What are the conditions of lawful slaughter?

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. In her second question, this caller on the line is inquiring about the conditions of lawful slaughter, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : The conditions of lawful slaughter are that the one performing the slaughter must be from the people of lawful slaughter, namely the Muslim, the Jew, and the Christian. So if a Zoroastrian slaughters an animal, its slaughter is forbidden. And if a communist slaughters an animal, its slaughter is forbidden. If a polytheist slaughters an animal, its slaughter is forbidden. If an apostate slaughters an animal, its slaughter is forbidden. Accordingly, if a person slaughters an animal while not praying, its slaughter is forbidden.

The questioner : All right, what if it is cold and he is not being asked about it?

The Shaykh : Its slaughtered meat is eaten; this is a condition. The second condition is that the name of Allah is mentioned over the slaughter, saying "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah). The third condition is that the slaughter is performed at the place of slaughter, which is the neck. If a sheep is cut in half, it does not become lawful, even if it dies, because the slaughter must be in the neck. The fourth condition is that the windpipe and the two large blood vessels on either side of the throat are cut. These two vessels are what cause the blood to flow. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . It was reported from him, as narrated by the people of the Sunan, that he prohibited the "sharibah of Satan," which is when an animal is slaughtered but its windpipe and blood vessels are not cut. There is another condition, which is that the slaughter must be with a sharp-edged instrument, such as a knife, a sword, a dagger, a stone with an edge, wood with an edge, reed with an edge, or the like, except for the tooth and the nail. For lawful slaughter with them is not valid, as came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his saying: over it except for the tooth and the nail, for the tooth is bone and the nail is a hardened part.