skills/sistani-guidance/references/books/jme/pages-169-180.md

# Jurisprudence Made Easy

PDF pages 169 to 180. Physical PDF numbering, not inferred printed labels.

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## PDF PAGE 169

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169
Dialogue on slaughtering and
hunting
This discussion on “slaughter” completely changed my
views. The word slaughter sounded cruel and I did no
realize that Islamic teachings showed such consideration
to animals.
My father said:
- First and foremost, the person who is slaughtering the
animal should take every care to lead the animal gently to
the slaughter house. He should let the animal take its fill
of water before the actual slaughtering. The animal
should not be shown the blade with which it is going to
be slaughtered. The blade must be very sharp. It must be
used very quickly to slaughter the animal to ensure it is
not tortured but brought to a quick death. It is advisable
that the slaughtered animal is not moved from the place
of slaughter until it is dead.
It is makrouh to carry out the slaughtering of an animal in
the sight of other animals of the same kind. It is also
makrouh for the person who has reared the animal to kill
it with his own hands. Among makrouh acts too is
skinning the animal while its soul has not yet parted with
its body.
To substantiate what he has said, my father quoted the
Prophet (s.a.w.) as saying, “Allah, the Most High, has
ordained the performance of good deeds in every thing. If
you intend to kill an animal, let it be a quick death; if you
intend to slaughter an animal, let it be done kindly:
sharpen your blade, and put the animal at ease”.
* Yet, father, I do not know how to slaughter animals.
- If you want to do it, you have to sever the four tracts
(awdaj), which are found beneath the projection of
cartilage at the front of the neck. Those are the
```

## PDF PAGE 170

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171
oesophagus, the wind pipe, and the two jugular veins.
* Could you explain more?
- Professional slaughterers say that the proof of cutting
those four tracts is that you should see the throat (jawzah)
attached to the head of the animal. If not, it can be said
slaughtering was not properly carried out.
* So, this means that when slaughtering the animal, I
should start cutting from below the throat.
- Precisely, so that the throat and neck are part of the head
and not part of the body.
* Suppose I made a mistake and realized that I severed the
head leaving the throat with the rest of the body, while
the animal was not yet dead, can I rectify the situation by
cutting below the throat?
- Yes, you may do that.
Slaughtering camels is unique, in that you should let the
tool of slaughtering, be it a knife or a spear pierce the
upper part of the chest, of the animal, where it meets the
neck.
Now that you know how to slaughter animals, you should
get to know the conditions that should be fulfilled to
ensure that the meat of the slaughtered animal is halal to
consume. These are:
1. The person who carries out the killing must be Muslim,
irrespective whether it is a man, a woman, or a boy
capable of rational action. The meat of an animal
slaughtered by the unbeliever [and even the people of the
book, although they might utter the basmallah] is not
halal.
2. The tool with which the slaughtering is carried out
should be made of iron. If this is not available, you can use
any other tool made of any other metal, glass, or
sharpened stone that is capable of cutting the four tracts.
```

