What is the ruling on food that comes to us from the lands of disbelief (the outside) and from the People of the Book?

Abu Malik: ... The food of the People of the Book that was made lawful for us remains subject to ... the previous rulings ... We ask for clarification of this issue, especially since our food now comes from Europe, America, and other lands of shirk (associating partners with Allah). This food comes to us, and the slaughterers may be Christians or Jews, yet there is a doubt that mingles with this matter or this food that prevents us from consuming it. Is there a difference between those people and the People of the Book who live among us in Arab lands or in Muslim lands? We ask our Shaykh to clarify two matters: The first matter is what are the conditions for the validity of the food that permits us to eat this food with these conditions, and does not permit us without them? The second matter is who are the People of the Book referred to in the saying of Allah the Exalted: ? And may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh: May Allah bless you. If you would lighten the burden for us and answer your question, you have goodness, blessing, and sufficiency in you.
Abu Malik: From your mouth, oh sweetest and sweetest, we want to hear from you, our Shaykh, and not from others. That is not proper conduct.

The Shaykh: And in any case, we are your guests, so we have no choice but to obey your command.
Abu Malik: May Allah reward you with good. Please, our Shaykh.

The Shaykh: I mentioned earlier that those Christians who were in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were, in the creed of Islam and the explicit text of the Qur'an, mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah). They said that Allah is the third of three, and the Qur'an explicitly declared their kufr (disbelief) . I also said, and I mentioned with this, that our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, inspired His Prophet (peace be upon him) to say that among the three who are given their reward twice are the People of the Book; if one of them becomes a Muslim, he has his reward twice. There was no community, nation, or at least a unified Christian or Christian people in the time of the revelation of that verse or any other verse mentioned by the professor . There was no existence for these people; there were only individuals who did not represent the Christian nation, nor did they represent a people among the many peoples of the Christians. Rather, they were all mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah); they said that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God. Nevertheless, Allah the Exalted said regarding them: . This verse does not mean their food in an absolute sense, because among their food are things that are certainly forbidden in Islam, such as pork. Pork is part of the food of the Christians, but it does not mean in the noble verse what they eat, whether it is halal (lawful) or haram (forbidden) in the Shari'ah of Islam. Rather, it means the food to be interpreted by the Muslim here as the slaughtered animal, i.e., the slaughters of those who were given the Book are lawful for you. This is what was said by the interpreter of the Qur'an, Abdullah ibn Abbas, the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the most famous of the Companions, indeed the most knowledgeable of them regarding tafsir (exegesis) and its comprehensiveness. So, the saying of Allah the Exalted means that the slaughters of those who were given the Book before you are lawful for you. Now, there is a difference that still exists between the People of the Book residing in Islamic lands and the People of the Book residing in lands of kufr (disbelief), shirk (associating partners with Allah), fisq (open sinfulness), and misguidance. Here, as far as we know, they still slaughter the animals as Muslims slaughter them, with a proper slaughter. But in the West and in America, they slaughter by killing; they do not slaughter with a proper slaughter, but they kill by killing. The ruling in Islam revolves around one of three states: If we know that they slaughtered with a proper slaughter and did not kill by killing, and they are People of the Book, then their slaughters are like the slaughters of the People of the Book in Islamic lands, and they are halal (lawful). And if we know that they do not slaughter with a proper slaughter but kill by killing, then their slaughters in this state are not halal (lawful), but rather haram (forbidden). And if the matter is between this and that, meaning the eater does not know whether this is a killed animal or a properly slaughtered one, then a third matter arises, which is to be cautious in his religion, as he (peace be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: to the end of the hadith. And the other hadith: Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt . And there is a third hadith that I mention for the elevation of its meaning and its precision, with a note on its lack of authenticity in narration.