How Should a Muslim Who Eats Only Hand-Slaughtered Meat Relate to Those Who Accept Machine-Slaughtered Meat?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
What is the ruling on machine-slaughtered meat, and how should someone who personally follows hand-slaughtered meat relate to a community—including its imams and masjids—that generally accepts machine-slaughtered meat?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I hope you are well. Thank you for seeking guidance on halal meat consumption.
At the outset, what you should do is hold a good opinion of others and assume the lawfulness of what they eat. Personally, adopt mindfulness (taqwa) without branding the community or creating discord (fitna), while at the same time working to educate and find ways to implement change in a meaningful way.
The Quranic Requirement: Pronouncing Allah’s Name
Allah Most High says: “Eat not of (meats) over which Allah’s name has not been pronounced. That would be sinful (fisq).” [Quran 6:121]
This verse quite clearly mentions the necessity of pronouncing the name of Allah Most High without any ambiguity or doubt. And Allah did not just suffice on this command, rather followed it up by saying “that would be sinful (fisq)”, removing any doubt that Tasmiya may not be necessary.
Rafi’ ibn Khadij (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “If the killing tool causes the blood to gush out, and the name of Allah is pronounced, then eat (of the slaughtered animal).” [Bukhari]
“Meaning a slaughtered animal will not be lawful to consume (halal) if the name of Allah was intentionally not pronounced, whether the slaughterer was a Muslim or from the people of the book (kitabi), because of the (clear) text of the Quran and the consensus (ijma) of all the scholars.” [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Meat Is Unlawful Until Proven Halal
One should also remember that, originally, all things are permissible unless proven unlawful (al-Asl fi al-Ashya al-Ibaha). However, the case with meat is different, in that it is unlawful until proven Halal.
It is important to separate the meat-related rulings from the manners of living in a settled community. However, in the future, educational awareness and further research are important.
And Allah knows best.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Related
- Can We Eat Machine-Slaughtered Meat? — A detailed Hanafi examination of the conditions required for a valid slaughter
- Is It Better to Avoid All Machine-Slaughtered Meat? — A ruling confirming that mindfulness (taqwa) calls for avoiding machine-slaughtered meat
- Will My Prayers Be Accepted If I Consume Machine-Slaughtered Poultry? — A ruling acknowledging that some trusted fiqh academies conditionally permit mechanical slaughter
- Could Machine-Slaughtered Meat Be Regarded the Same as Hand-Slaughtered Meat? — Shaykh Faraz Rabbani explains what constitutes a valid hand-slaughter in the Hanafi school and why machine slaughter raises serious concerns against this standard.
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Currently, he resides in the UK with his wife and is interested in reading and gardening.
