As Sallamu Alikum,I’m in High School, and most of the Arab Muslim people eats chicken or meat that are served in school, and other don’t eat them. Which are slaughtered by non-Muslim. Is it also completely Haraam or part of it haram? How harram is it, if it is?Jazak Allah Khair
Allah Taãla says in the Noble Qurãn:
‘Today I have made permissible for you pure things and the food of those who
were given the Book (Ahlul-Kitaab) is also Halaal for you’. (Qurãn 5:4)
Overtly the above Aayat reads that the Zabeeha of the Ahlul-Kitaab is
permissible, but the fundamental principle must be understood in order to
understand the Qurãn i.e. ‘One part of the Qurãn explains the other’.
Therefore, this verse should be understood in the light of another verse
relating to the same matter:
‘Do not eat unless Allah’s name has been taken and this (not taking Allah’s
name) practice is transgression’ (Quran 6:121)
While the former verse explicitly states that the Zabeeha of the
Ahlul-Kitaab is permissible and the latter says, ‘Do not eat unless Allah’s
name has been taken’, in the light of both these verses, it is understood
that the Zabeeha of the Ahlul-kitaab is permissible only if the name of
Allah is taken at the time of slaughtering. The Ahlul-kitaab used to take
Allah’s name when slaughtering an animal, therefore, their Zabeeha was also
Halaal for Muslims. It is for this same reason that an animal slaughtered by
the Mushrikeen, etc. is not permissible. The Ahlul-kitaab of today are
recognized by name, less faith. There is no guarantee that they take the
name of Allah/God when slaughtering an animal. Furthermore, they cannot be
anymore trusted in matters pertaining to Halaal/Haraam.
Since there is uncertainty in the above slaughter manner, the Jurists are
unanimous that it is not permissible to consume meat which is doubtful.
Unless there is certainty that the Ahlul-kitaab read the ‘Tasmiyah’ i.e.
take the name of God when slaughtering an animal then only will the meat be
permissible. We suggest that the Muslims in the U.S.A. and U.K. slaughter
the animals themselves. A committee be appointed and look into ways to
facilitate for Halaal meat slaughtered by Muslims. This will make them
independent from Christian/Jewish sources.
Another proposition may be that the meat sold on the market are packed,
sealed and stamped by a Muslim organisation consisting of reliable scholars
and Úlama who have proper Islamic knowledge of the principles pertaining to
Halaal/Haraam of the Shariáh.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai