Fatwa ID: 07320
Answered by: Maulana Sarfraz Mohammad
Question:
I live in New Jersey, USA. Here, the use of machine-slaughtered chicken is very common. But we always buy hand-slaughtered chicken from well-certified butchers.
1- Sometimes some Muslim Neighbours or relatives send us food. They are mostly good practicing Muslims but we don’t know from where they bought it. Can we eat such food having chicken and meat?
2- And if such meat is served in plates and dishes are they considered najis? Do my hands get najis touching those dishes? ( I suffer from waswasa about cleaning a lot ) I never eat anything doubtful but if other family members are eating I can’t stop them. But as we live in the same household I can’t keep my plates and dishes separate. I keep thinking now all of the kitchen is najis. The tap, the towels, the table where we ate, plates dishes etc.
3- Is a doubtful status of halal make chicken and meat najis? Especially those raw and cooked chicken which we bought or got from Muslims only.
4- We have many friends who are from Egypt or Syria. Maybe because of differences in fiqh they buy chicken which is machine slaughtered or maybe they buy hand slaughtered also. We don’t know for sure. We never ask too much to avoid hurting someone’s feelings when they out of genuine love for sending us food. What should we do in this scenario? Should we throw away the food? Or we can consume it?
5- sometimes when we buy from some restaurants they don’t have a certificate but verbally they tell us that we buy only hand-slaughtered chicken and meat only. We mostly ask about their suppliers and check their certification. We call their suppliers also to make sure the chicken is hand slaughtered. Now can we consume such chicken when so many Muslims are saying that it’s Hand slaughtered and zabiha? How much investigation does one have to do?
Please reply to me asap because I am a married woman and not everyone is as cautious in matters of hand-slaughtered or machine-slaughtered chicken as me in my husband’s family. They are very pious people following all the sawm and salaat and hijab etc. In fact we have four huffaz in my in-laws family. I feel bad doubting their food. Please guide me.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
It is important to first know and understand that Islamic slaughtering entails severing the four vessels of the animal with a sharp blade, reciting the duā at the time of slaughtering and physically doing the slaughtering with one’s hands. Mechanically slaughtered animals are not halāl and impermissible to consume and this is the view of all the schools of fiqh.
Based on the details given in the question, it will be necessary to ask about the nature of the meat every time you purchase meat in the market, in a restaurant or anywhere else. Similarly, if a person is invited to eat by friends or family it will also be necessary to ask about the nature of the meat since harām meat is more popular, prevalent and widely available that it becomes difficult to differentiate between the genuine halāl and what is not. It should be made clear to them that your inquiry is nothing personal but it is because of the confusion that people may have about what is halāl and what is not.
If it is known that the meat is mechanically slaughtered it will be forbidden to consume such meat however, it does not necessarily mean that the meat is impure. If at the time of mechanical slaughtering, the blood from the veins was drained before it got soaked in the hot water, the meat will be clean but not permissible to consume.
الفتاوى الهندية (3/ 210)
“رجل اشترى من التاجر شيئاً، هل يلزمه السؤال أنه حلال أم حرام؟ قالوا: ينظر إن كان في بلد وزمان كان الغالب فيه هو الحلال في أسواقهم ليس على المشتري أن يسأل أنه حلال أم حرام، ويبنى الحكم على الظاهر، وإن كان الغالب هو الحرام أو كان البائع رجلاً يبيع الحلال والحرام يحتاط ويسأل أنه حلال أم حرام
«الفتاوى العالمكيرية = الفتاوى الهندية» (5/ 285):
الفتاوى الهندية (5/ 286)
“(وأما) (حكمها): فطهارة المذبوح وحل أكله من المأكول، وطهارة غير المأكول ؛ للانتفاع لا بجهة الأكل، كذا في محيط السرخسي
«(كتاب الذبائح وفيه ثلاثة أبواب)»
“أَمَّا الِاخْتِيَارِيَّةُ، فَرُكْنُهَا الذَّبْحُ فِيمَا يُذْبَحُ مِنْ الشَّاةِ وَالْبَقَرِ، وَالنَّحْرُ فِيمَا يُنْحَرُ وَهُوَ الْإِبِلُ عِنْدَ الْقُدْرَةِ عَلَى الذَّبْحِ وَالنَّحْرِ، وَلَايَحِلُّ بِدُونِ الذَّبْحِ أَوِالنَّحْرِ، وَالذَّبْحِ هُوَ فَرْيُ الْأَوْدَاجِ وَمَحَلُّهُ مَا بَيْنَ اللَّبَّةِ وَاللَّحْيَيْنِ، وَالنَّحْرُ فَرْيُ الْأَوْدَاجِ وَمَحَلُّهُ آخِرُ الْحَلْقِ، وَلَوْ نَحَرَ مَا يُذْبَحُ أَوْ ذَبَحَ مَا يُنْحَرُ يَحِلُّ لِوُجُودِ فَرْيِ الْأَوْدَاجِ لَكِنَّهُ يُكْرَهُ لِأَنَّ السُّنَّةَ فِي الْإِبِلِ النَّحْرُ وَفِي غَيْرِهَا الذَّبْحُ، كَذَا فِي الْبَدَائِعِ … وَالْعُرُوقُ الَّتِي تُقْطَعُ فِي الذَّكَاةِ أَرْبَعَةٌ: الْحُلْقُومُ وَهُوَ مَجْرَى النَّفَسِ، وَالْمَرِيءُ وَهُوَ مَجْرَى الطَّعَامِ، وَالْوَدَجَانِ وَهُمَا عِرْقَانِ فِي جَانِبَيْ الرَّقَبَةِ يَجْرِي فِيهَا الدَّمُ، فَإِنْ قُطِعَ كُلُّ الْأَرْبَعَةِ حَلَّتْ الذَّبِيحَةُ، وَإِنْ قُطِعَ أَكْثَرُهَا فَكَذَلِكَ عِنْدَ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى -، وَقَالَا: لَا بُدَّ مِنْ قَطْعِ الْحُلْقُومِ وَالْمَرِيءِ وَأَحَدِ الْوَدَجَيْنِ، وَالصَّحِيحُ قَوْلُ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى – لِمَا أَنَّ لِلْأَكْثَرِ حُكْمَ الْكُلِّ، كَذَا فِي الْمُضْمَرَاتِ”. (كِتَابُ الذَّبَائِحِ وَفِيهِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَبْوَابٍ، الْبَابُ الْأَوَّلُ فِي رُكْنِهِ وَشَرَائِطِهِ وَحُكْمِهِ وَأَنْوَاعِهِ، ٥ / ٢٨٥ – ٢٨٧)
Only Allahتعالي Knows Best.
written by Maulana Sarfraz Mohammad
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
