to fatwa:82323
These ways of slaughtering are not Islamic, and it is not permissible to eat the meat of animals slaughtered in this way as they are dead meat. Allah says (interpretation of meaning): Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maytatah (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 AnNusub (stone altars). (Al-Ma'idah 5:3)
However, you can eat the chicken of the Turkish man if he is a Muslim and if it is slaughtered by him, or if he informed you that it was slaughtered according to Shariah, provided he is a trustworthy person.
We have previously published detailed Fatawa regarding the ruling of the animals slaughtered by the people of the book, one of which we referred to above. Please refer also Fatwa: 81456.
Allah knows best.