Hastening the slaughter by cutting the neck before the animal dies
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Fatwa number ( 21799 )
Q: There are some matters that occur in some livestock slaughterhouses. I ask you, may Allah reward you with good, to clarify them for me and to alert those concerned to them if there is any error in them. They are: 1 - Often, the slaughter of the animal is performed while the second one is watching, and perhaps there is more than one waiting for its turn, and the slaughter is done in front of them . What is the ruling on that? 2 - Some workers, when slaughtering the animal, cut the carotid arteries and reach the spinal cord in the spine , which deprives the animal of movement immediately, and this is done by them to hasten the completion of the work. What is the ruling on that?
A : First: The prohibition of carrion and the permissibility of slaughtered animals: Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] ,
and carrion is: that which died without lawful slaughter, so carrion is forbidden by the text of the verse, except for what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) excluded by his saying:Sunan Ibn Majah 3314Sahih (Darussalam) . The strangled animal is: the one that dies by strangulation; either intentionally or accidentally, such as when it gets tangled in its bonds and dies from that, so it is forbidden. The beaten animal is: the animal that dies by being struck with a stick or something else that kills by its weight. The animal that fell from a height is: the animal that dies because it fell from a high place or fell into a pit or the like and died. The animal killed by a beast of prey is: the animal that dies because a beast of prey preyed upon it. And that which is dedicated to other than Allah is: the animal that is slaughtered and other than the name of Allah is mentioned over it; such as the names of idols and false gods, or slaughtered for the jinn to avoid their harm, or for graves to draw near to the dead. Second: The conditions of slaughter that make the animal lawful: The lawful slaughter that makes the animal lawful has conditions:
1 - That the slaughter be with a sharp tool of any kind, except the tooth and the nail; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . 2 - The qualification of the one who slaughters, that he be sane, even if he is a child of discernment, and Muslim or a People of the Book; for the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Ma'idah 5:5] , and their food: their slaughtered animals, as that is established from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). 3 - Cutting the esophagus, which is: the passage for food, and the windpipe, which is: the passage for breath, and the carotid arteries, which are: two veins on either side of the neck through which the blood flows; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Ibn Majah 3178Sahih (Darussalam) And the place of cutting what is mentioned: the throat - for other than camels - and the neck for camels, and these are: neck-slaughter. 4 - The mention of the name, by saying: In the name of Allah, when his hand moves to slaughter; for the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-An'am 6:118] to His saying:
[Al-An'am 6:121] If he leaves off the mention of the name intentionally, his slaughter is not lawful; because the condition is disrupted. If he leaves it off out of forgetfulness, then it is lawful; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , narrated by Sa'id ibn Mansur in his (Sunan). Third: The recommended practices of slaughter: 1 - Sharpening the blade and resting the animal; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1409Sahih (Darussalam) . 2 - That it be carried to the tool with force; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . 3 - That it not be sharpened while the animal is watching; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered that the blades be sharpened and hidden from the animals. 4 - That the animal be hidden from the animals at the time of slaughter; so that the animals do not suffer from that. 5 - Directing the animal toward the qiblah; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ; for His saying: [Al-Hajj 22:36] , and the cattle and sheep are to be laid on their left side. 6 - Delaying breaking its neck and flaying it until it cools, meaning: after its soul has departed; for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: narrated by al-Daraqutni . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: There are some matters that occur in some livestock slaughterhouses. I ask you, may Allah reward you with good, to clarify them for me and to alert those concerned to them if there is any error in them. They are: 1 - Often, the slaughter of the animal is performed while the second one is watching, and perhaps there is more than one waiting for its turn, and the slaughter is done in front of them . What is the ruling on that? 2 - Some workers, when slaughtering the animal, cut the carotid arteries and reach the spinal cord in the spine , which deprives the animal of movement immediately, and this is done by them to hasten the completion of the work. What is the ruling on that?
A : First: The prohibition of carrion and the permissibility of slaughtered animals: Allah the Exalted said:
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]
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْـزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْand carrion is: that which died without lawful slaughter, so carrion is forbidden by the text of the verse, except for what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) excluded by his saying:
Two kinds of dead meat and two kinds of blood have been permitted to us. The two kinds of dead meat are fish and locusts, and the two kinds of blood are the liver and spleen.
أحلت لنا ميتتان ودمان، فأما الميتتان: فالسمك والجراد، وأما الدمان: فالكبد والطحال1 - That the slaughter be with a sharp tool of any kind, except the tooth and the nail; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whatever causes the blood to flow and the name of Allah is mentioned over it, eat it, except the tooth and the nail. If it kills by its weight and not by its sharpness, the slaughter is not lawful.
ما أنهر الدم وذكر اسم الله عليه فكل ليس السن والظفر، فإن كانت تقتل بثقلها لا بحدها لم تحل الذبيحةand the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you
وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَكُمْ(Use) whatever causes the blood to flow, mention the Name of Allah and eat
ما أنهر الدم وذكر اسم الله عليه فكلSo eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned
فَكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِAnd do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned
وَلاَ تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِThe slaughter of a Muslim is lawful even if he does not mention the name, provided he did not do so intentionally.
ذبيحة المسلم حلال وإن لم يسم إذا لم يتعمدIndeed 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 كتب الإحسان على كل شيء، فإذا قتلتم فأحسنوا القتلة، وإذا ذبحتم فأحسنوا الذبحة، وليحد أحدكم شفرته وليرح ذبيحتهAnd let him make the animal comfortable.
وليرح ذبيحتهHe did not slaughter a sacrificial animal or slaughter a hady except that he faced it toward the qiblah, and the camels are to be standing with their left hand tied.
ما ذبح ذبيحة ولا نحر هديًا إلا وجهه إلى القبلة، وتكون الإبل قائمة معقولة يدها اليسرىSo mention the name of Allah upon them when lined up [for sacrifice]
فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّThe Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Badil ibn Warqah al-Khuza'i over a white camel to call out in the open spaces of Mina with words including: Beware, and do not hasten the souls to depart.
بعث رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - بديل بن ورقاء الخزاعي على جمل أورق يصيح في فجاج منى بكلمات منها: ألا ولا تعجلوا الأنفس أن تزهق
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.