Is the meat of Ahl-al-Kitab Halal ??
Research by
Shaukat A. Ameen
Who are actually the people of the book ??
What is Halal Meat ?
Is the meat permissible without the name of
Allah ??
Proper way of Zabiha
Legal opinion from Saudi Arabia
Ahaadees
Machine and Instruments
Is Kosher Halal ??
Advice
Who are actually the
people of the book ??
“Unless the Jews and Christians were
to abandon Judaism and Christianity totally they shall continue to be the
People of the Book, no matter how involved in false beliefs of their religion
and dark doings they may be.
Imam al-Jassas
reports in Ahkam al-Quran that during the Khilafah of Sayyidna 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, one of his governors
wrote to him for advice. He said that there were some people in his area who
recited the Torah and observed the Sabbath like the Jews but they did not
believe in Qiyamah (the Last Day). He wanted to know
how he was supposed to deal with such people. Sayyidna
'Umar wrote back telling him that they will be taken
as a sect of The People of the Book after all.
These days a very large number of
people in
When Sayyidna
said
that the slaughter of some Christians of Arabia is not Halal,
he gave a reason. He said that those people believe in nothing but drinking.
His words as reported by Ibn al-Jauzi
are being cited below:
'Do not eat from the animals
slaughtered by the Christians belonging to Bani Taghlib for they have taken nothing from the Christian
faith except the drinking of wine (narrated by Al-Shafi'i
with sound authority - al-Tafsir al-Mazhari, p. 34, v. 3, al-MaŐidah)
“
(Extract from Ma'ariful
Qur'an)
People in west don't know
if the meat has been slaugthered by an ahl-al-kitab or an atheist or someone who believes in any
other faith.
Ahl-al-Kitab = People of the book
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What is Halal Meat ?
The fundamental principle of
understanding the Quran is one Aayat of the Quran
explains the other. For example:
{Forbidden for you are dead meat, blood, . . .} [Soorah 5, Aayah 4].
Now, if someone asks whether we can eat fish or not ?? Because the above
ayah says that dead meat is haram. But were he to
look into the ahaadees, he would know that the
Prophet (S.A.W) excepted two types of animals, fish and locusts, from this
prohibition, so he could rule accordingly.
Now the question is whether the Zabiha of people of the books (Christians or Jews) is
lawful or halal for us or not ?? Let’s see the verse
first:
"This day, good things have been made lawful for you. And the food of the people of the Book is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them, and good women
from among believers, and good women from among those given the Book before
you, provided you give them their dowers, binding yourself in marriage, not
going for lust, nor having paramours. And whoever rejects Faith, his effort
will go waste and, in the Hereafter, he is among the losers." (sura Maida verse 5).
Even those who justify the eating of
haram beef and chicken by saying that the food of the
"People of the Book" is lawful insist on excluding pork and alcohol.
If this verse means that whatever is the food of the "People
of the Book" today you can eat, then how can they exclude pork and
alcohol?
Second, a thing (not Islamically slaughtered meat) which is haram
at your own house, how can it become halal at their
homes?
Further, if the Qur’anic
ayah does not specify "chicken and beef" or even
"meat". Then how can the word "food" be translated
as meat, specifically chicken and beef only, and not pork?
Allah says in the Quran:
6:119. Eat of that over which the name of Allah
Has been mentioned, if you are believers in His revelations.
We would now like to pose the
following questions:
What does the Glorious Qur’an mean by the food of the Ahl-al-Kitab
(People of the Book) which Allah has made lawful for Muslims?
1)
Does it mean by this the food, which Allah has made lawful for the
Ahl-al-Kitab in their Scriptures (i.e. revelations
from Allah) and according to their Prophets?
OR
2)
Does it mean everything, which the Ahl-al-Kitab
eat even though Allah has forbidden it for them?
It is well known that in
every one of the revealed religions, Allah has forbidden certain items of food while
allowing other good things. It is also well known that in every community, some
of its people opposed their Prophets and infringed the limits which the
prophets had prescribed for them, so they would eat some of the food forbidden
to them. Therefore, does the Qur’anic verse intend by
"the food of those who have received the Scripture" the food of the Ahl-al-Kitab which Allah had made lawful for Muslims, or
the food of the Ahl-al-Kitab which is halal to them in accordance with their Books and the teachings
of their Prophets?
