Fatawa on eating meat of animals that were stunned before being slaughtered

The way of slaughtering animals that is used in many countries is to strike the animal on the head or stun it by electric shock, then slaughter it after that. Is slaughtering in this manner permissible? Please note that some people say that there is no text in the Qur’an that forbids stunning animals.

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’ in their Fatwa no. 1665 said:

Firstly: If stunning with a blow to the head or an electric shock kills the animal and it dies before being slaughtered properly, then it is Mawqoodhah (killed by a violent blow) and it cannot be eaten even if its neck is cut after that. Allaah has forbidden it in the verse where He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maitah (the dead animals- cattle- beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for other than Allaah, or has been slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling or by a violent blow.” [Surat Al-Maa’idah (5:3)]

The Scholars of Islam have unanimously agreed that such meat is forbidden. But if it is still alive after being stunned in the manner described and is slaughtered properly, then it is permissible to eat it, because Allaah says at the end of the verse, with regard to animals that are strangled, dealt a violent blow, suffer a headlong fall, are gored by horns or partly devoured by wild beasts (interpretation of the meaning): “Unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death).” [Surat Al-Maa’idah (5:3)]

So Allaah excludes from these forbidden types of meat, those animals that are reached while still alive and slaughtered in the proper manner. They may be eaten because of the effect of proper slaughter, unlike those that die by being stunned before being slaughtered, in which case slaughtering does not render them permissible. Thus, it is known that the Qur’an does forbid animals that have been stunned if they die as a result of that stunning before being slaughtered properly, because the animal that is stunned has suffered a violent blow, and Allaah has stated in this verse that such an animal is Haraam unless it is reached while it is still alive and slaughtered in the proper manner.

Secondly: It is Haraam to stun an animal by striking it or giving it an electric shock, etc. because that causes suffering to the animal, and the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) forbade causing suffering and tormenting them, and he enjoined kindness and goodness in general terms and in slaughtering in particular. Muslim narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhuma) that the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Do not take anything in which there is a soul as a target.” And Muslim narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhuma) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) forbade tormenting any kind of animal to death.”

 
Muslim also narrated from Shaddaad ibn ‘Aws (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allaah has enjoined kindness (or proficiency) in all things. So, when you kill, kill well, and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let one of you sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.”

If it is not easy to slaughter animals unless they have been stunned by a method that will not kill them before they are slaughtered, then it is permissible to stun them and slaughter them whilst they are still alive in cases of necessity.

Source: Fatawa aI-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 22/456-457

Signs of life in the animals which are shocked by electricity

Shaikh Ibn ‘Uthaimeen (Rahimahullaah) mentioned another clear sign which makes it known whether the animal died by the electric shock (stunning) or the slaughtering before its death. He (Rahimahullaah) said: “If blood flows after cutting it, this means the animal did not die by stunning, rather it was numbed then was slaughtered, so it will be lawful. This is because the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘If you slaughter the animal with anything that causes its blood to flow out, and if Allaah’s Name is mentioned upon slaughtering it, eat of it.’ [Al-Bukhaari no. 5543]

The blood would never flow out unless the animal is alive. However, if it has died, the blood will change and coagulate and will not flow out, except little of it. Anyway, if the electric stunning will not reach to the state of death, then slaughtering the animal before its death is considered legitimate slaughtering. This is based on Allaah’s Statement in Surat Al-Maa’idah (5:3).

All these are forbidden except that you are able to slaughter it (before its death).

“Al-Munkhaniqah” which has been killed by strangling is similar to the electric stunning, despite that, Allaah exempted it from prohibition as long as it is slaughtered before its death, whereupon it becomes lawful. Accordingly, this stunning is a means of ease in the slaughtering only. If it is slaughtered before the exiting of the soul, then it is Halaal. But if the stunning causes its death, then it becomes unlawful in this case.”

Source: Noor ‘alad-Darb – Fatawa Al-Jinayat – food, slaughtering and game

Question: What is the ruling on eating the flesh of animals that are slaughtered in a Muslim country by means of electric shock, knowing that the animals are stunned with the electric shock until it falls to the ground, then the butcher slaughters it as soon as it has fallen to the ground?

Answer: Praise be to Allaah.

If the matter is as described, that the butcher slaughters the An’aam animal (camel, cow, sheep or goat) as soon as it falls to the ground after receiving an electric shock, if that is done while it is still alive, then it is permissible to eat it. But if he slaughters it after it has died then it is not permissible to eat it. This comes under the ruling on animals killed by a violent blow, which Allaah has forbidden unless they are properly slaughtered before they die. The slaughter does not count unless it is proven that the animal showed signs of life such as moving a leg or if blood flows (at the time of slaughtering) and so on, which indicates that it was still alive until the slaughtering was over. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al‑Maitah (the dead animals- cattle- beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for other than Allaah, or has been slaughtered for idols) 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).”

[Surat Al-Maa’idah (5:3)]

 

An’aam animals that have been exposed to a fatal blow are permissible so long as they are slaughtered properly before they die, otherwise it is not permissible to eat them.

Source: Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 22/455

Ruling on eating chicken that was fed hormones or ground meat

Question: Is the meat of a steroid fed chicken Halaal if it is slaughtered correctly?

Praise be to Allaah

Answer: If the manufactured food or medicine does not contain anything harmful or impure (Najis), there is nothing wrong with eating chicken to whom steroids were fed if it has been slaughtered in the proper Shar’i manner by a Muslim or a kitaabi (i.e. Jew or Christian). 

But if the food or medicine is harmful to man and will make him sick, for example, it is Haraam to feed that food or medicine to chickens and eat those chickens, because Allaah (Ta’ala) says (interpretation of the meaning): “and do not throw yourselves into destruction.” [Surat Al-Baqarah (2:195)]

And the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “There should neither be harm nor reciprocating harm.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (2431) and classed as Saheeh by Al-Albaani in Irwa’ Al-Ghaleel (896).

If the food is Najis (impure), such as meat from animals that died without being slaughtered properly (Maytah), or blood and so on, that may be put in the food, then the matter is subject to further discussion.

What if most of the food is made from those impure substances or from Taahir (pure) things such as grains and the like?

If most of the food is pure, it is permissible to eat it, and there is nothing wrong with that.

But if most of its food is Najis (impure) — this is what the scholars call “an animal that feeds on filth” — it is not permissible to eat unless it has been detained and fed with Taahir food that will make its meat good.

Shaikh Ibn ‘Uthaimeen (Rahimahullaah) said in Al-Sharh Al-Mumti’ (11/298): “The animal that feeds on filth is one whose food is mostly impure (Najaasah).

There are two scholarly views concerning this: one view is that it is Haraam because it has been nourished by impure matter that has an effect on its meat. The other view is that it is Halaal. This is based on the idea that impure things become pure when they undergo a transformation. They said: The impurity that it ate has been transformed into blood, flesh and the like that grows in the body, so it is Taahir.” [End quote]

Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (Rahimahullaah) said: “The Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) forbade the milk of an animal that feeds on filth or impurity. But if the animal is detained until it becomes pure, then it is Halaal according to Muslim consensus, because before that, the effect of the impurity could be seen in its milk, eggs and sweat, so it gave off a rotten and evil stench. Once that is removed, it becomes Taahir (pure). If the ruling is established for a reason, it ceases to apply once that reason is no longer present.” [End quote] [ Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 21/618 ]

And Allaah knows best.

Sources:

Alifta.net

Islamqa.info