What is the ruling on eating the meat that is found in Muslim countries, whether it is from sacrifices slaughtered by Muslims or from imported meat?
Question:
“What is the ruling on eating the meat that is found in Muslim countries, whether it is from sacrifices slaughtered by Muslims or from imported meat?”
Answer:
“The rule is that the Muslim should be taken as doing what is right unless the opposite is proved. Consequently, the animals a Muslim slaughters are considered to be conforming to the Shari`ah in terms of mentioning Allah's Name upon them when being slaughtered and the manner in which they are slaughtered, and hence are lawful to eat. In the Hadith that is reported from `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that some people said, 'O Messenger of Allah, 'Some people come to us with meat which we do not know if Allah's Name was mentioned upon slaughtering them or not. He said, 'You mention Allah's Name then eat from it.' She (`Aishah) said, 'They were new converts.' [1] Related by Al-Bukhari, Al-Nasa'y, and Ibn Majah.
As regards eating meat imported from non-Muslim countries, if they were slaughtered by Muslims, the ruling about them is as mentioned above. If they were slaughtered by the people of the Scriptures like the Jews and the Christians who are known not to kill animals by electrocution, it is permissible to eat from the meat of their sacrifices.
However, if they are known to kill animals by suffocation or electrocution, it is not permissible to eat the meat of their sacrifices; because it will be the meat of dead animals. If the meat was from sacrifices that are slaughtered by non-Muslims who are communists, atheists, Arab polytheists, or the like, it is not permissible for a Muslim to eat such meat. May Allah grant us success.”
[1] Narrated from the Hadith of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): Malik, vol. 2, p. 488; Al-Bukhari, vol. 3, pp. 5-6, vol. 6, p. 226, and vol. 8, p. 170; Abu Dawud, vol. 3, p. 254, no. 2829; Al-Nasa'y, vol. 7, p. 237, no. 4436; Ibn Majah, vol. 2, pp. 1059-1060, no. 3174; and Al-Darimy, vol. 2, p. 83.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta'
Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaq al-'Afeefee
Shaykh 'Abdullah al-Ghudayyaan
Shaykh 'Abdullah bin Sulaymaan bin Munee'
Source: www.alifta.net - The first question of Fatwa no. 949.
“What is the ruling on eating the meat that is found in Muslim countries, whether it is from sacrifices slaughtered by Muslims or from imported meat?”
Answer:
“The rule is that the Muslim should be taken as doing what is right unless the opposite is proved. Consequently, the animals a Muslim slaughters are considered to be conforming to the Shari`ah in terms of mentioning Allah's Name upon them when being slaughtered and the manner in which they are slaughtered, and hence are lawful to eat. In the Hadith that is reported from `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that some people said, 'O Messenger of Allah, 'Some people come to us with meat which we do not know if Allah's Name was mentioned upon slaughtering them or not. He said, 'You mention Allah's Name then eat from it.' She (`Aishah) said, 'They were new converts.' [1] Related by Al-Bukhari, Al-Nasa'y, and Ibn Majah.
As regards eating meat imported from non-Muslim countries, if they were slaughtered by Muslims, the ruling about them is as mentioned above. If they were slaughtered by the people of the Scriptures like the Jews and the Christians who are known not to kill animals by electrocution, it is permissible to eat from the meat of their sacrifices.
However, if they are known to kill animals by suffocation or electrocution, it is not permissible to eat the meat of their sacrifices; because it will be the meat of dead animals. If the meat was from sacrifices that are slaughtered by non-Muslims who are communists, atheists, Arab polytheists, or the like, it is not permissible for a Muslim to eat such meat. May Allah grant us success.”
[1] Narrated from the Hadith of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): Malik, vol. 2, p. 488; Al-Bukhari, vol. 3, pp. 5-6, vol. 6, p. 226, and vol. 8, p. 170; Abu Dawud, vol. 3, p. 254, no. 2829; Al-Nasa'y, vol. 7, p. 237, no. 4436; Ibn Majah, vol. 2, pp. 1059-1060, no. 3174; and Al-Darimy, vol. 2, p. 83.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta'
Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaq al-'Afeefee
Shaykh 'Abdullah al-Ghudayyaan
Shaykh 'Abdullah bin Sulaymaan bin Munee'
Source: www.alifta.net - The first question of Fatwa no. 949.