If a person enters a restaurant, is it obligatory for him to ask whether the chicken is imported or not, given that imported chicken is the norm in the country?
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The Shaykh : Ask.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, Shaykh. In our markets in Kuwait, chicken slaughtered according to the Islamic method is mixed with other types. Is it prescribed for a guest or someone visiting a restaurant to ask about the type of chicken and how it was slaughtered, given that the non-compliant type is the norm?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by non-compliant?
The questioner : It is the norm.
The Shaykh : First, may Allah bless you. What makes you think that the non-compliant type is the norm?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Who told you that?
The questioner : Committees.
The Shaykh : Ah?
The questioner : Committees, committees, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : The committees, may Allah bless you, saw one factory doing this, but thousands of factories produce it. I do not believe a Muslim state allows dead animals to enter its country for the people to eat. I do not think that is the case, do you understand? Moreover, this question is a matter of excessive scrutiny. If we assume that you must ask, let us say, "Come, have this one slaughtered according to the Islamic method and slaughtered in the country." Then we must ask: does the slaughterer pray or not? Some butchers do not pray. Do you understand? Is it obligatory for you to ask?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Let us say, is it obligatory for you? In Kuwait, the slaughterers are Kuwaitis. Are there not butchers who do not pray? Is it obligatory for you to ask whether the slaughterer prays or not? Because if he does not pray, his slaughter is not permissible. So, is it obligatory for you or not? I am asking you.
The questioner : I am asking you, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, I will not. If you answer me now: if you find a chicken slaughtered in Kuwait, do you have any objection to eating it, or do you not eat it, or do you eat it without objection? Say, my brother.
The questioner : If Allah wills, I say Bismillah and eat it.
The Shaykh : So, this is the second point. Listen, my intention is that if we wanted to be strict, but Allah has forgiven us, we would ask: who wants to slaughter it? Does he pray or not? Then if he says he prays, well, he owns it, perhaps he stole it. Is it stolen or bought with lawful money? Yes, if he says it was bought with lawful money, well, is the price stolen or lawful? And so on. But among the blessings of Allah is that what you do not know is excused.
The questioner : It is published in magazines.
The Shaykh : The hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she said: You are only required to say Bismillah when eating; you are not responsible for what comes before that.
The questioner : Well, Shaykh... the magazines.
The Shaykh : Leave the magazines, my brother. The magazines say one thing, and we say they are truthful, if Allah wills. But how many factories have they inspected? Have they gone through all the factories? As for Saudi Arabia, the Council of Senior Scholars brought people from the Ministry of Commerce and I think the Ministry of Municipalities, I am not sure, but they asked them, and they said: absolutely, everything that enters Saudi Arabia is monitored.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Absolutely, we do not accept any certificate unless it says, "This carton and these seventy-eight chickens, I testify that they were slaughtered other than the Islamic method." Do you understand or not? That is one thing. Another thing: some of the earlier scholars, not the modern contemporary ones who are lenient in matters, say that what the People of the Book consider food that has been slaughtered is lawful, even if they slaughtered it by strangulation. Because Allah said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:5] So what they consider food is lawful for us, because He attached the food to a specific side. So what they consider food is lawful food for us. Do you understand? That is, according to the opinion of these scholars, there is no need to stop the People of the Book from slaughtering by strangulation or in any manner they wish, as long as Allah said: [Al-Ma'idah 5:5] and they consider it lawful food, then it is lawful for us. I told you this to lighten the burden on your heart. I am not approving of this; I do not approve of this. We say that whoever slaughters without letting the blood flow and without mentioning the name of Allah, it is forbidden. But my intention is that you lighten the burden on yourselves. First, we do not know if this was stunned or not, because we receive it with its head cut off. Then, if we know that this specific one was slaughtered other than the Islamic method or killed other than the Islamic method, we say some scholars hold that what the People of the Book consider food is lawful, even if they slaughtered it other than the Islamic method. This disagreement is well-known in the books of the earlier scholars, not the contemporaries. Yes, the important thing is: say Bismillah and eat. Say Bismillah and do not say, "Oh so-and-so, was this slaughtered here or slaughtered there?" Do not ask.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, Shaykh. In our markets in Kuwait, chicken slaughtered according to the Islamic method is mixed with other types. Is it prescribed for a guest or someone visiting a restaurant to ask about the type of chicken and how it was slaughtered, given that the non-compliant type is the norm?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by non-compliant?
The questioner : It is the norm.
The Shaykh : First, may Allah bless you. What makes you think that the non-compliant type is the norm?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Who told you that?
The questioner : Committees.
The Shaykh : Ah?
The questioner : Committees, committees, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : The committees, may Allah bless you, saw one factory doing this, but thousands of factories produce it. I do not believe a Muslim state allows dead animals to enter its country for the people to eat. I do not think that is the case, do you understand? Moreover, this question is a matter of excessive scrutiny. If we assume that you must ask, let us say, "Come, have this one slaughtered according to the Islamic method and slaughtered in the country." Then we must ask: does the slaughterer pray or not? Some butchers do not pray. Do you understand? Is it obligatory for you to ask?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Let us say, is it obligatory for you? In Kuwait, the slaughterers are Kuwaitis. Are there not butchers who do not pray? Is it obligatory for you to ask whether the slaughterer prays or not? Because if he does not pray, his slaughter is not permissible. So, is it obligatory for you or not? I am asking you.
The questioner : I am asking you, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, I will not. If you answer me now: if you find a chicken slaughtered in Kuwait, do you have any objection to eating it, or do you not eat it, or do you eat it without objection? Say, my brother.
The questioner : If Allah wills, I say Bismillah and eat it.
The Shaykh : So, this is the second point. Listen, my intention is that if we wanted to be strict, but Allah has forgiven us, we would ask: who wants to slaughter it? Does he pray or not? Then if he says he prays, well, he owns it, perhaps he stole it. Is it stolen or bought with lawful money? Yes, if he says it was bought with lawful money, well, is the price stolen or lawful? And so on. But among the blessings of Allah is that what you do not know is excused.
The questioner : It is published in magazines.
The Shaykh : The hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she said:
A group of people came to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "People come to us with meat, and we do not know if they mentioned the name of Allah over it or not?" He said: "Mention the name of Allah yourselves and eat."
إن قوما أتوا إلى الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام وقالوا إنه يأتينا قوم بلحم ولا ندري أسموا الله عليه أم لا؟ قال: سموا أنتم وكلواThe questioner : Well, Shaykh... the magazines.
The Shaykh : Leave the magazines, my brother. The magazines say one thing, and we say they are truthful, if Allah wills. But how many factories have they inspected? Have they gone through all the factories? As for Saudi Arabia, the Council of Senior Scholars brought people from the Ministry of Commerce and I think the Ministry of Municipalities, I am not sure, but they asked them, and they said: absolutely, everything that enters Saudi Arabia is monitored.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Absolutely, we do not accept any certificate unless it says, "This carton and these seventy-eight chickens, I testify that they were slaughtered other than the Islamic method." Do you understand or not? That is one thing. Another thing: some of the earlier scholars, not the modern contemporary ones who are lenient in matters, say that what the People of the Book consider food that has been slaughtered is lawful, even if they slaughtered it by strangulation. Because Allah said: