Stunning an animal with electricity before slaughtering it
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Fatwa number ( 1665 )
Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed the question submitted to His Eminence the General President, from the honorable
General President of the Muslim World League, which reads: I received a letter from my brother, Sayyid Aziz Pasha, the Secretary General of the Union of Islamic Associations in London, informing me that he received a message from the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, requesting that the Islamic communities residing in Britain be persuaded to accept eating the meat of animals that are stunned before slaughter. He mentioned that this society stated in its letter that the Chief Justice in Tanzania had preached to the people that there is no text in the Qur'an forbidding the eating of meat from beasts or animals that were stunned before slaughter. The aforementioned person has requested the correct fatwa on this matter. We ask your Eminence to graciously issue a fatwa on this subject and send it to us so that we may respond to the aforementioned person as required.
The Committee responded as follows: First: If it is stunned by striking its head, or by applying an electric current to it, for example, and it dies from that before being slaughtered, it is a strangled animal (muqawwadhah) and is not to be eaten, even if its neck is cut or it is slaughtered at the throat afterwards. Allah the Exalted has forbidden it in His saying:[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] ,
and the scholars of Islam have unanimously agreed on the prohibition of such a slaughtered animal. If it is found alive after being stunned by what was mentioned or similar, and it is slaughtered or its throat is cut, it is permissible to eat it; because of Allah's saying at the end of this verse regarding the strangled, the strangled (by stunning), the one that fell from a height, and the one killed by a wild beast:[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] . Thus, the Exalted has excepted from these prohibitions that which is found alive and slaughtered, so it is eaten due to the effect of the slaughter, unlike that which dies from stunning before slaughter or throat-cutting, for the slaughter has no effect in making it lawful. By this, it is known that the Qur'an forbids what is stunned of animals if it dies from the stunning before its slaughter; because the stunned animal is a strangled animal (muqawwadhah), and Allah has clarified in the verse of al-Ma'idah its prohibition except if it is found alive and slaughtered by cutting or throat-cutting. Second: It is forbidden to stun an animal by striking, or by applying electricity, or similar to it; because of the torture involved in it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade harming and torturing it, and commanded gentleness and excellence in all cases, and specifically in slaughter. It was narrated by Muslim from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 3187Sahih (Darussalam) , and it was narrated by Muslim from Jabir ibn
Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said:Bulugh al-Maram 12:23 , and it was narrated by Muslim also from Shaddad ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1409Sahih (Darussalam) . If it is not possible to slaughter the animal or cut its throat except after stunning it with a stunning that does not kill it before slaughter or throat-cutting, it is permissible to stun it and then slaughter it while it is alive out of necessity. And if it is not possible to slaughter it except by what kills its life, its ruling is the ruling of game that is shot with an arrow, or a bullet, or similar, that penetrates it, not by strangling or electricity, or similar. If it is found alive, it is slaughtered,
and if not, its being hit by what it was shot with is its slaughter. It was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim from Abdullah ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him),Sahih Muslim 1954d , and it was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim from Rafi' ibn Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Bulugh al-Maram 12:22 , he said: And we captured a herd of camels and sheep, so a camel escaped from them, and a man shot it with an arrow and held it back, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: (What makes you so weak regarding the beasts? What is in your hands is like game, and as for a camel
that fell into a well, where you are able to reach it, slaughter it). And Ali and Ibn Umar and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with them) held that view. And it was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim from 'Adi ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1929j , and it was narrated by al-Bukhari . It is incumbent upon those in charge of the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to be gentle with animals, even those intended for slaughter, so they do not strike them on the head or apply an electric current to them, for example, and they do not allow anyone to do that to animals when slaughtering them by cutting or throat-cutting, except if it is not possible to slaughter it except by shooting it in a controlled manner that allows for its slaughter, such as tying it with ropes or similar. If that is not possible, stab it or shoot it with something that penetrates it to be its slaughter, if it is not found alive after being shot or stabbed; because of the aforementioned hadiths, and because of His saying, the Exalted: [At-Taghabun 64:16] . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed the question submitted to His Eminence the General President, from the honorable
General President of the Muslim World League, which reads: I received a letter from my brother, Sayyid Aziz Pasha, the Secretary General of the Union of Islamic Associations in London, informing me that he received a message from the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, requesting that the Islamic communities residing in Britain be persuaded to accept eating the meat of animals that are stunned before slaughter. He mentioned that this society stated in its letter that the Chief Justice in Tanzania had preached to the people that there is no text in the Qur'an forbidding the eating of meat from beasts or animals that were stunned before slaughter. The aforementioned person has requested the correct fatwa on this matter. We ask your Eminence to graciously issue a fatwa on this subject and send it to us so that we may respond to the aforementioned person as required.
