The Requirement of Slaughtering in the Islamic Manner

The Requirement of Slaughtering in the Islamic Manner.
Assalamualaykom Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Land animals which are permissible as food are of two kinds. The first consists of those animals which are tame or domesticated, such as camels, cows, goats, poultry, and other fowl which are raised on a farm or in the house, while untamed and wild animals are of the second type. In order to render their flesh halal, Islam requires that animals of the first category be slaughtered in the manner prescribed by Islam.

The Conditions of Islamic Slaughtering
According to the Shari'ah, the legal purification of the flesh of animals requires that the following conditions be met:
1. The animal should be slaughtered by a sharp object which is capable of making it bleed by severing blood vessels, even if the sharp object is a stone or a piece of wood. 'Adi bin Hatim narrated that he said to the Prophet (peace be on him), "O Messenger of Allah, we go hunting and sometimes we do not have a knife with us. We may find a sharp rock or a piece of wood or a reed."

The Prophet (peace be on him) said: "The object is to make it bleed with whatever you have and mention the name of Allah over it.'' (Reported by Ahmad, Abu Daoud, Nisai, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim, and Ibn Hibban.)

2. The slaughtering is to be done by cutting the throat of the animal or by piercing the hollow of the throat, causing its death. The best way is to cut the windpipe, the gullet, and the two jugular veins. (Some jurists have cited further conditions, but we have omitted them as we did not find explicit texts mentioning them. The slaughtering of animals is known instinctively to all people, and to go into depth and detail concerning it does not accord with Islam, which keeps matters easy and simple. The more details these jurists have attempted to list, the more confusion they have caused; for example, is it necessary to cut all four parts - the windpipe, the gullet and the two jugular veins - or only some of them? Should the knife point downward or upward? Can the hand be raised before the slaughtering is completed or not? and so on, without end, with each alternative answer to these questions finding support among some jurists.)

However, if it becomes impossible to slaughter the animal in the specified manner, this second condition is cancelled; for example, the animal may have fallen headlong into a well so that its throat is inaccessible, or it may become wild and start kicking and running. Such cases are treated in the manner of game animals and it is sufficient to wound the animal at any place to make it bleed.

Narrated Abaya bin Rifaa: My grandfather, Rafi said, "We were in the company of the Prophet at DhulHulaifa, and the people suffered from hunger. We got some camels and sheep (as booty) and the Prophet was still behind the people. They hurried and put the cooking pots on the fire. (When he came) he ordered that the cooking pots should be upset and then he distributed the booty (amongst the people) regarding ten sheep as equal to one camel then a camel fled and the people chased it till they got tired, as they had a few horses (for chasing it). So a man threw an arrow at it and caused it to stop (with Allah's Permission). On that the Prophet said, 'Some of these animals behave like wild beasts, so, if any animal flee from you, deal with it in the same way." My grandfather asked (the Prophet ), "We hope (or are afraid) that we may meet the enemy tomorrow and we have no knives. Can we slaughter our animals with canes?" Allah's Apostle replied, "If the instrument used for killing causes the animal to bleed profusely and if Allah's Name is mentioned on killing it, then eat its meat (i.e. it is lawful) but won't use a tooth or a nail and I am telling you the reason: A tooth is a bone (and slaughtering with a bone is forbidden ), and a nail is the slaughtering instrument of the Ethiopians."
(Sahih Al Bukhari,Book #52, Hadith #309)

No name other than Allah's should be mentioned over the animal at the time of slaughter; concerning this condition there is a consensus among all the jurists. The people of the time of jahiliyyah sought to propitiate their deities and idols by sacrificing animals to them, either by invoking their names while slaughtering or by immolating them on altars specified for them. As mentioned previously, the Qur'an prohibited all this in the words, “Forbidden to you are...that which has been dedicated to anyone other than Allah...and that which has been sacrificed to idols.” (5:4 (3))

3. The name of Allah should be mentioned while slaughtering the animal. (The correct manner of mentioning the name of Allah at slaughtering is, "Bismillah Allahu akbar" (in the name of God, God is the most great). On this occasion the words al-Rahman al-Raheem (the Compassionate, the Merciful) do not follow Bismillah as they ordinarily do, since slaughtering is not an act of mercy. (Trans.))

This is clear from Qur'anic texts and ahadith. Allah Ta'ala says: Then eat of that over which the name of Allah has been mentioned, if you believe in His signs. (6:118)

And do not eat of that over which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for truly that is impiety.... (6:121)

This condition is further supported by other sound ahadith which state that Allah's name must be pronounced while hunting just before an arrow is shot or a hunting dog is sent for the chase. This point will be discussed later in the section on hunting.

Some scholars are of the opinion that although the name of Allah must be mentioned, it is not necessary to mention it at the time of slaughtering the animal; one can mention it at the time of eating, since in that case it cannot be held that it was eaten without mentioning the name of Allah over it. In the Sahih of al-Bukhari we find a hadith

Narrated 'Aisha: A group of people said to the Prophet, "Some people bring us meat and we do not know whether they have mentioned Allah's Name or not on slaughtering the animal." He said, "Mention Allah's Name on it and eat." Those people had embraced Islam recently. (Sahih al-Bukhari Book #67, Hadith #415)
(The correct invocation when one begins to eat or drink is Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem, "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful," coupled with a supplication such as, Allahumma, barik lana fi ma razaqtana wa qina adhab an-nar, "Our Lord, bless us in what You have provided for us and save us from the punishment of the Fire." (Trans.))
(Originally Written by: Yusuf al-Qaradawi, slightly modified by inserting right Hadeeth with complete reference.)