The Default Ruling Regarding Meat
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Is the default ruling regarding meat permissibility or prohibition?
The default ruling regarding meat is prohibition, not regarding the animal itself. The default ruling regarding the animal is permissibility, and the default ruling regarding meat is prohibition, until we know or it becomes predominant in our minds that it is permissible.
Meaning: If we doubt whether this animal is lawful or forbidden, it is lawful, so we slaughter it and eat it. But if we doubt whether this meat is slaughtered or carrion, the default ruling is prohibition, until it becomes predominant in our minds that it is lawful.And among them: If this meat comes from someone whose slaughter is lawful, it is lawful. It is not upon us to ask how it was slaughtered, nor to ask whether he mentioned the name of Allah over it or not. This is not upon us, nor is it for us to do so; because asking about this falls under the category of delving too deeply into the religion. For this reason, when people came to seek a ruling from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), saying: (A group of people brings us meat, and we do not know whether they mentioned the name of Allah over it or not?He said: You mention the name and eat it) He did not say ask them. He said: (You mention the name and eat it.
Aisha, the narrator of the hadith (may Allah be pleased with her), said: And they were recent converts from disbelief) And being recent converts from disbelief, the obligation of mentioning the name of Allah at the time of slaughter may have been hidden from them.
In any case: If meat comes to you from someone whose slaughter is lawful, and those whose slaughter is lawful are three categories of people: the Muslim, the Jew, and the Christian. Do not ask. For this reason, if a slaughtered animal comes to us now in our markets, do we ask who slaughtered it? No, we do not ask. Do we ask whether the slaughterer prays or not? We do not ask. Do we ask whether he mentioned the name of Allah over it or not? We do not ask. Do we ask whether he let the blood flow in the lawful manner or not? We do not ask. Asking is considered delving too deeply.And if we said that asking is obligatory, we would say: Remaining questions: Do we ask whether the slaughtered animal belongs to the slaughterer or not?If they say: It belongs to him.We said: By what means does he own it? Did he buy it, receive it as a gift, or steal it? Then we ask after that how he first came to own it? Then it continues in a chain. But praise be to Allah, Allah made it broad and cut off the root of this questioning by not asking.
The Jews used to send meat to the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him), and he would eat it without asking. And the Jew would invite him to barley bread and a thick soup, and he would not ask about this soup how it was slaughtered. And the best of the sacrificial animals is the sacrifice of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
As for what some people circulate about the meat arriving in our markets, claiming that it was not slaughtered in the lawful manner, this is an error and this is a whisper of Satan. It should not be spread among people. The believer should remain eating the food from the meat and doubting its permissibility. Leave the people alone. Then, what arrives in our countries, praise be to Allah, is slaughtered by committees there at the slaughterhouses in other countries, slaughtered according to the lawful manner.
The default ruling regarding meat is prohibition, not regarding the animal itself. The default ruling regarding the animal is permissibility, and the default ruling regarding meat is prohibition, until we know or it becomes predominant in our minds that it is permissible.
Meaning: If we doubt whether this animal is lawful or forbidden, it is lawful, so we slaughter it and eat it. But if we doubt whether this meat is slaughtered or carrion, the default ruling is prohibition, until it becomes predominant in our minds that it is lawful.And among them: If this meat comes from someone whose slaughter is lawful, it is lawful. It is not upon us to ask how it was slaughtered, nor to ask whether he mentioned the name of Allah over it or not. This is not upon us, nor is it for us to do so; because asking about this falls under the category of delving too deeply into the religion. For this reason, when people came to seek a ruling from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), saying: (A group of people brings us meat, and we do not know whether they mentioned the name of Allah over it or not?He said: You mention the name and eat it) He did not say ask them. He said: (You mention the name and eat it.
Aisha, the narrator of the hadith (may Allah be pleased with her), said: And they were recent converts from disbelief) And being recent converts from disbelief, the obligation of mentioning the name of Allah at the time of slaughter may have been hidden from them.
In any case: If meat comes to you from someone whose slaughter is lawful, and those whose slaughter is lawful are three categories of people: the Muslim, the Jew, and the Christian. Do not ask. For this reason, if a slaughtered animal comes to us now in our markets, do we ask who slaughtered it? No, we do not ask. Do we ask whether the slaughterer prays or not? We do not ask. Do we ask whether he mentioned the name of Allah over it or not? We do not ask. Do we ask whether he let the blood flow in the lawful manner or not? We do not ask. Asking is considered delving too deeply.And if we said that asking is obligatory, we would say: Remaining questions: Do we ask whether the slaughtered animal belongs to the slaughterer or not?If they say: It belongs to him.We said: By what means does he own it? Did he buy it, receive it as a gift, or steal it? Then we ask after that how he first came to own it? Then it continues in a chain. But praise be to Allah, Allah made it broad and cut off the root of this questioning by not asking.
The Jews used to send meat to the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him), and he would eat it without asking. And the Jew would invite him to barley bread and a thick soup, and he would not ask about this soup how it was slaughtered. And the best of the sacrificial animals is the sacrifice of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
As for what some people circulate about the meat arriving in our markets, claiming that it was not slaughtered in the lawful manner, this is an error and this is a whisper of Satan. It should not be spread among people. The believer should remain eating the food from the meat and doubting its permissibility. Leave the people alone. Then, what arrives in our countries, praise be to Allah, is slaughtered by committees there at the slaughterhouses in other countries, slaughtered according to the lawful manner.