The Committee responded as follows: First: If it is stunned by striking its head, or by applying an electric current to it, for example, and it dies from that before being slaughtered, it is a strangled animal (muqawwadhah) and is not to be eaten, even if its neck is cut or it is slaughtered at the throat afterwards. Allah the Exalted has forbidden it in His saying:
Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah, and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْـزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُand the scholars of Islam have unanimously agreed on the prohibition of such a slaughtered animal. If it is found alive after being stunned by what was mentioned or similar, and it is slaughtered or its throat is cut, it is permissible to eat it; because of Allah's saying at the end of this verse regarding the strangled, the strangled (by stunning), the one that fell from a height, and the one killed by a wild beast:
Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah, and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
إِلا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْDo not take anything with a soul as a target.
لا تتخذوا شيئًا فيه الروح غرضًاAbdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited beating a tied-animal to death.
نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يقتل شيء من الدواب صبرًاIndeed Allah has decreed Ihsan in everything. So when you kill, then do the killing well, and when you slaughter, then do the slaughtering well. Let one of you sharpen his blade, and let him comfort his animal (before slaughtering).
إن الله تعالى كتب الإحسان على كل شيء، فإذا قتلتم فأحسنوا القتلة، وإذا ذبحتم فأحسنوا الذبحة، وليحد أحدكم شفرته وليرح ذبيحتهand if not, its being hit by what it was shot with is its slaughter. It was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim from Abdullah ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him),
that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had prohibited the throwing of pebbles by saying: It does not catch the game, nor does it inflict defeat on the enemy, but breaks the tooth and puts the eye out.
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن الخذف، وقال: إنها لا تصيد صيدًا ولا تنكأ عدوًّا ولكنها تكسر السن وتفقأ العينYou may eat an animal which is slaughtered by any means which causes the blood to gush out as long as Allah's Name is mentioned over it, except for the tooth and the claw (not allowed to be used). The tooth is a bone and the claw is the knife of the Abyssinians (Ethiopians).
ما أنهر الدم وذكر اسم الله عليه فكل، ليس السن والظفر، أما السن فعظم، وأما الظفر فمدى الحبشةIndeed, these animals have wild ones, just as wild beasts have wild ones. So if something of them runs away from you, do to it thus.
إن لهذه البهائم أوابد كأوابد الوحش، فإذا ند عليكم منها شيء فافعلوا به هكذاthat fell into a well, where you are able to reach it, slaughter it). And Ali and Ibn Umar and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with them) held that view. And it was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim from 'Adi ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When you let off your dog, recite the name of Allah, and if it catches (game for you) and you find it alive, then slaughter it; if you find it killed and that (your dog) has eaten nothing out of that, (even then) you may eat it; but if you find along with your dog another dog, and (the game an) dead, then don't eat, for you do not know which of the two has killed it. And if you shoot your arrow, recite the name of Allah, but if it (game) goes out of your sight for a day and you do not find on that but the mark of your arrow, then eat that it you so like, but if you find it drowned in water, then don't eat that.
إذا أرسلت كلبك المعلم فاذكر اسم الله تعالى عليه، فإن أمسك عليك فأدركته حيًّا فاذبحه، وإن أدركته قد قتل ولم يأكل منه فكله، وإن وجدت مع كلبك كلبًا غيره وقد قتل فلا تأكل، فإنك لا تدري أيهما قتله، وإن رميت بسهمك فاذكر اسم الله تعالى، فإن غاب عنك يومًا فلم تجد فيه إلا أثر سهمك فكل إن شئت وإن وجدته غريقًا في الماء فلا تأكل'Adi ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the game of the crossbow. He said: If you hit it with its edge, eat it. If you hit it with its width and it kills it, it is a poisoned thing, so do not eat it.
عن عدي بن حاتم رضي الله عنه قال: سألت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن صيد المعراض، فقال: إذا أصبت بحدِّه فكل، وإذا أصبت بعرضه فقتل فإنه وقيذ فلا تأكلSo fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.