Or does it mean every
kind of food that they actually eat, regardless of whether it is lawful or
unlawful for them??
We will use the same principle as
used above to understand the verse by looking at other ayats
of the Quran:
Allah (s.w.t.) says in Holy Quran
5:3. Forbidden to you (for food) are carrion and blood and
swine flesh, and that which has been dedicated to any other than Allah, and the strangled, and the dead through beating, and the
dead through falling from a height, and that which has been killed by (the
goring of) horns, and the devoured of wild beasts, except that which you make
lawful (by the death stroke), and that which has been immolated to idols. And
(forbidden is it) that you swear by the divining arrows. This is an
abomination. This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming)
your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your
religion for you and completed My favor to you, and have chosen for you as
religion
2:173. He has forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and
swine flesh, and that which has been immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor
transgressing, it is no sin for him. Surely! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
16:115. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and
swine flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah;but he who
is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, surely!then
Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
6:146. Say: I find not in that which is revealed to me aught
prohibited to an eater that he eat thereof, except it be carrion, or blood
poured forth, or swine flesh for that verily is foul or the abomination which
was immolated to the name of other than
Allah. But who so is compelled (thereto),
neither craving nor transgressing, (for him) lo ! your Lord is Forgiving,
Merciful.
6:119. Eat of that over which
the name of Allah Has been mentioned, if you are believers in His revelations.
6:120. How should you not eat of that over which the name of Allah Has been mentioned, when He has explained
to you that which is forbidden to you, unless you are compelled thereto. But
surely! many are led astray by their own lusts through ignorance. Surely! your
Lord, He is best aware of the transgressors.
2:168. O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome
in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the Satan. Surely! he is an open
enemy for you.
2:169. He enjoineth upon you only
the evil and the foul, and that you should tell concerning Allah that which you
know not.
2:172. O you who believe! Eat of the good things which We
have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He whom you
worship.
5:4. They ask you (O Muhammad) what is made lawful for them.
Say : ( all ) good things are made lawful for you. And those beasts and birds
of prey which you have trained as hounds are trained, you teach them that which
Allah taught you; so eat of that which they catch for you and mention Allah's name upon it, and observe
your duty to Allah. Surely! Allah is swift to take account.
6:143. And of the cattle (He produceth)
some for burdens, some for food. Eat of that which Allah Has grant to you, and
follow not the footsteps of the Satan, for surely! he is an open enemy to you.
5:88. Eat of that which Allah Has bestowed on you as food
lawful and good, and keep your duty to Allah in Whom you are believers.
16:114. So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah Has
provided for you, and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is Him you serve.
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Is the meat permissible
without the name of Allah ??
Overtly the above Aayat (5:5) reads that the Zabeeha
of the Ahlul-Kitaab is permissible, but the
fundamental principle must be understood in order to understand the Qurăn i.e. 'One part of the Qurăn
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.
Shari'ah has emphasized on
consumption of pure and Halaal foods and to abstain
from anything doubtful. If one does not know whether the chicken and meat is Halaal or not, it is not permissible to eat them.
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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Proper way of Zabiha
From the booklet
entitled "The Meat: Lawful and Unlawful in Islam" by
Mohammad Sami’ullah. The booklet is published by Siddiqi Trust of
1. The animal should be
a Halal (lawful) one according to the Shari’ah (Islamic Law). Dog, cat, monkey, or the meat of
any such Haram (unlawful) animal can be lawful for a
Muslim only in cases of extreme urgency where a person is threatened with
starvation and his life has to be saved. We read in the Qur’an:
"Allah has forbidden for you what dies of itself, and blood, and the flesh
of swine, and that over which any other name than that of Allah has been
invoked. But whoever is driven by necessity, without neither willful
disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then he is guiltless. Surely Allah
is forgiving, merciful." (2:173)
2. The animal should be
properly slaughtered and should not be dipped in boiling water or killed by
electric shocks. Any method other than slaughter adopted to kill the animal
will not be lawful. Stunning by bolt shot or electric shock before slaughter is
not valid and should be avoided, as it is tantamount to torturing an animal,
which is inhumane and unlawful in Islam. The tendency of the Shari’ah is to make the slaughter more humane by reducing
the suffering of the animal. The Holy Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said
that if you must slaughter, slaughter in the best possible manner. Sharpen your
knife every time before you slaughter, but not in front of the animal to be
slaughtered. Do not slaughter an animal in the presence of other animals, and
feed and rest the animal before slaughter. The idea is to stop cruelty to
animals - a practice still prevalent in the West in various forms and guises
despite claims to the contrary, as we shall see later.
3. The name of Allah
should be recited while slaughtering the animal. The recitation may be done by
a Muslim or by a Jew or Christian in his own language. The Holy Qur’an describes that slaughter as unlawful on which the
name of Allah has not been recited: "And eat not of that whereon Allah’s
name hath not been mentioned, for Lo! It is abomination. Lo! The devils do
inspire their minions to dispute with you. But if you obey them, ye will be in
truth idolators". (6:121)
4. For meat to be
lawful, it is not simply enough that the animal has been slaughtered by the
"People of the Book". It is very essential that the act of slaughter
should be performed according to their prescribed religious rites and
practices. For instance, if a Muslim kills a chicken by twisting its neck, it
would a carcass and Haram. If the same method of
killing is adopted by a Jew or Christian, then how can such a chicken be Halal? Slaughtering consists of cutting the jugular veins
of the neck, so that all the blood is drained out. The spinal cord must not be
cut, because the nerve fibers to the heart may be damaged during the process,
causing cardiac arrest and hence stagnation of the blood in the blood vessels
of the animal. Since blood is also forbidden in Islam, it is incumbent to see
to it that the blood is completely drained from the animal during slaughtering.
This is meat is then called Halal or lawful. Like
other Islamic teachings, dietary restrictions in Islam relate to material well
being, even as they are spiritually significant.
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Legal opinion from
Saudi Arabia
The legal
opinion (Fatwa) of Sheikh Abdullah Ibn Hamid, President, Shariah Law
Supreme Council and president, Jurisprudence Assembly in
"The slaughtered animals of the
People of the Book are not to be eaten at present because they are not legally
slaughtered, and these people do not mention Allah’s name upon their
slaughtered beasts. The legal slaughter that the general public rightly agrees
to should be in the trachea and in the upper part of the chest. The slaughter
must not be done elsewhere. The People of the Book do not adhere to this
rule".
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Ahaadees
Narrated by Aisha
(R.A.): A group of people said to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
"Some people bring us meat and
we do not know whether they have mentioned Allah’s name or not on slaughtering
the animal". He said: "Mention Allah’s name on it and eat".
Those people had embraced Islam recently. (Bukhari
vol. VII page 302 English translation).
It is obvious that this relates to
the slaughter of new-Muslims (i.e. those people who had embraced Islam
recently) and not the slaughter of Kuffar (Jews and
Christians).
Utensils
In another Hadith the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) even advised care in matter of utensils so that the purity
of food is not disturbed by using such utensils of the "People of the
Book" in which swine flesh and its derivatives may have been served:
Narrated Abu Thalaha
Al Khushaui: I came to the Prophet and said, "O
Allah’s Apostle! We are living in the land of the People of the Scripture, and
we take our meals in their utensils, and there is a game in that land and I
hunt with my bow and with my trained hound and with my untrained hound".
