The Creed of Compassion-Islamic Teachings & Answering Doctrinal Misconceptions

Issue No. 2215- If a halal-meat animal like fish, whose blood does not gush, dies by itself in the water, it is ṭāhir but its meat is haram.

Issue No. 2216- The dead body of a haram-meat animal whose blood does not gush, like a snake, is ṭāhir but does not become halal by slaughtering.

Issue No. 2217- Dogs and pigs do not become ṭāhir by slaughtering and hunting and their meat is also haram. And if a flesh-eating predatory animal whose meat is haram like the wolf and leopard is slaughtered in the manner which will be mentioned later, or is hunted by weapon, it is ṭāhir, but its meat does not become halal. The same holds if a hunting dog hunts it down.

Issue No. 2218- If an elephant, bear, monkey, rat and animals like snakes and lizards which live underground are among gushing-blood animals and die a natural death, they are najis. In case, however, they are slaughtered or hunted, they are ṭāhir.

Issue No. 2219- If a dead young is born from a living animal or is brought out of it, its meat is haram.

Issue No. 2220- To slaughter an animal, it will be sufficient if the throat and the two main arteries (jugular artery and jugular vein) of the neck are completely cut. However, the recommended precaution is that, the jugular artery, the jugular vein, in addition to the throat and the gullet are cut from below the bump of the throat.

Issue No. 2221- If a person cuts some of these vessels [1] and waits until the animal dies and then cuts the remaining vessels, it will not be sufficient. In fact, if he does not wait until the animal dies, but does not cut the arteries consecutively as it is usually cut, although the animal may still be alive, he should avoid it as an obligatory precaution.

Issue No. 2221- If a person cuts some of these vessels [1] and waits until the animal dies and then cuts the remaining vessels, it will not be sufficient. In fact, if he does not wait until the animal dies, but does not cut the arteries consecutively as it is usually cut, although the animal may still be alive, he should avoid it as an obligatory precaution.

Issue No. 2222- If a wolf tears the throat of a sheep in such a way that nothing remains out of the four vessels in its neck which should be cut while it is slaughtered, the sheep becomes haram. However, if the vessels are sound and the sheep is still alive, if it is slaughtered in accordance with the rule which was said, it will be halal. Whenever an animal is slaughtered not in the way prescribed by the sharia, is ṭāhir though it is haram to eat. Therefore, the leather imported from non-Islamic countries is ṭāhir but one cannot perform prayer in them.

Issue No. 2223- There are five conditions for slaughtering an animal. They are as follows:1- The slaughterer must be a Muslim, as an obligatory precaution. The Nawasib who are the enemies of Ahl al-Bayt (as) (the Household of Prophet Muhammad [s]) are classified as kāfir (infidel).2- The animal should be slaughtered with a sharp blade made of iron or any other metal. However, if it is necessary to slaughter the animal, like when if the animal is not slaughtered, it will die and a blade made of iron or any other metal is not available, it can be slaughtered with any sharp object which can slit the vessels, like sharp glass, stone and wood.3- The front part of the animal's body should be facing the direction of qiblah when it is slaughtered, and if a person intentionally does not make it lie in that posture, the animal will be haram. However, if he forgets or does not know the rule or makes a mistake in ascertaining the direction of qiblah and hence slaughters the animal in another direction, it will not be haram.4- When slaughtering an animal, a person should utter the name of Allah, and it suffices if he says, “بسم الله” only, or if he utters “سُبْحانَ اللهِ”, or “لا اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللهُ”. It is also permissible to say it in any language. However, it will not be sufficient if he utters the name of Allah without the intention of slaughtering the animal. However, there is no problem if he did not utter the name of Allah forgetfully.5- The animal should move after being slaughtered and it suffices if it moves its eyes or tail or strikes its foot on the ground. This order applies only when it is doubtful whether or not the animal was alive at the time of being slaughtered. And as an obligatory precaution the blood should flow out in normal quantity from the slaughtered animal.

Issue No. 2224- The person who slaughters an animal can be a man or a woman, or even an immature child who knows the rules of slaughtering. However, as long as there is access to men, it would be better to exempt women and children from such tasks.

Issue No. 2226- If several chickens or animals are being slaughtered at the same time, uttering one “بسم الله” will be sufficient for all of them. Similarly uttering one “بسم الله” will be sufficient when a great number of animals are slaughtered by machinery at the same time (provided that other conditions of slaughtering are met). And if the machine is in continuous operation, the name of Allah should, as an obligatory precaution, be repeated continuously.