## PDF PAGE 171

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171
* What about knives made of stainless steel?
- They contain traces of chrome that makes it rather
problematic to use in slaughtering animals.
3. The animal intended for the slaughter should be set to
face the direction of qiblah at the time of slaughtering.
This is irrespective of whether it is standing or lying down.
If the animal is laid down, its throat and belly should be
turned towards qiblah.
* Suppose, the animal was not made to face the qiblah at
the moment of slaughtering, what will the consequences
be?
- If it was done deliberately, it will be rendered haraam.
* And if it was done inadvertently?
- Should this be due to a mistake, forgetfulness, or
ignorance of the condition, its meat should be halal to eat.
4. The name of Allah must be uttered by the person
carrying out the killing, be it at the start of the process or
slightly before it, so long as there is continuity.
* What should I say?
- It suffices to say any of these phrases, “Bismillah, Allahu
Akbar, or Al hamdu Lillah”.
* What if the slaughterer forgot to do the utterance?
- The slaughtering shall still be valid.
* I notice some butchers sever the head of the animal
when slaughtering. Is it all right?
- You should advise them [not to do it, because they are
bound to sever the spinal cord before it (the animal) is
completely dead].
5. The blood should spill out. The meat is not halal, if
blood is not let out. Nor is it halal, if only a very small
quantity of blood disproportionate to the size of the
animal is let out. If, however, the scarcity of bleeding was
```

## PDF PAGE 172

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172
due to a wound received before the killing, there is no
harm in that.
These are the conditions that should be met when
slaughtering animals. However, if we were not sure that
the animal we slaughtered was alive, it is imperative,
besides, to monitor the killed animal for any signs of life,
such as a movement in the tail, a twinkle in the eye, or a
twitch. This is to ensure that it is halal to eat.
* Earlier on you mentioned that camels should be killed
according to a particular way. Are there any special
conditions to render their meat halal?
- It is imperative that the butcher satisfies the conditions
already discussed. As for the tool of killing, the same
conditions apply. Facing the qiblah with the intended kill
is necessary. So are the utterance, life, and the letting of
blood.
* What about the babies of pregnant animals that are
slaughtered?
- If it was delivered alive, the same rules that apply to the
mother apply to the baby. It should be ritually slaughtered
according to its kind.
* What if it was found dead?
- If the animal was slaughtered according to the rules
already discussed and the embryo was full-blown, i.e. with
hair, wool, or fur covering its body, it is halal to eat. It is
not permissible, though, to delay extracting the foetus
from its mother’s womb. Opening up the mother’s
abdomen and taking the foetus out is paramount. Any
delay that might result in causing the foetus to die, would
render its meat haraam to eat.
* What about a foetus whose mother was pronounced
dead before it was slaughtered? Is its meat lawful to eat?
- Meat of such a foetus is haraam to consume.
However, if all the conditions already discussed were met
when slaughtering the animal, we can say that such an
```

## PDF PAGE 173

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animal is slaughtered, according to Islamic shari’a law.
Insofar as meat is concerned, animals are of three types:
Some whose meat you can eat, such as sheep, cow, and
goat. Meat of the second category cannot be consumed,
such as lion, tiger, fox, eagle, and some subterranean
animals. Meat of the third category of animals is
inherently najis, such as dog and pig.
A sacrifice can be made of any animal whose meat is
edible. Once it is sacrificed its meat becomes halal to eat. It
cannot be carried out on animals that are najis, which
cannot be rendered tahir, such as dog and pig.
* What about the second category of animals, whose meat
cannot be eaten, such as fox, lion, and eagle?
- They can be sacrificed apart from subterranean animals.
Once they are killed, their meat and hide are rendered
tahir. Their hide, that has been made tahir as a result of
ritual slaughter, can be used in any form, including using
it as a container for ghee or water.
* What is the ruling in the matter of the meat or hide of an
animal sold by Muslims, especially, when it is not known it
was ritually slaughtered?
- You should assume that it was ceremonially slaughtered,
unless you have proof to the contrary.
More than that, if the meat came into the hands of a
Muslim vendor from an unbeliever, and there was a
possibility that the latter slaughtered it, you should also
assume it to be halal. That is, unless you are satisfied to
the contrary.
However, if you know that the Muslim bought it from an
unbeliever without making sure it was ceremonially
slaughtered, and there is a possibility that it was, you may
assume it is tahir. Yet, you are not permitted to eat the
meat. The same ruling applies to all that which is taken
directly from an unbeliever.
* What about Muslims, who follow other schools of fiqh,
```

## PDF PAGE 174

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174
who deal in such meat and leather?
- Irrespective of their denominations, all Muslims are
treated the same in this case, i.e. you should assume that
the animal was ritually slaughtered.
* Maybe, some Muslim schools of thought do not uphold
certain conditions of halal slaughter you mentioned, such
as facing the direction of the qiblah when slaughtering
the animal, or not saying the utterance. Can I still deem
the meat and leather products of such an animal halal?
- As long as the vendor presents it as ceremonially
slaughtered, and there is a possibility that it was, you
should assume it is halal. Even if you were absolutely
certain that they did not uphold the condition pertaining
to the qibla, you can still consider the slaughter halal,
provided that, according to the slaughterer’s tenets,
fulfilling such a condition was not necessary.
* And what is the ruling on animals killed in fully
automated abattoir?
- So long as the conditions of slaughtering are adhered to,
it is halal to consume. In that a) the operator who is
charged with handling the blade, or pressing the button
that operates the blade, should ensure that the animal
was positioned in the direction of the qiblah, that b) the
utterance was made, and that c) the rest of the conditions
were fulfilled, the meat of the animal, slaughtered in this
way, is halal.
* Having covered the slaughtering of animals like sheep
and cattle, could you now tell me about fish. Do we have
to follow the same procedure?
- Killing fish is different from slaughtering of the animals
we have discussed. As long as the fish was still alive when
you caught it, irrespective of the way it was caught, it
should be deemed ceremonially killed.
* Suppose a fish jumped out of the water and it was not
caught until it perished, would it still be halal to eat?
```

