A prevalent corruption within the Muslim community regarding Halal (lawful) meat has successfully evolved into serious confusion and widespread “controversy.” The result of such wickedness is the belief that the following three errant justifications are legitimate:
1. Just because the meat is not pork, it is Halal.
2. The meat of the Ahl-al-Kitab (People of the Book) is Halal, regardless of how it was slaughtered of what the actual meat is.
3. If there is a possibility the food may be Haram (forbidden), saying “Bismillah” (In the Name of Allah) over it is permissible, thereby making it Halal.
These three assumptions are deceptively propagated to Muslims who are either new to Al-Islam or uneducated concerning their Deen. The intent of this article is to expose and correct the fallacies cited above.
Those Muslims who are either undereducated or new to Al-Islam are misled into assuming that if the meat is not pork, then it is edible, consequently they need to be aware of is that dhabiha is what is to be considered when consuming meat that isn’t pork and keeping this in mind that if purchasing meat from a non-Muslim place or eating outside in a non-Muslim Restaurant the question of meat being slaughtered in a Dhabiha manner and whether Alcohol or Pork oil was utilized for cooking, must be asked and confirmed before buying or consuming the meat and later then to say 'Bismillah' upon eating. And if a person is doubtful, its always best to leave then to buy or consume, for indeed we follow the firm path of what our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) left us with, that which this Hadith states:
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "Leave that about which you are in doubt for that about which you are in no doubt." (Al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaíi related it and al-Tirmidhi said: It is a good and genuine Hadith)
Dhabiha
Dhabiha is the actual slaughter of an animal for consumption. Dhabiha is performed by cutting the jugular vein of an animal and allowing its blood to drain. It is mandated by Qur’an and Hadith that all animals killed for food, except fish, must be slain via dhabiha. All animals, the flesh of which is edible except fish, are unlawful. Dhabiha must be performed by a Muslim or by someone who is Ahl-al-Kitab.
The Prophet (pbuh) has said,
"You may deal with them (Magians) as well as with the Ahl-al-Kitab, but you must not marry their women, nor eat of animals in which dhabiha is performed by them."
The dhabiha of an idolater is Haram because he or she does not believe in the Ambiya (Prophets) and the dhabiha of an apostate is Haram because he is not permitted to continue in the faith from which he has turned, but must rather be punished.
Ahl-al-Kitab and dhabiha
Allah states in Holy Qur’an (Surah Al-Maa’idah, 5:5): "The food of the People of the Book is Halal for you and your food is Halal for them."
Many are misled to assume that if the food is from a Christian or Jew, it is Halal whether or not dhabiha has been performed. The truth of the situation is, as related by Ibn Abbas (r.a.), "Their (Ahl-al-Kitab) food means their dhabiha." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
From this, it can be seen that in the issue of Halal meat dhabiha is Fardh (obligatory), and if the meat is to originate from a Jew or a Christian, then this is the major and critical and critical concern.
It is a transgression to knowingly consume Haram meat.
Allah says in Holy Qur’an (Surah Al-An’aam, 6:121):
"And do not eat that which the name of Allah has not been mentioned. And surely it is a transgression. Surely the Shayateen (devils) inspire their friends to dispute with you. But if you were to obey them you would indeed be of the mushrikeen (polytheists)."
Allah makes mention of such an ayah previous to the above in the 118th and 119th ayahs:
"Eat of that which the name of Allah has been pronounced if you are believers in his ayahs. How should you not eat that which the name of Allah has been mentioned when He explained to you that which is Haram to you unless you are forced otherwise under compulsion? But surely, many are led astray by their own lusts through ignorance. Surely your Lord knows best those who transgress."
This does not mean the pronunciation of "Bismillah" is what makes it Halal, instead, it means as long as dhabiha was performed, the pronunciation of the Basmala is required upon consumption of the meat. In ALL collections of Hadith, for every serving of meat brought to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), dhabiha was always performed.
In Sahih Al-Bukhari, Az-Zuhri (r.a.) said:
"There is no harm in eating animals where the dhabiha was performed by Arab Christians. If you hear the one who performs dhabiha on the animals mentioning other than Allah’s Name, then don’t eat of it, but if you don’t hear that, then Allah has allowed the eating of animals where dhabiha has been performed by them, though He knows their disbelief."