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "As for you saying that you are in
the land of the People of the book, you should not eat in their utensils, unless
you find no alternative, in which case you must wash the utensils and then eat
in them…" (Bukhari)
It would be worthwhile and advisable
to consider and reflect on the implications of the following Ahadees regarding
lawful and unlawful in Islam:
1. An-Nu’man bin Bashir reported that
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "What is lawful is clear
and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things
which many people do not recognize. He who guards against doubtful things,
keeps his religion and honour blameless. But he who
falls into doubtful things, falls into what is unlawful, just as a shepherd who
pastures his animals around a preserve will soon pasture them into it". (Bukhari and Muslim)
2. Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger as saying that Allah is
good and accepts only what is good, and He has given the same command to the
believers as He has given to the messengers, saying, "O messengers, eat of
what is good and act righteously," (XXIII:51) and also, "You who
believe, eat of the good things which We have provided for you". (II:172)
Then he mentioned a man who makes a long journey in a disheveled and dusty
state, who stretches out his hands to heaven saying, "My Lord, my
Lord", when his food, drink and clothing are of an unlawful nature, and he
is nourished by what is unlawful, and asked how such a one could be given an
answer. (Muslim)
3. The Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) is also reported to have said: "Flesh which has grown
out of which is unlawful will not enter
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Machine and Instruments
Halal is on which Allah's Name is
pronounced and is slaughtered the way the Holy Prophet-SAW has practically done
it. Using tape recorders or cutting throats with machines is by no stretch of
imagination Halal. All these ways are un Islamic and
hence false. The Islamic way of slaughtering permits the flowing blood to drain
out completely while removing necks through an instrument or machine results in
shock action which impedes blood drain.
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Is Kosher Halal ??
Kosher is from the
Hebrew word kasher, which means
"fit" and "proper". The term is usually used for food that Jews
are permitted to eat under dietary laws that are derived from passages in the
biblical books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
Some
elements of Jewish and Islamic dietary laws are common, while some are not.
Here are some major differences:
|
|
Kosher |
Halal |
|
Blessing on animals |
Blessing
before entering slaughtering area, not on each animal |
Blessing
on each animal while slaughtering |
|
Gelatin from: Dry
Bones Skin and
Bones Fish Pork
|
Maybe
From
Kosher animals Kosher
fish only Allowed
by some liberal orthodox rabbis
|
Halal bones only From Halal animals Any
fish Not
allowed at all
|
|
Alcohol |
Permitted,
depending on source |
Not
permitted |
|
Combining Dairy & Meat |
Not
permitted |
Not
an issue |
|
Special Occasion |
Additional
restrictions during Passover |
Same
rules apply all the time |
From an article by Dr. M.
Riaz,
It
must be noted that if a product is Kosher certified, it does not mean
that the product is automatically Halal. While it
is true that Kosher certification can be used as a tool for eating halal, one must be very careful. There are Kosher
certification agencies which certify products and ingredients which are not
considered Kosher by many Jews.
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Advice
By Dr. Zahoor Ul Haque
Kosher is a group of
foods that jews think are allowed
to them. They do not combine milk and meat in one meal thinking that it is
cruelty to use two products of an animal for one's meal. In Kosher restaurants, they are legally
bound to keep a qualified person to ensure that the meals prepared there are in
conformity with the kosher food code. Moreover, the word kosher is used in
addition to food in the meaning of morality as well, for example, Kosher Gym
means a Gym in which there are separate sections for exercising/acrobats of men
and women.
The Haram ingredients are not only used in meat and
meat products, but in various other things such as soap, toothpaste, potato
chips, candies, snacks, etc. Chief haram
ingredients are Mono and Di-glycerides. These are
written to be used as preservatives in the ingredient list printed on every
product. Another very important one is Yellow #5. This includes pork. This is
used in some drinks such as Mountain-Dew, many soaps, deodorants, toothpastes.
Generally anything in which vegetable shortening is used can be taken as Halal and the one containing animal shortening is surely Haram.
The restaurants such as McDonald and Burger King and others sell
such food that is thought as Halal by many Muslim
customers, such as french fries, fish burger, etc;
but I have personal experience that these things are fried in the same pan (karahi) containing corn-oil in which pork and haram chicken are fried. So, these potato and fish also
become Haram. Similarly, most items of salad bar are
apparently Halal, but the dressings which are added
to improve its taste may contain haram items. So extreme precaution is needed to eat in restaurants.
Lastly, I would draw your attention to the shops which sell Halal
meat/chicken/beef, etc. I have personally seen that they sell beef imported
from
Word of Caution: According to Hazrat Jee, eating Haram thinking it is Haram is a
sin, but eating Haram thinking it as Halal is Kufr.
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And Allah Knows Best
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