Canned meats that were not slaughtered in the Sharia-compliant manner: should they be thrown to the dogs or to the cats?

The Shaykh : The Exalted and Majestic Allah, in His saying: These are not to be made lawful or forbidden; instead of slaughtering them, they are killed. So, may Allah reward you, purify your wealth and your shop from such things. In what Allah the Exalted has made lawful, you have enough to be in no need of what Allah has forbidden. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: And since you have a shop, and without a doubt, based on what appears to me from having heard some of your words, that it contains all kinds of items and that it is a large and blessed shop, then be content with these canned goods and with what remains, for there is goodness and blessing in it, if Allah wills, ... .

The questioner: Regarding the hadith ... .

The Shaykh : Excuse me, let us continue our journey with Abu al-Mundhir. Since you have this response that encourages me to continue the journey, is that not so? And what is the reward for doing good but good? What will you do with these canned goods?

Another questioner : By Allah, I have a large quantity of them.

The Shaykh : This is a deviation from the question. What will you do?

Another questioner : By Allah, the question is with you, and the answer is with you, of course.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. These must be poured out. And what do we say? He throws them to the dogs, meaning he does good to the dogs and the cats with them. But with the cats, we would have elevated the status of these meats. I remind you of a matter that will make this loss easy for you, if Allah wills, the loss you alluded to earlier by saying that they are many things. Among the Companions there was a man known as Abu Talhah, one of the best of the Companions and one of their noble ones. One indication of this is that he was a guardian over orphans and used to trade with their money. He used to buy barrels of wine and trade in wine, and this was, of course, before wine was forbidden. When the prohibition of wine was revealed, he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to seek a ruling on what to do with this wine. Abu Talhah said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): "Should I turn it into vinegar?" Do you know what it means to turn it into vinegar? It means to convert it into vinegar. He said: So, praise be to Allah, you are not a guardian over the wealth of others, especially if that wealth is the wealth of poor, needy orphans. You are a guardian over your own wealth. If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered Abu Talhah, the guardian over the wealth of orphans, who had turned it into wine, and wine was not forbidden before, but when wine was forbidden, he sought his opinion on whether it was permissible for him to turn this wine into vinegar, he said: No, but pour it out. And here there are many significant differences. Abu Talhah's wealth was the wealth of orphans. This wealth had turned into wine, which was not forbidden, and yet he said: Pour it out. Your wealth is not the wealth of orphans; it is your wealth. And you bought these canned goods from merchants here or there, and they are forbidden. This is not a new ruling. So it is even more fitting for you to pour them out and feed them to the dogs, as we said earlier. By doing so, a reward may be recorded for you, perhaps a double reward. The first reward is because you responded to His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He: , so you obeyed. And the second reward, or the second wage, is that you fed this meat to the dogs. And he (peace be upon him) said: , meaning any animal that is fed has a wage for the one who feeds it. So he is recorded with two wages. Therefore, O Abu al-Mundhir, the deal will be a profitable one, if Allah wills. And the purpose of worldly life is the Hereafter, correct?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : So if a person loses his worldly life and gains the Hereafter through it, he is a winner. So you are the winner, if Allah wills. But may Allah keep the steadfast alive, if Allah wills.

Another questioner : ... Since, if his intention is, meaning, to feed them to animals, dogs and others, is it permissible for him to sell them on the basis that they are meats, as in some shops where meats are sold specifically for dogs or for cats or the like, and it is labeled on them?

The Shaykh : It is not permissible. If Allah forbids the eating of something, He forbids its price.

Another questioner : Even if it is for non-humans?

The Shaykh Stay with me in this hadith and think with me. What did you come up with?

Another questioner : We ask for pardon and well-being.

The questioner : I have the intention in the near future to sell the shop and set up furnished apartments ... .

The Shaykh : I did not understand.

The questioner : I have the intention in the near future, if Allah wills, to sell the shop and set up furnished apartments.

The Shaykh : No, you do not sell it while it contains the forbidden. Meaning, you take it as a whole, no.