## PDF PAGE 175

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175
- It is not halal to eat.
* What about the condition of uttering, “Bismillah”?
- You are not required to carry out this condition.
* In this case, even if an unbeliever was the one who
caught the fish, can I still eat it?
- Yes, it is permissible to eat.
* If the fishmonger was Muslim, and I do not know
whether he caught the fish while it was still alive, can I
deem it halal to consume?
- You should assume that, so long as the fish the Muslim
fishmonger sells satisfy the requirements of the shari’a.
* Should this be the case, if the fishmonger was non-
Muslim, and I was not certain whether the fish he sells
were caught alive?
- You should assume it was dead. Moreover, even if such
fishmonger tells you that it was all right to consume, you
should not eat them, unless you were satisfied that the
fish were caught while they were alive, irrespective of the
method of catching, such as in a net or from a fish farm.
* Suppose a fisherman caught the fish by installing a net,
waiting for the ebb to take place, and when the net was
left high and dry, a number of fish was trapped and found
dead. Would it still be deemed halal?
- Yes, you can eat it.
* What about modern methods of fishing, such as by
trawlers, using huge nets extending miles; and the types
of net that scoop fish, were many fish are already dead in
the net due to either the weight of the catch or other
reasons?
- Fish caught in this way can be eaten.
* Sometimes fish are taken out of water, then they are cut
or hit on the head before they are cooked or grilled.
- You are allowed to eat such fish, because it is not
conditional that the fish dies unaided.
* Do I need to wash away the blood that resulted from
```

## PDF PAGE 176

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killing it?
- Fish blood is tahir.
* This has been the ruling on fish. What about hunting
wild animals, such as gazelle, with a rifle?
- There are conditions that should be fulfilled in rendering
the kill halal.
Among these are:
1. The hunter, including the discerning boy, must be
Muslim, as outlined in the conditions of slaughtering
already discussed.
2. He should be intent on hunting; that is, if he was to
shoot and kill an animal by mistake, the kill is not halal to
eat. Nor is the use of any part of its carcass.
3. Before using the hunting weapon or at the moment of
firing, the hunter should utter, “Allahu Akbar”, or
“Bismillah”, or “Alhamdu Lillah”.
4. The hunter must rush to his kill to slaughter it. Had he
found it dead, then it is halal. If, however, there was not
enough time to do the slaughtering, it would still be halal.
Coversely, if the hunter got to the place where the animal
fell, and there was enough time to slaughter it, but did not
hasten to kill it until it was dead, it will not be halal.
5. In hunting with a rifle, the aim should be to shoot the
animal and ensure that the bullet penetrates the body, so
much so that the cause of its death be the actual shooting
and penetration.
*. What if the wild animal, whose meat is halal to eat, was
hunted and captured by a dog?
- It shall be tahir and its meat is halal, provided the
following conditions are met:
```

