ZABIHA (ذبيحة): Slaughter

What is Zabiha (ذبيحة)?
Zabiha is the Islamic method of slaughtering halal (permissible) land animals and birds for food. In the Arabic language, zhebH means "to slay (by drawing blood)". For zhebH to be religiously correct, a few other conditions must be met:

• The animal must be in good physical and emotional health.
• The animal must be made to be comfortable (not anxious). 
• The animal cannot see other animals being killed, nor see their bodies.
• The animal must not see the slaughtering knife.
• The animal cannot be rendered unconscious, electrocuted or stunned by a blow to the head. 
• The knife must be sharp enough to sever the major arteries of the neck with one sure swipe.
• The slaughterer should be a Muslim. (Muslims are permitted to eat the food of People of the Book [Christians and Jews], however; Some Islamic Schools of Thought hold that only a Muslim of good piety can perform zabiha.)
• Recitation of "in the name of Allah" (bismillah) should be performed before slaughter.
• The slaughter must be swiftly completed in one swipe.
• The animal must be exsanguinated - drained of all flowing blood.

[ Zabiha in Quran & Hadith ]

Should Muslims buy only Zabiha meat?
This is a complex and personal question. The answer to which is determined by many factors, some of which are:


Availability -

There are many Muslims living in places where it is difficult to find fresh, unprocessed Zabiha meat.


Diversity of Islamic Tradition -

The diverse American Islamic Community brings together people from varying Islamic traditions (Schools of Thought). This diversity creates a situation where Muslims can hold sometimes conflicting opinions on the acceptability of meat from Ahl al-Kitaab (Christians and Jews), supermarket meat and the necessity of zabiha meat.


Regulations -

Some countries, like Great Britain legally require an animal to be stunned before slaughter.


Industry Practices -

Muslims in America and other Western countries may find that it is common practice to electrocute certain animals before slaughter, or that some animals die from blows to the head that were meant to only render them unconscious. In these case, that animal becomes "dead meat" -- forbidden for Muslims to eat. Because it is impossible to discern how the animal who provided the meat in your grocer's butcher died, it is advisable for Muslims to stay away from all meat where that type of animal commonly is stunned before slaughter.

Related topics:
What are the halal animals?
What are the haram animals?
What are the differences and similarities between kosher and halal animals?
What is Factory Farming?
What about Supermarket Meat?
Organic Meat
Does Islam prohibit cruelty to animals?
The jallalah (impure) of halal animals.
How does AMNA judge foods containing meat?

Quran & Hadith: Carrion, Dead (الميتة)

CARRION in the Quran

حرمت عليكم الميتة والدم ولحم الخنزير ومااهل لغير الله به والمنخنقة والموقوذة والمتردية والنطيحة ومااكل السبع الا ماذكيتم وماذبح على النصب وان تستقسموا بالازلام ذلك فسق اليوم يئس الذين كفروا من دينكم فلا تخشوهم واخشون اليوم اكملت لكم دينكم واتممت عليكم نعمتي ورضيت لكم الاسلام دينا فمن اضطر في مخمصة غير متجانف لاثم فان الله غفور رحيم

"Forbidden to you (for food) are: carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. "
— Quran, Surat Al-Ma'idah 5:3

Hadith referencing CARRION

Narrated by Muhammad bin Idris Ash-Shafi`i :
Ibn `Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said, “We were allowed two dead animals and two (kinds of) blood. As for the two dead animals, they are fish and locust. As for the two bloods, they are liver and spleen.”
[Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ibn Majah, Ad-Daraqutni and Al-Bayhaqi also recorded this hadith]

Islamic Schools of Thought

In his tafsir Imam Ibn Katheer says:
Allah informs His servants that He forbids consuming the mentioned types of foods, such as maytah (carrion), which is the animal that dies before being properly slaughtered or hunted. Allah forbids this type of food due to the harm it causes, because of the blood that becomes clogged in the veins of the dead animal. Therefore, the maytah is harmful, religiously and physically, and this is why Allah has prohibited it. The only exception to this ruling is fish, for fish is allowed, even when dead, by slaughtering or otherwise.”

