Conditions of lawful slaughter
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Q: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Dr. Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Turki , reference number (003542602), dated 13/6/1426 AH, based on the royal directive in secret telegram number (5887 MB), dated 28/4/1426 AH, which affirmed the assignment of overall supervision of coordinating halal slaughter operations to the Muslim World League. Since His Excellency mentioned that the royal order included presenting the specifications issued by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization to a specialized Sharia committee or authority for review, and he wishes to have a Sharia opinion expressed on them.
The standards are to be reviewed by a specialized Sharia committee or authority, and it is desired that a Sharia ruling be issued on them.
Accordingly, the Committee has studied this inquiry and reviewed the attached documents received from the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization regarding the conditions for slaughtering animals in accordance with the rulings of Islamic Sharia. It held that these specifications and conditions should be as follows: Dhakah (lawful slaughter): The taking of the life of edible animals in the Sharia-prescribed manner, which is accomplished by one of the following methods: Dhabh (slaughter): Slaughtering the animal by cutting the windpipe, the esophagus, and the two carotid arteries; this method is predominantly used for sheep, cattle, and birds. Nahar (neck-slaying): Cutting these parts by stabbing the chest, which is the area between the neck and the chest; this is done for camels. Carrion: An animal that died of natural causes or without Sharia-prescribed slaughter; any part cut from the animal before its slaughter is considered carrion.
Among the types of carrion are: The strangled: An animal that died by strangulation, i.e., by having its breath held with a rope or the like. The beaten to death: An animal that died as a result of being struck with a stick or something else that kills by its weight. The fallen: An animal that fell from a high place or into a pit or the like and died from the fall. The gored: An animal that died as a result of goring by another animal. What was eaten by a predator: An animal that was preyed upon by a predator or a bird of prey that is not trained; it died as a result of being preyed upon. What was dedicated to other than Allah: An animal that was slaughtered and a name other than Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) was invoked over it, such as the names of idols or false gods, or the intention behind its slaughter was directed to other than Allah, such as jinn, messengers, or angels, or the like, as a means of drawing near to them out of fear of their harm or hope for
their benefit, even if the name of Allah was invoked over it. An animal whose consumption is not permissible, such as: 1- What died without Sharia-prescribed slaughter. 2- What is not made lawful by slaughter, such as: pigs, dogs, domestic donkeys, elephants, mules, and predatory animals like the lion, cheetah, bear, and wolf, and predatory birds like the falcon, hawker, and buzzard. Conditions for the validity of dhakah (lawful slaughter): 1- The qualification of the slaughterer, who must be sane and Muslim or a People of the Book. 2- That the name of Allah be mentioned at the beginning of the slaughter (dhakah). 3- The suitability of the tool for slaughter, meaning the tool used must be sharp, made of any material except bone or nail. 4- That the slaughter be performed at the site of slaughter and neck-slaying where possible, by cutting the esophagus, windpipe, and carotid arteries. Note: It is not permissible to strike the animal on the head or do anything equivalent to it, such as using a captive bolt pistol, a non-penetrating hammer, or carbon dioxide. Requirements of the slaughter method (dhakah): The name of Allah is mentioned at the time of slaughter (Bismillah) (previously mentioned).
The animal is slaughtered by one of the Sharia-prescribed methods. The animal is slaughtered by cutting the windpipe, esophagus, and carotid arteries (previously mentioned). The neck is not cut, broken, or the skin flayed until its death is confirmed. No part of the animal is cut before it is slaughtered (previously mentioned).
The standards are to be reviewed by a specialized Sharia committee or authority, and it is desired that a Sharia ruling be issued on them.
Accordingly, the Committee has studied this inquiry and reviewed the attached documents received from the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization regarding the conditions for slaughtering animals in accordance with the rulings of Islamic Sharia. It held that these specifications and conditions should be as follows: Dhakah (lawful slaughter): The taking of the life of edible animals in the Sharia-prescribed manner, which is accomplished by one of the following methods: Dhabh (slaughter): Slaughtering the animal by cutting the windpipe, the esophagus, and the two carotid arteries; this method is predominantly used for sheep, cattle, and birds. Nahar (neck-slaying): Cutting these parts by stabbing the chest, which is the area between the neck and the chest; this is done for camels. Carrion: An animal that died of natural causes or without Sharia-prescribed slaughter; any part cut from the animal before its slaughter is considered carrion.
Among the types of carrion are: The strangled: An animal that died by strangulation, i.e., by having its breath held with a rope or the like. The beaten to death: An animal that died as a result of being struck with a stick or something else that kills by its weight. The fallen: An animal that fell from a high place or into a pit or the like and died from the fall. The gored: An animal that died as a result of goring by another animal. What was eaten by a predator: An animal that was preyed upon by a predator or a bird of prey that is not trained; it died as a result of being preyed upon. What was dedicated to other than Allah: An animal that was slaughtered and a name other than Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) was invoked over it, such as the names of idols or false gods, or the intention behind its slaughter was directed to other than Allah, such as jinn, messengers, or angels, or the like, as a means of drawing near to them out of fear of their harm or hope for
their benefit, even if the name of Allah was invoked over it. An animal whose consumption is not permissible, such as: 1- What died without Sharia-prescribed slaughter. 2- What is not made lawful by slaughter, such as: pigs, dogs, domestic donkeys, elephants, mules, and predatory animals like the lion, cheetah, bear, and wolf, and predatory birds like the falcon, hawker, and buzzard. Conditions for the validity of dhakah (lawful slaughter): 1- The qualification of the slaughterer, who must be sane and Muslim or a People of the Book. 2- That the name of Allah be mentioned at the beginning of the slaughter (dhakah). 3- The suitability of the tool for slaughter, meaning the tool used must be sharp, made of any material except bone or nail. 4- That the slaughter be performed at the site of slaughter and neck-slaying where possible, by cutting the esophagus, windpipe, and carotid arteries. Note: It is not permissible to strike the animal on the head or do anything equivalent to it, such as using a captive bolt pistol, a non-penetrating hammer, or carbon dioxide. Requirements of the slaughter method (dhakah): The name of Allah is mentioned at the time of slaughter (Bismillah) (previously mentioned).
The animal is slaughtered by one of the Sharia-prescribed methods. The animal is slaughtered by cutting the windpipe, esophagus, and carotid arteries (previously mentioned). The neck is not cut, broken, or the skin flayed until its death is confirmed. No part of the animal is cut before it is slaughtered (previously mentioned).
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.