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“This act of mine is not an act of aggression against the universe nor of oppression of this creature, but
in the name of Allâh I slaughter, in the name of Allâh I hunt, and in the name of Allâh I eat.”
Animals Slaughtered by the People of the Book
We have seen that Islâm emphasizes that the animal must be slaughtered in a prescribed manner. The
polytheists of Arabia and other nations had made animal sacrifice an act of worship, or rather an integral
part of their belief system and a pillar of their religion, seeking to propitiate their deities by sacrificing
animals either at their special altars or by mentioning their names over them. Islâm abolished these
pagan rites and ordained that no name except that of Allâh be mentioned while slaughtering, and it
prohibited what was sacrificed at an altar or dedicated to anyone other than Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala.
Now although the People of the Book—the Jews and Christians —are essentially believers in one God,
some Muslims nevertheless supposed that in matters related to food the People of the Book were to be
treated in the same manner as idolaters. Thereupon Allâh Ta‘ala granted special permission to Muslims
in the matter of eating with the People of the Book and in the matter of marriage to their women. In
Surah al-Maidah, the last surah of the Qur‘ân to be revealed, Allâh says, Today whatever is good is
made lawful to you. And the food of those who were given the Scripture (before you) is permitted to you
and your food is permitted to them.... (5:6 (5))
The meaning of these verses is, in brief, that from this day forward all good, pure, and wholesome things
are permitted to you Muslims; consequently, there can be no more bahirah, saibah, wasilah, or ham.
Since Allâh did not prohibit it, the food of the Jews and the Christians is permitted to you on the basis of
the original permissibility of things, and likewise you can share your food with them. Accordingly, you can
eat the flesh of the animals they have slaughtered or hunted, and they can eat what you have
slaughtered or hunted.
While Islâm takes an uncompromising attitude toward polytheists, it is lenient toward the People of the
Book, for they are closer to Muslims in their belief in divine revelation, prophethood, and other
fundamentals of. Islâm permits us to eat with them, to marry their women, and, in general, to have social
relations with them. It may be that, by interacting with Muslims in an Islâmic environment and observe
the beliefs, practices, and characters of Muslims, they may come to realize that Islâm is in truth their own
religion but with a higher level of spirituality, a more perfect Shari‘ah, and books of greater authenticity,
(That is, the Holy Qur‘ân, the books of Ahadith, and the Sirah (biography) of the Prophet. (Trans.)) while
also free of the influence of paganism, man-made concepts, and falsehood.
The application of the phrase, “the food of those who were given the Scripture,” is general and includes
their meats, produce, and other foods. All of these are halal for us excempting what is haram in itself,
e.g., the flesh of a dead animal, pork, and flowing blood, as these are haram regardless of whether they
are obtained from a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim.
We now turn to various questions which are of sufficient importance to Muslims to require an answer
here.
Animals Slaughtered for Churches and Christian Festivals
If one does not hear from a Christian or a Jew that a name other than Allâh’s such as that of Jesus or a
saint, was mentioned at the time of slaughter, the meat he offers is halal. If, however, he says that a
name other than Allâh’s has been mentioned, it is haram, according to the opinion of some jurists who
argue that it falls under the heading of what has been dedicated to other than Allâh. Some others hold
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the opinion that the food of the People of the Book has been permitted to us by Allâh, Who is aware of
what they say when slaughtering an animal.
Someone asked Abû al-Darda whether he could eat the flesh of a lamb, slaughtered for the Church of
St. George, which had been given to him. Abû al-Darda answered, “O Allâh, may You pardon us! Are
they not the People of the Book, whose food is halal for us and ours for them? He then told the person to
eat it. (Compiled by al-Tabari.)
Imam Malik was once asked about eating the flesh of animals slaughtered for Christian festivals and
churches. He replied, I classify it as makruh but not haram: makruh because I am afraid it may have
been dedicated to someone other than Allâh but not haram because perhaps, with respect to the People
of the Book, the meaning of the phrase, ‘that which has been dedicated to any other than Allâh,‘ applies
only to those animals which they slaughter for the purpose of seeking the pleasure of their deities (This
may refer to Jesus, Mary, or to other saints. (Trans.)) and not to eat. As for what they slaughter to eat, it
is their food, and Allâh says, ‘The food of those who were given the Scripture is permitted to you.’ (This
ruling by Imam Malik demonstrates his humility, piety, and caution in religion. He did not rush to the
conclusion that it was haram, as some jurists do today but confined himself to stating that it was makruh.
As we can see, faced with the problem of reconciling two conflicting general categories, that which is
dedicated to anyone other than Allâh and the permissibility of the food of the People of the Book, he
exercised caution and deliberation.) (5:6 (7))
Animals Slaughtered by Electric Shock and Other Methods
The second question is this: Is it necessary that the method of slaughter of an animal employed by the
People of the Book so that it is halal in their religion be the same as ours, which is to cut the throat? A
majority of jurists stipulate this as a condition, while a number of Maliki jurists have ruled that it is not a
condition.
Qadi Ibn al-Arab), in explaining the verse of Surah al-Maidah, “The food of those who were given the
Scripture is permitted to you,” (5:6 (7)) says: This is a decisive proof that the game and food of the
People of the Book are among the good things which Allâh has allowed for us. He, the Most High, has
repeated it twice in order to allay doubts and to seal the mouths of those mischievous objectors, who
would raise questions and prolong the discussion. I was asked: ‘If a Christian kills a chicken by cutting
off its head and then cooks it, is it permissible to eat with him or to partake of his food?‘ I said: ‘Eat it, as
this is his food and the food of his priests and monks. Although this is not our way of slaughtering the
animal, yet Allâh has permitted their food to us unconditionally, and also other things in their religion
excepting those which Allâh says they have falsified.’ Our scholars have said: They give us their women
in marriage and it is permissible to engage in sexual intercourse with them. In matters concerning halal
and haram, sexual intercourse is of graver import than eating; how then does it make sense to say that
their food is not halal?
This is the opinion of Ibn al-Arab). On another occasion he says: “What they eat without intending to
make it lawful for eating, as for example by strangling the animal or smashing its head, is haram.”
There is no contradiction between these two statements of his. What is meant here is that what they
consider as religiously lawful to eat is halal for us, even though the method of killing the animal in their
religion may be different from ours, and what is not religiously lawful to them is haram for us. What is
meant by killing the animal in their religion is killing it with the intention of making it lawful as food
according to their religion. This is the opinion of a group of Maliki jurists.
In the light of this ruling, we know that imported meats, such as chicken and canned beef, originating
with the People of the Book are halal for us, even though the animal may have been killed by means of
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