Slaughtering Animal By Mention the Name of God: Discussion and Justification From Shari`ah Perspective Dr. Nurdeng Deuraseh* Dr. Zeiad Amjad Aghwan** Nor Alfaizie Binti Mohd Annual* *Laboratori Polisi dan Pengurusan Halal, Institut Penyelidikan Produk Halal (IPPH),Universiti Putra Malaysia. **Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq.

           “So eat of meats on which Allah’s name has been pronounced if you have faith in His signs ”            “So eat of meats on which Allah’s name has been pronounced if you have faith in His signs ” عَنْ شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ، قَالَ اثْنَتَانِ حَفِظْتُهُمَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ "‏إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذِّبْحَةَ وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ “Allah has decreed that whatever is to be done should be done perfect and sublime. Hence, when you kill, kill well, and when you slaughter, slaughter well, sharpen your blade and handle with kindness, that which slaughter”. Sahih Muslim عَنْ شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ، قَالَ اثْنَتَانِ حَفِظْتُهُمَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ "‏إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذِّبْحَةَ وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ “Allah has decreed that whatever is to be done should be done perfect and sublime. Hence, when you kill, kill well, and when you slaughter, slaughter well, sharpen your blade and handle with kindness, that which slaughter”. Sahih Muslim Slaughtering in Islam “Dh-ba-ha” (ذبح) in Arabic, in general, means “slaughtered”.

Quranic Verses Regarding Slaughtering 1. So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned, if you are believers in His verses. (Al-An’am: 118)            1. So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned, if you are believers in His verses. (Al-An’am: 118)            2. And why should you not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you, excepting that to which you are compelled. And indeed do many lead [others] astray through their [own] inclinations without knowledge. Indeed, your Lord - He is most knowing of the transgressors. (Al-An’am:119)                                  2. And why should you not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you, excepting that to which you are compelled. And indeed do many lead [others] astray through their [own] inclinations without knowledge. Indeed, your Lord - He is most knowing of the transgressors. (Al-An’am:119)                                  3. And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him]. (Al- An’am: 121)                        3. And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him]. (Al- An’am: 121)                       

There are two category of slaughter, which are: 1.Al-Dhabh/ الذبح (Slaughter) –Cutting the throat: that is cutting the trachea and oesophagus and the jugular veins. –Usually used for sheep, cattle and poultry. 2.Al-Nahr النَحْر / (slaying) –Stabbing the throat and then cutting it up to the top of the chest. –Usually used for camels and other animals with a long neck.

Slaughtering must be carried out by a Muslim who is of sound mind and is well aware of the pillar (rukn) and procedures of slaughtering. The animal to be slaughtered must be Halal for consumption. The animal should be alive and in a normal condition. A cut should be made through the respiratory vein and the oesophagus, and; Equipment used must be sharp and should not be made of bone, teeth or nail origin. Guidelines Of Slaughtering

Views on Mentioning Allah’s Name in Islamic Law Hanafis – (Bismillah Allahu Akhbar) is wajib. And if the slaughter man purposely not mention it, that animal becomes dead meat which is prohibited to be eaten. Shafies – it is recommended to mention the name of Allah during the slaughtering and not wajib. If the slaughter man purposely or forget to mention it, the meat is still Halal to be eaten. Hanafis – (Bismillah Allahu Akhbar) is wajib. And if the slaughter man purposely not mention it, that animal becomes dead meat which is prohibited to be eaten. Shafies – it is recommended to mention the name of Allah during the slaughtering and not wajib. If the slaughter man purposely or forget to mention it, the meat is still Halal to be eaten. Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad, Imam Hanafi and Ishaq ibn Rawaih said that if the slaughter man is forgot to mention the name of God while slaughtering, the meat is halal to be eaten but if he is purposely not to mention it, the meat becomes haram and prohibited to eat.

Stunning Of Animals Stunning of animals prior to slaughter is permitted and shall be in accordance with the requirements below: 1. Three types of stunning shall be used to stun the animal, namely electrical, mechanical or pneumatic stunner. 2. The use of the stunning equipment shall be under the control of a Muslim supervisor or a trained Muslim slaughter man or Halal certification authority at all times. 3. The animal should only be stunned temporarily. The stunning should not either kill or cause permanent injury to the animal. 4. Gadgets that are used to stun pigs shall not be used to stun animals for Halal slaughter”

Mechanical equipment

Electrical equipment Head only Head to back

Water bath stunning for poultry

The wisdom of mentioning Allah’s name while slaughtering

First: This practice is in the opposition to the practice of the idolaters and the people of jahiliyyah, who mentioned the names of their non-existent deities while slaughtering animals. Since the polytheist mentions the name of a false deity, how can the Believer fail to mention the name of the true God? This is to differentiate between the practice of Muslims and the idolaters.

Second: These animals, like human beings, are creatures of Allah, and like them they have life. How then can a man take control of them and deprive them of life unless he first obtains permission from his and their common Creator to Whom everything belongs? Mentioning the name of Allah while slaughtering the animal is a declaration of this divine permission, as if the one who is killing the animal were saying, “This act of mine is not an act of aggression against the universe nor of oppression of this creature, but in the name of Allah I slaughter, in the name of Allah I hunt, and in the name of Allah I eat”. (Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam, The Other Press, 2013, pg. 55).

Third: This practice also in order to safeguard the ‘Aqidah of the Muslims because if the slaughtering is to be done according to the Islamic teachings with the right pillars and conditions and in addition to that, mentioning the name of Allah, then the animals which has been slaughtered should be Halal to be eaten. This will assure that the ‘Aqidah of his will be safe from any doubt.

Thank you