What is the ruling on eating frozen meats that reach us from abroad, and specifically chicken meat?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on eating frozen meats that reach us from abroad, and specifically chicken meat? We ask for guidance on this.
The Shaykh : The meats that come from the People of the Book, namely the Jews and the Christians, are lawful by default, just as the meats that come from Islamic countries are lawful by default, even if we do not know how they were slaughtered or whether they invoked the name of Allah over them or not.
This is because the default assumption regarding an action performed by its proper people is that it was performed correctly and in a sound manner, until it becomes clear that it was not done in a sound and correct way. The evidence for this principle is what is established in Sahih al-Bukhari from the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "Some people said: O Messenger of Allah, some people bring us meat, and we do not know whether they invoked the name of Allah over it or not." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: She said: "And they had recently embraced Islam." Thus, there is evidence in this that if an action is performed by its proper people, we are not required to ask whether it was done in the correct manner or not.
Based on this principle, these meats that reach us from the slaughter of the People of the Book are lawful, and we are not required to ask about them or investigate them. However, if it becomes clear to us that these specific meats are slaughtered in a manner that is not correct, then we do not eat them, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):.
It is not befitting for a person to be overly strict in his religion by investigating things that he is not required to investigate. However, if the defect becomes apparent to him and he is certain of it, then it is obligatory for him to avoid it. If he is in doubt and hesitates whether it is slaughtered in a sound manner or not?
We have two principles: The first principle is soundness (safety). The second principle is scrupulousness (wara'). If a person is scrupulous about it and leaves it, there is no blame on him. If he eats it, there is no blame on him. Accordingly, the situation is free of three states:
Either we know that this is slaughtered in a sound manner, or we know that it is slaughtered in a manner that is not sound. The ruling for these two states is known.
The third state is that we are in doubt and do not know whether it was slaughtered in a sound manner or not. The ruling in this state is that the slaughtered animal is lawful if the slaughterer is one of the people of lawful slaughter, namely a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian. It is not obligatory for us to ask or investigate how it was slaughtered or whether the name of Allah was invoked or not. In fact, the apparent meaning of the Sunnah indicates that it is better not to ask and not to investigate. For this reason, when they said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "We do not know whether they invoked the name of Allah over it or not," he did not say: "Ask them whether they invoked the name of Allah or not." Rather, he said:
This invocation that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded is not the invocation for slaughter, because the slaughter has already ended and been completed. Rather, it is the invocation for eating. It is prescribed for the one who eats to invoke the name of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) when he eats.
In fact, the stronger opinion is that the invocation over eating is obligatory, due to the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for it, and because if a person does not invoke, Satan will share in his eating and drinking.
The Shaykh : The meats that come from the People of the Book, namely the Jews and the Christians, are lawful by default, just as the meats that come from Islamic countries are lawful by default, even if we do not know how they were slaughtered or whether they invoked the name of Allah over them or not.
This is because the default assumption regarding an action performed by its proper people is that it was performed correctly and in a sound manner, until it becomes clear that it was not done in a sound and correct way. The evidence for this principle is what is established in Sahih al-Bukhari from the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "Some people said: O Messenger of Allah, some people bring us meat, and we do not know whether they invoked the name of Allah over it or not." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Mention the name of Allah and eat
سموا أنتم وكلواBased on this principle, these meats that reach us from the slaughter of the People of the Book are lawful, and we are not required to ask about them or investigate them. However, if it becomes clear to us that these specific meats are slaughtered in a manner that is not correct, then we do not eat them, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whatever causes the blood to flow and the name of Allah is invoked over it, eat it, except the tusk and the hoof, for the tusk is a bone and the hoof is the measure of the Ethiopians.
ما أنهر الدم وذكر اسم الله عليه فكل إلا السن والظفر فإن السن عظم والظفر مدى الحبشةIt is not befitting for a person to be overly strict in his religion by investigating things that he is not required to investigate. However, if the defect becomes apparent to him and he is certain of it, then it is obligatory for him to avoid it. If he is in doubt and hesitates whether it is slaughtered in a sound manner or not?
We have two principles: The first principle is soundness (safety). The second principle is scrupulousness (wara'). If a person is scrupulous about it and leaves it, there is no blame on him. If he eats it, there is no blame on him. Accordingly, the situation is free of three states:
Either we know that this is slaughtered in a sound manner, or we know that it is slaughtered in a manner that is not sound. The ruling for these two states is known.
The third state is that we are in doubt and do not know whether it was slaughtered in a sound manner or not. The ruling in this state is that the slaughtered animal is lawful if the slaughterer is one of the people of lawful slaughter, namely a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian. It is not obligatory for us to ask or investigate how it was slaughtered or whether the name of Allah was invoked or not. In fact, the apparent meaning of the Sunnah indicates that it is better not to ask and not to investigate. For this reason, when they said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "We do not know whether they invoked the name of Allah over it or not," he did not say: "Ask them whether they invoked the name of Allah or not." Rather, he said:
Mention the name of Allah and eat
سموا أنتم وكلواThis invocation that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded is not the invocation for slaughter, because the slaughter has already ended and been completed. Rather, it is the invocation for eating. It is prescribed for the one who eats to invoke the name of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) when he eats.
In fact, the stronger opinion is that the invocation over eating is obligatory, due to the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for it, and because if a person does not invoke, Satan will share in his eating and drinking.