Many people slaughter their animals with their left hand, even though they mention the name of Allah over them. Does this affect the lawfulness of the meat, or does it not?
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The questioner : Many people slaughter their animals with their left hand, even though they mention the name of Allah over them. Does this affect the lawfulness of the meat, or does it not?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. It is not a condition in slaughter that it be done with the right hand; rather, it is permissible with the right hand and with the left hand, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 3178Sahih (Darussalam) and he did not restrict this to the right hand. However, there is no doubt that the right hand is more preferable because it is stronger, and if it is stronger, it is more comfortable for the animal being slaughtered. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded that the animal be made comfortable, as he said (peace and blessings be upon him): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1409Sahih (Darussalam) Accordingly, slaughter with the left hand may be more preferable than slaughter with the right hand, as in the case of a person who is left-handed, meaning he works with his left hand and not his right hand, and who is called in our colloquial language "al-ashdath." In this case, it is more preferable to slaughter with the left hand because it is stronger and thus more comfortable for the animal. Therefore, in this case, the animal should be laid on its right side and then slaughtered.
It is better to slaughter the animal and place one's foot on its neck to be able to slaughter it effectively. As for holding its hands and legs, this is not from the Sunnah. In fact, the scholars say that it is more preferable to let its hands and legs be free, because that is more comfortable for it and because it is more effective in expelling the blood, as the blood flows and is expelled with movement. The more effective the flow of blood, the more preferable it is. This is the opposite of what the common people do, where they lie on top of the animal when they want to slaughter it and hold its hands and legs, which may cause it pain before it is slaughtered. Also, some common people take the animal's hand and twist it around its neck from behind. The least we can say about this is that it is disliked, because without a doubt, twisting its hand around its neck from behind causes it pain and harm, which is contrary to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded in his saying:.
In summary, the answer is that there is nothing wrong with a person slaughtering with his left hand, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not make it a condition that the slaughter be with the right hand.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. It is not a condition in slaughter that it be done with the right hand; rather, it is permissible with the right hand and with the left hand, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
(Use) whatever causes the blood to flow, mention the Name of Allah and eat
ما أنهر الدم وذكِر اسم الله عليه فكلIndeed Allah has decreed Ihsan in everything. So when you kill, then do the killing well, and when you slaughter, then do the slaughtering well. Let one of you sharpen his blade, and let him comfort his animal (before slaughtering).
إن الله كتب الإحسان على كل شيء، فإذا قتلتم فأحسنوا القتلة، وإذا ذبحتم فأحسنوا الذبحة، وليُحد أحدكم شفرته وليرح ذبيحتهIt is better to slaughter the animal and place one's foot on its neck to be able to slaughter it effectively. As for holding its hands and legs, this is not from the Sunnah. In fact, the scholars say that it is more preferable to let its hands and legs be free, because that is more comfortable for it and because it is more effective in expelling the blood, as the blood flows and is expelled with movement. The more effective the flow of blood, the more preferable it is. This is the opposite of what the common people do, where they lie on top of the animal when they want to slaughter it and hold its hands and legs, which may cause it pain before it is slaughtered. Also, some common people take the animal's hand and twist it around its neck from behind. The least we can say about this is that it is disliked, because without a doubt, twisting its hand around its neck from behind causes it pain and harm, which is contrary to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded in his saying:
And let him make the animal comfortable.
وليرح ذبيحتهIn summary, the answer is that there is nothing wrong with a person slaughtering with his left hand, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not make it a condition that the slaughter be with the right hand.