The use of a falsified Hadith to justify eating Haram
There has been (and still is) a tendency to resort to the manipulation of a Hadith. Such forgeries can be found in books of deviance, such as Fiqh us-Sunnah and other books from the Saudis. Two variations of the counterfeit evidence are as follows:
Narrated by A’isha (ra):
A group of people said to the Prophet (pbuh), "Some people brought us meat and we didn’t know where it came from."
He (pbuh) said, "Say Bismillah over it and then eat it."
A group of people said to the Prophet (pbuh), "Some people brought us meat and we didn’t know whether or not dhabiha was performed upon the meat.
He (pbuh) said, "Say Bismillah over it and then eat it."
It is stressed that those who have slandered Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and A’isha (ra) by quoting such falsehood, should immediately make tawbah (repentance) to Allah for such an act of blasphemy.
The original Hadith, found in Sahih al-Bukhari is:
Narrated by A’isha (ra):
A group of people said to the Prophet (pbuh), "Some people brought us meat and we do not know whether or not they have mentioned Allah’s name on slaughtering the animal." He (pbuh) said, "Mention the Name of Allah over it and then eat it." Those people had embraced Al-Islam recently."
It is clearly stated in this Hadith that the issue at hand wasn’t dhabiha, it was the pronunciation of the Name of Allah over the meat that had already been slaughtered correctly, BY MUSLIMS.
Question: What kind of meat can be consumed from the non-Muslim supermarkets/grocery stores here in America?
ANS: As stated earlier, the dhabiha of the Ahl-al-Kitab (provided it is performed correctly) is what is lawful to Muslims. The practice of performing dhabiha by Christians has ceased due to the lobby of animal rights groups.
However, Jews maintain the ritualistic slaughter which is very similar to the Muslim-performed dhabiha (legal to Islamic dietary standards provided NO alcohol is utilized and no other name is pronounced besides the name of God). Their correctly slaughtered meat is titled as being "KOSHER." Only Halal meat (in a package that explicitly expresses the word Halal) and kosher meat (packaged with a ‘K’, ‘K’ in a circle or triangle, a ‘U’ in a circle, or explicit expression of the word kosher) in non-Muslim supermarkets/grocery stores are lawful to Muslims. All other meats here in America are Haram because,
1) the slaughter of the animals is totally against what Allah says is Halal to us in Holy Qur’an and
2) they are prepared and sold containing "fillers."
In Holy Qur’an (stated earlier in article under "what is Haram"), Allah says what types of meat are Halal and Haram to Muslims. Due to the profitability of mass production, the industry now slaughters the animals by shooting it, electrocuting it, running it off a cliff, stomping it to death, chopping its head off, and all other forms of cruelty to animals. Two television shows (Nightline and American Journal) exposed the cruelty inflicted to animals by slaughter houses in order to acquire beef, horse meat, and meat from other large animals. The animal is submersed in a pool of iodized water, then electrocuted. This is performed because it speeds up the slaughter process for large animals in the non-Muslim slaughter houses. Each way of slaughter specified above is absolutely against the method of dhabiha prescribed by Allah and His Prophet (pbuh).
"Fillers" are byproducts of pork and chemicals, and they are used as either a flavoring ingredient or as a substitute for non-pork products in order to maintain a low retail price of the meat. In The FDA Journal, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approves of five percent of the total meat package purchased to consist of fillers. The television show American Journal documented and exposed many supermarket chains for adding over 20% of pork to their ground beef. Slaughter houses also employ the same meat hooks used for holding pork for holding beef, with little to no time for cleaning residue from pork without the proper cleaning of those hooks, an extra five percent of pork can be detected in what one may consider beef from the supermarkets and grocery stores. In total, one may purchase what he or she may think is beef, but in reality, the meat purchased has a very high possibility of containing a total of twenty five percent pork byproduct.
In conclusion, one will never be able to purchase 100% pure beef in America, unless the meat is purchased at a Halal meat store, a kosher meat store, or by way of an acquaintance (either Muslim of Ahl-al-Kitab) who performs dhabiha correctly. One should be informed of the misconceptions and deceptions used to poison one’s body, and eventually one’s salaat/du’a, by way of tampering with his or her adherence to Islamic dietary laws. Since no one on the face of this earth has the power to make Halal what is clearly Haram, one must strive to enforce what is lawful and forbid what is unlawful. Please take heed to what has been presented, so educated decisions can be made in the future. No single individual can survive without their salaat and the consumption of Haram meat can seriously damage his or her own prayers, amongst other things. May Allah grant us guidance with everything we do and protect us from the ways and practices of Shaytaan - AMEEN
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