Sheikh Ibn Baz said:
“If a person is forced by necessity to (eat dead meat), it is permissible for him to do so." according to the Words of Allah*, Most High."
* [Reference: Surat al-Ma'ida 5:3]

AMNA Note: As agreed upon by all the 4 methahab, "severe hunger" is defined as facing death through starvation. In which case, it is permissible for a person to eat only as much (of the haram substance) as he or she needs to sustain themselves to stay alive. It does not refer to simply feeling hungry.

Animals Which Eat Carrion
"Among [the creatures] it is forbidden to be eaten are those which feed on carrion (dead meat), like vultures and crows, owing to the evil food they feed on [so] it is prohibited to eat insects, as they are injurious."
— Al Fawzan, Dr. Salih (Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence. Member, The Permanent Committee on Fatwa and Research). "A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence, Vol. 2," Section XI: Food, Chapter 1, p. 654.

HARAM: Carrion, Dead (الميتة)

CARRION - the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion begins to decay the moment of the animal's death, and it will increasingly attract insects and breed bacteria. Islamically the concept of, carrion — or more specifically al-maita (الميتة) — extends to animals which have been killed by means other than exsanguination during slaughter or the hunt.

Islamic Prohibition against CARRION:
The Quran forbids the consumption of dead animals or "carrion" (الميتة) — of animals which have been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a fall, or which have been gored to death.

Islamic law commands that all halal animals meant for food, with the exception of locusts, fish and sea creatures, be slaughtered by cutting the jugular vein in the animal's neck to allow death by exsanguination. This is known as zabihah. Game animals which have been killed in the hunt, by bleeding out, are likewise permissible.

[ CARRION in Quran & Hadith ]

AMNA's Criteria for CARRION:
The table below describes our criteria for judging a FOOD as CARRION. Helpful icons make it easy to judge foods at a glance.

ICON	CLASS	AMNA JUDGING CRITERIA	SOME EXAMPLES...
	CARRION	Foods which it is known that the animal has died by means other than exsanguination, excepting fish and sea creatures.	balut (Filippino), trứng vịt lộn (Vietnamese)

Related Topics:
What does Quran and hadith say about CARRION (dead meat)?
What is Islamic slaughter, zabihah (ذبيحة).
How does AMNA identify and label foods containing other HARAM substances like PORK, or BLOOD?
Why do we use "?" on some icons? What does it mean?
What if a food contains TWO haram substances?

Quran & Hadith: Blood

BLOOD in the Quran

حرمت عليكم الميتة والدم ولحم الخنزير ومااهل لغير الله به والمنخنقة والموقوذة والمتردية والنطيحة ومااكل السبع الا ماذكيتم وماذبح على النصب وان تستقسموا بالازلام ذلك فسق اليوم يئس الذين كفروا من دينكم فلا تخشوهم واخشون اليوم اكملت لكم دينكم واتممت عليكم نعمتي ورضيت لكم الاسلام دينا فمن اضطر في مخمصة غير متجانف لاثم فان الله غفور رحيم

"Forbidden to you (for food) are: carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."
— Quran, Surat Al-Ma'idah 5:3

Hadith referencing BLOOD

Narrated by Muhammad bin Idris Ash-Shafi`i :

Ibn `Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said, “We were allowed two dead animals and two (kinds of) blood. As for the two dead animals, they are fish and locust. As for the two bloods, they are liver and spleen.”

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ibn Majah, Ad-Daraqutni and Al-Bayhaqi also recorded this hadith.

Islamic Schools of Thought

There are no differences between the methahab with regards to the consumption of blood.

"People of the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance (Al-Jahiliyyah) used to put [blood] in the entrails, grill it and eat it. However, whatever blood remaining inside the flesh of the slaughtered animal or in the veins is lawful. Rather, it is ot considred impure even if one touches it with the hand or with a piece of cotton for example and it leaves visible traces."
— Al Fawzan, Dr. Salih (Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence. Member, The Permanent Committee on Fatwa and Research). "A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence, Vol. 2," Section XI: Food, Chapter 1, p. 652.

