Answered by Sidi Suheil Laher
I have a quick question,
I am currently a college student, and I live in an apartment. Cooking for me is difficult because I don’t have much time to cook because its a large inconvenience with my class schedules, and the availabality of halal meat is limited. i get free lunches from my school because of my employment. their vegetarian options arent really filling as theyre only salads and too much fish. would it be permissible for me to eat haram meat (beef or chicken only), only during the times i have the free lunches? eating pizza and fries and wreaking havoc on my diet and health, and home cooked is only feasable on weekends. ive heard if you are away from home without a steady diet option of halal and stuff then its permissible only under certain circumstances, but i want to make sure from the proper place before hand.
also, i couldnt find a clear answer, what are the punishments for eating haram (in this kind of situation?) sure allah swt would understand, as many college students and students living away from home are in a similar situtation, and some people would physically be able to live wihtout meat, as my supplementing with vitamin pills and things can cause other problems later on.
thank you
nabeel
All praise is to Allah. Blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah.
Dear brother
May Allah reward you for your earnestness to seek His rulings in your life.
I apologize for the delay in responding. I have just returned from overseas.
I am presuming that you are in the US. If this is not the case, please write back, as this may have a bearing on some details.
The general conditions for meat to be halal are:
1) that the animal itself be lawful to consume (so pigs, for example, are excluded)
2) that the person slaughtering the animal be a Muslim, or from amongst “those who were given the scripture before” (Jewish or a Christian)
3) that the animal be killed by using a sharp implement to cut the appropriate vessels in the throat
4) that the name of Allah be mentioned at the time of slaughter (there is some disagreement over this condition, as mentioned below)
The problems with regular beef, chicken and mutton (“supermarket meat”) in the US relate to conditions 2, 3 and 4. We know for a fact that Christians in the US today do not mention the name of Allah at the time of slaughter. This makes the meat haram according to the Hanafi school and many Hanbalis, and it would only become permissible in dire necessity, where one is literally starving there is no other food one can eat. The next question is whether there is an applicable rukhsah (concession or “dispensation”) which could be adopted here from another school. (Needless to say, rulings from any school can only be adopted when they have a sound basis in the Qur’an, Sunnah, or sound deduction from these sources, as is typically the case with the sound transmitted positions of the reputed schools).
According to the Maliki school, it is not essential for the name of Allah to be mentioned if the slaughter is being done by a Jew or Christian, and according to the Shafi`i`s it is never a condition (although still recommended) for the name of Allah to be mentioned at the time of slaughter. But we still need to consider the other conditions mentioned above. In particular, there is significant doubt about condition 3. The US Human Slaughter Act stipulations (7 U.S.C.A. 1902) do not, by themselves, ensure that the Islamic requirements are satisfied, (although the reverse would be true). Even when slaughtering is performed by cutting the throat, my understanding is that there are still a significant number of cases in which animals die of other causes (of cold, or from the blows intended to render the animal unconscious, or – particularly for poultry – from electricity or scalding) before reaching the slaughter stage. Thus, even if slaughter methods are acceptable in some or all parts of the US, we have a case of halal meat becoming indistinguishably mixed with haram meat (carrion), and in such a situation it becomes obligatory to abstain from all of that meat.
There is also doubt about condition 2. According to Imam al-Shafi`i, not every Jew or Christian qualifies for the concession. He considered that only those qualify whose parents and ancestors, back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) , were Jewish or Christian. Otherwise they would not be of those who were given the Book, for since then the previous scriptures have been abrogated. Also, if there were significant numbers of non-Jewish, non-Christian, non-Muslim people working in the slaughterhouses, this would introduce a further doubt. Admittedly, a case could be made for assuming that condition 2 is satisfied, at least according to the Malikis, ruling by what is apparent (that the US is largely a Christian country).
The sticking point therefore remains condition 3, which must be fulfilled according to all the 4 Sunni schools. The diverging view of the Tabi`i Makhul (may Allah shower mercy on him), and a handful other scholars is too much of a weak, minority position to act upon here.
Therefore, dear brother, you should not eat the meat provided in the free lunches. If you leave something for the sake of Allah, then inshaAllah He will compensate you.
“Whoever keeps his duty to Allah, Allah will make a way out for him, and will provide for him from whence he does not expect.” [Qur’an, 65:2-3]
It might help you to remind yourself that animals are living creatures created by Allah, that their lives cannot be taken without the method allowed by Allah, and that other methods typically cause suffering to the animal.
There are many vegetarians nowadays who do not eat meat at all, and yet manage to obtain sufficient protein and other nutrients from alternative sources. If the food provided in your free lunches is monotonous or inadequate, then my advice is that you express these concerns to the university administration, mention your religious constraints, and politely request that they accommodate you. If you need further help in this (such as a letter from a religious authority), please do not hesitate to write. You might also investigate the availability of meals with kosher meat, which would technically satisfy the requirements of the Maliki school.
May Allah ease your affairs, and make your foothold firm.
And Allah knows best.
-sl
See also:
SunniPath Answers on eating halal meat