## PDF PAGE 177

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a. The dog should have been trained for hunting and in
obeying instructions.
b. The dog should be sent to carry the task out by its
owner, i.e. not of its own accord.
c. The handler, or owner, of the dog must be Muslim.
d. When the dog is set forth, the handler must utter the
name of Allah, as previously explained.
e. The cause of death of the captured animal must be due
to the wounds inflicted by the hunting dog, and not due
to strangulation, or exhausting it through chasing.
f. The handler, or owner, of the dog must rush to the
animal to slaughter it, should there be ample time to do
so. If, however, he found it dead or at the brink of death
and there was not sufficient time to perform the
slaughtering, it is halal. If there was ample time to
slaughter it, but he hesitated until it perished, it shall not
be halal.
* If hunting was done by, say, a falcon or a leopard?
- The kill shall not be halal to eat. Only hunting by trained
dogs is halal. You should also remember that the place of
the bite in the carcass is najis and must be washed. Eating
is not permissible before the carcass is washed.
* What if a falcon captured an animal, and that it was still
alive when the owner arrived at the scene to slaughter it?
- It is halal to eat, if it is from that which is permitted to
consume, provided that the handler of the bird slaughters
the hunted animal according to the conditions outlined
earlier on.
* I have noticed that you sometimes use phrases like,
“Meat of animals that are halal to eat”, or “That which is
not allowed to be eaten”. Are there any animals whose
meat cannot be eaten at all?
- Yes, here are some of those animals whose meat is halal
to eat and others whose meat is not:
Among land animals, that are halal to eat, are: chicken,
```

## PDF PAGE 178

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sheep, cow, camel, horse, mule, gazelle, donkey, antelope,
wild cow, and zebra.
It is makrouh, though, not haraam to eat meat of domestic
horse, mule, and donkey.
It is haraam to eat meat of carnivorous animals, that have
claws, such as lion and fox.
It is haraam to eat the meat of rabbit, elephant, bear,
monkey, jerboa, mouse, snake, hedgehog, and crawling
animals and insects.
Going back to the classification of animals that can or
cannot be eaten, I feel that the subject shall not be
complete without discussing marine animals.
You can eat all species of fish, provided that they have
scales.
It is haraam, however, to eat dead floating ones.
Among marine animals and amphibians that are haraam
to eat are cat fish, tortoise, frog, and lobster.
* What about prawns?
- They are halal to eat, for scales cover their skin.
Among birds, that are halal to eat, are pigeon of all
species, sparrow, swallow, pheasant, nightingale, ostrich,
peacock, etc.
[It is haraam to eat meat of crow, of all kinds; so are wasps
and other flying insects, apart from locust].
Haraam too is the meat of all birds of prey, i.e. that have
talons, such as falcon, hawk, and eagle. So is the meat of
any bird that, during flying, glides more than flaps its
wings.
* What if I do not know the way it flies?
- The criterion to be followed in this case is that the bird
should be among those birds whose meat is halal to eat.
Among the indicators that may identify it as being halal is
that it should have one, or more, of three organs - a craw,
a spur, or a gizzard.
* I have noticed that some butchers extract certain parts
```

## PDF PAGE 179

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from the carcass and throw them away.
- That is right. The parts of the carcass that are forbidden
to eat are:
Blood, dung, reproductive organs, placenta, glands of all
kinds, testicles, bone marrow, gall bladder, spleen,
bladder, eyes, [and the two nerves extending from the
neck alongside the spine to the tail].
Those are the parts of animal carcasses that should be
avoided. As for birds, blood and droppings are haraam,
[beside those parts of animal carcasses mentioned earlier,
if they were present].
* If I may, could you, firstly, tell me whether there are
other forbidden things, apart from those we have already
discussed? And secondly, are there mustahab acts relating
to food and drink?
With a smile, my father said:
Concerning the first part of the question, yes there are
things that are haraam to consume, especially two things:
1. It is forbidden to drink alcohol and other intoxicants,
including beer. The Holy Qur’an spelt that out
unequivocally, “O you who believe! intoxicants and games
of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing
by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the Satan’s work;
shun it therefore that you may be successful”. (5/90). Also,
a tradition from Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) has it, “Alcohol
is the mother of wickedness and the spearhead of every
evil deed ...”.
It is forbidden to eat on a table on which intoxicants are
served; [rather, sharing such a table is haraam].
2. It is haraam to consume all that which could endanger
one’s health, and may lead to death, such as taking
poison.
As for the second part of your question, mustahab acts
```

## PDF PAGE 180

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pertaining to eating and drinking are numerous; however
here are some of them:
1. Washing both hands before and after eating, and
ensuring that they are dried.
2. Uttering the basmalah once you start eating.
3. Eating in small morsels.
4. Food must be thoroughly chewed.
5. Prolonging meal time.
6. Starting and concluding the meal with salt.
7. Washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly before
eating.
8. Do not eat while you are still full.
9. Do not eat very hot food.
10. Do not blow, or exhale, in food or drink.
11. Try not to skin fruits that are intended to be eaten
with their skin.
12. Finish eating what you have started.
13. Do not attempt to look people in the face while they
are eating.
14. The host should start before the guests and finish after
they have finished.
```