In this respect, Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
"The right opinion is that the blood that is forbidden is the shed, the spilled or the poured blood; however, the blood left in the veins is not deemed prohibited by any of Muslim scholars."

HARAM: Blood

Islamic Prohibition against BLOOD:
Islam forbids the consumption of BLOOD. Muslims are forbidden to drink or eat blood products such as blood pudding or blood sausages, even if the blood comes from an halal animal.

Islamic slaughter, known as zabihah (ذبيحة), dictates that the animal be exsanguinated — drained of all flowing blood — after slitting the jugular vein. In their kitchens, Muslims routinely wash raw meat, soaking it in a solution of vinegar and water, or water and salt, to further draw out blood from the meat.

[ BLOOD in Quran & Hadith ]

AMNA's Criteria for BLOOD:
The table below describes our criteria for judging a FOOD as BLOOD. Helpful icons make it easy to judge foods at a glance.

ICON	CLASS	AMNA JUDGING CRITERIA	SOME EXAMPLES...
	BLOOD	Food items made from BLOOD.	dồi (Vietnamese), larp lu (Thai), blodpudding (Swedish), seonji (Korean)

Related Topics:
What does Quran and hadith say about drinking or eating blood?
How does AMNA identify and label foods containing other HARAM substances like PORK, or ALCOHOL?
What's the difference between kosher and halal?
Why do we use "?" on some icons? What does it mean?
What if a food contains TWO haram substances?

Quran & Hadith: Index

ياايها الذين امنوا كلوا من طيبات مارزقناكم واشكروا لله ان كنتم اياه تعبدون

"O ye who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah, if it is Him ye worship."
— Quran. 2:172

ALCOHOL

• ALCOHOL in the Quran
• Hadith referencing ALCOHOL
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

BLOOD

• BLOOD in the Quran
• Hadith referencing BLOOD
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

CARRION (DEAD) الميتة

• CARRION in the Quran
• Hadith referencing CARRION
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

DONKEY & HORSE

• DONKEY & HORSE in the Quran
• Hadith referencing DONKEY & HORSE
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

HALAL

• HALAL in the Quran
• Hadith referencing HALAL
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

HAWWAM
(Insects, Reptiles, Amphibians & Rodents)

• HAWWAM in the Quran
• Hadith referencing HAWWAM
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

HUMAN, PRIMATE

• HUMANS in the Quran
• Hadith referencing HUMANS
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

PORK

• PIGS in the Quran
• Hadith referencing PIGS
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

PREDATORS

• PREDATORS in the Quran
• Hadith referencing PREDATORS
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

SHIRK شرك

• SHIRK in the Quran
• Hadith referencing SHIRK
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

TOXIC / INTOXICANT

• INTOXICANTS in the Quran
• Hadith referencing INTOXICANTS
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

Zabihah ذبيحة

• Zabihah in the Quran
• Hadith referencing Zabihah
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

HARAM: Overview

HARAM (حرام‎, haraam, harām) - an Arabic term meaning "forbidden". It is used to refer to anything that is prohibited by Islam, according to Quran and Hadith. As it refers to food, haram foods are ingredients, foods or dishes that made with a haram substance — including ingredients derived from haram sources.

Broadly, Islam prohibits the consumption of:

• ALCOHOL (including foods cooked with alcohol)
• BLOOD
• CARRION (dead animals)
• DONKEY MEAT
• HAWWAM (most insects, bugs, reptiles, frogs & snakes)
• HUMAN & PRIMATE
• PREDATORS
• PORK
• [Food of] SHIRK
• TOXIC substances

HARAM and Islam:
While there are differences in practice between different groups, most Muslims agree that "halal is clear and haram is clear."

[ Quran & Hadith of HARAM substances ]

Related Topics:
What are the food import regulations for countries like Saudi Arabia?
Do you have a list of HARAM Animals?
What makes them HARAM?
How does AMNA identify and label foods containing HARAM substances like PORK, BLOOD or ALCOHOL?
Where can I find verses from the Quran, or hadith on HARAM substances?