If no one is available to slaughter the sacrificial animal except a woman, is her slaughter sufficient and is its meat permissible to eat, or not?
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The questioner : If no one is available to slaughter the sacrificial animal except a woman, is her slaughter sufficient and is its meat permissible to eat, or not? We ask for your guidance.
The Shaykh : The answer to this is that it is permissible for a woman to slaughter the sacrificial animal, whether a man is present or not.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : This is because a woman is among the Muslims, and the slaughter of all Muslims who possess discernment is permissible. The evidence for this is that a woman was tending sheep in Madinah during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). A wolf attacked one of them, so she took a stone and slaughtered it with it. This was reported to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he approved it. This hadith indicates, by its generality, the permissibility of a woman slaughtering, even if she is menstruating. If a woman slaughters an animal that is made lawful by ritual slaughter and fulfills the known conditions of ritual slaughter, then her slaughter is lawful, just like the slaughter of a man, with no difference. Yes.
The questioner : What are the conditions of ritual slaughter, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes. Ritual slaughter has conditions, among which is that the one performing the slaughter must be qualified for it, which is a Muslim or a Person of the Book. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:5] Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and her) said: "Their food is their slaughter".
The second condition is that the blood must be drained, which is done by cutting the two carotid arteries, which are the two thick vessels surrounding the windpipe. Some people call them the "awrad," the plural of "wairid" (vein).
The third condition is that the name of Allah must be mentioned over the sacrificial animal, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 2507 And in another wording: Bulugh al-Maram 12:22 There is no doubt that the draining of the blood is achieved by cutting the two carotid arteries. As for cutting the windpipe and the esophagus, that is part of the perfection of the slaughter. Some scholars hold that cutting the windpipe and the esophagus is a condition for the validity of the ritual slaughter. Based on this, a person should not neglect cutting them. In the place of slaughter, there are the two carotid arteries, the windpipe, and the esophagus. Without a doubt, the most preferable and complete thing for a person is to cut all four of these. If he cuts some of them, there is disagreement among the scholars regarding the details. Some said: If he cuts the majority, which is three of the four, the slaughter is lawful. Others said: If he cuts only the two carotid arteries, the slaughter is lawful, because that achieves the draining of the blood. However, the more pure and lawful the slaughter is, the more preferable it is. Therefore, we advise that the slaughterer cut all four of these. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh, and may He magnify your reward for what you have clarified for us and for the honorable listening brothers.
The Shaykh : The answer to this is that it is permissible for a woman to slaughter the sacrificial animal, whether a man is present or not.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : This is because a woman is among the Muslims, and the slaughter of all Muslims who possess discernment is permissible. The evidence for this is that a woman was tending sheep in Madinah during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). A wolf attacked one of them, so she took a stone and slaughtered it with it. This was reported to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he approved it. This hadith indicates, by its generality, the permissibility of a woman slaughtering, even if she is menstruating. If a woman slaughters an animal that is made lawful by ritual slaughter and fulfills the known conditions of ritual slaughter, then her slaughter is lawful, just like the slaughter of a man, with no difference. Yes.
The questioner : What are the conditions of ritual slaughter, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes. Ritual slaughter has conditions, among which is that the one performing the slaughter must be qualified for it, which is a Muslim or a Person of the Book. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them
الْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَهُمْThe second condition is that the blood must be drained, which is done by cutting the two carotid arteries, which are the two thick vessels surrounding the windpipe. Some people call them the "awrad," the plural of "wairid" (vein).
The third condition is that the name of Allah must be mentioned over the sacrificial animal, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
what would make blood flow (slaughter) and you can eat what is slaughtered and the Name of Allah is mentioned at the time of slaughtering
ما أنهر الدم وذكر اسم الله عليه فكلواYou 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).
فكلوا إلا السن والظفر، أما السن فعظم وأما الظفر فمدى الحبشةThe questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh, and may He magnify your reward for what you have clarified for us and for the honorable listening brothers.