Is a woman's slaughter lawful or forbidden, and is the meat of an animal she slaughters edible, given that there is no one else in the house or among the neighbors?
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The questioner : Is a woman's slaughter lawful or forbidden? And is the meat of an animal she slaughters edible? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good. Given that there is no one else in the house or among the neighbors, may Allah reward you with good?
The Shaykh : A woman's slaughter is lawful, meaning that if a woman slaughters a beast of burden, it becomes lawful through her slaughter. It is lawful whether she slaughters a sheep, a cow, or a camel. The evidence for this is that a slave girl was grazing her sheep around Sulayl, a mountain in Madinah. A wolf attacked one of the sheep, so she took a sharp stone and slaughtered it before it died. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared the meat of her slaughter lawful. This is proof of the permissibility of what a woman slaughters. There is no difference between the woman being an adult or a child, provided she is of discerning age, nor between her being in a state of ritual purity or menstruating, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not ask for details. As for the belief of some people that a woman's slaughter is not lawful, or that the slaughter of a menstruating woman is not lawful, this has no basis.
Therefore, we say: the slaughter of a menstruating woman is lawful, the slaughter of one in a state of major ritual impurity is lawful, the slaughter of one who owes ablution is lawful, and the slaughter of a child is lawful if he is of discerning age.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : A woman's slaughter is lawful, meaning that if a woman slaughters a beast of burden, it becomes lawful through her slaughter. It is lawful whether she slaughters a sheep, a cow, or a camel. The evidence for this is that a slave girl was grazing her sheep around Sulayl, a mountain in Madinah. A wolf attacked one of the sheep, so she took a sharp stone and slaughtered it before it died. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared the meat of her slaughter lawful. This is proof of the permissibility of what a woman slaughters. There is no difference between the woman being an adult or a child, provided she is of discerning age, nor between her being in a state of ritual purity or menstruating, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not ask for details. As for the belief of some people that a woman's slaughter is not lawful, or that the slaughter of a menstruating woman is not lawful, this has no basis.
Therefore, we say: the slaughter of a menstruating woman is lawful, the slaughter of one in a state of major ritual impurity is lawful, the slaughter of one who owes ablution is lawful, and the slaughter of a child is lawful if he is of discerning age.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.