Fatwa ID: 06941
Answered by: Maulana Ousman Haye
Question:
As-Salāmu Alaikum, i just wanted to know if any of the respected Ulamā are familiar with the watani slaughter in Saudi. Is it free from mechanical slaughter and stunning? In addition, is Al-Baiq now watani too as it wasn’t a few years ago. I have just been asked by someone, however I haven’t been for a few years now so im not aware.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
We are reliably informed that chicken in the Holy lands is obtained and slaughtered locally as well as imported. The local chicken is Halal and can be identified by the al-Watania packaging. Imported chicken meat comes from a myriad of countries. It is very difficult to ascertain whether chickens imported into Saudi Arabia are slaughtered according to Shariah, thus such meat would be termed Mashkook (doubtful) – caution demands abstinence. One should also remember that, originally all things are permissible unless proven to be unlawful (al-Asl fi al-Ashya al-Ibaha), however, the case with meat is different, in that it is unlawful until proven to be Halal.
The proof for this is the narration of Adi ibn Hatim (Allah be pleased with him) where he said to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace): “O Messenger of Allah! At times, I let go of my hunting dog but I find with it another dog and I am unaware which of the two hunted the animal? The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Don’t eat (from the hunted animal), for you have pronounced the name of Allah on your dog and not on the other.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: 5486)
This Hadith clearly indicates that when there is doubt in the animal being Halal, it will be unlawful to consume it, which signifies that meat is originally unlawful (hurmah) until proven to be Halal. Had it been originally Halal, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) would not have ordered Adi (Allah be pleased with him) to abstain from consuming it. This also serves as an answer to those who state that the organisation certifying products as “Halal” is responsible, and thus any sins for eating the chickens will go to the certifying organisation. The fact is that, it is the responsibility of every individual that he/she investigates the authenticity of such statements and then consumes the meat.
Moreover, it is mentioned from Muhammad Sameeullah The Meat: Lawful and Unlawful in Islam – Siddiqi Trust: It may be pertinent to mention here that at present, Argentina and Brazil, etc. are exporting a lot of frozen meat to Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia. This meat is not lawful for the Muslims as the animals are not slaughtered according to the way prescribed by the Shariah. The exporting firms very deceitfully put the Halal mark on their products while in reality they are not Halal. It is very important that the Islamic organisations should probe into the matter urgently to ensure that the Muslim masses in Arab countries are not fed on this type of meat. Allah (swt) throughout the Quran and the Messenger of Allah (saw) throughout the Hadith emphasise the importance of eating Halal and the prohibition and harms of eating haram.
The above mentioned details also apply to Al-Baiq as well. One must ensure that the meat being provided is halal meat and not imported from non Muslim countries who did not slaughter the meat according to the rules of Shariah. There are reports that they had received such meat. Thus, one must do their due diligence before consuming such meat In conclusion, many of us go to the holy land to perform our umrah and hajj and to gain reward and get spiritually cleansed, yet it will be all meaningless if we don’t ensure what we are eating is halal. Therefore, we must ensure that the Hajj or Umrah group we select procure meat which is not imported. Also, we must not eat at restaurants and takeaways before asking someone who is in the know where one can buy Halal with certitude.
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Maulana Ousman Haye
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
عن عَدِيِّ بنِ حاتِمٍ رضي الله عنه قال: قُلتُ إنِّي أُرسِلُ كَلْبي أجِدُ معه كلبًا آخَرَ، لا أدري أيُّهما أخَذَه، فقال: لا تأكُلْ؛ فإنَّما
سَمَّيتَ على كَلْبِك، ولم تُسَمِّ على غَيرِه
(بخاري: 5846)
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِسْقٌ وَإِنَّ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِهِمْ لِيُجَـٰدِلُوكُمْ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ
(الأنعام: 121)
