Electrocuting the animal before slaughtering it

Fatwa no. 1665 Praise be to Allah, Alone. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger, his family, and companions.The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' has reviewed the query sent to His Eminence the President by (Part No. 22; Page No. 456) His Eminence the Chairman of The Muslim World League. It is as follows:I received a letter sent by Sayyid `Aziz Pasha, the Secretary General of the Union of Islamic Societies in London. The Secretary General said that the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sent a letter asking the Muslim community in Britain to accept eating the meat of animals that were stunned before being slaughtered. He added that a sermon delivered by the supreme judge in Tanzania is referred to in the society's letter. In that sermon, the supreme judge said that there is no text in the Qur'an that prohibits eating the meat of animals that were stunned before being slaughtered. The Secretary General asked us about the sound ruling in this regard. We hope that Your Eminence would be kind enough to issue and inform us of a Fatwa (legal opinion issued by a qualified Muslim scholar) in this regard so that we can send it to the said person.

Having discussed the query, the committee replied as follows: First, if stunning with a blow to the head or an electric shock kills the animal and it dies before being slaughtered properly, then it is Mawqoodhah (killed by a violent blow) and it cannot be eaten even if its neck is cut or it is slaughtered at the upper part of its chest after that. Allah (Exalted be He) has forbidden this by His saying, Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maitah (the dead animals - cattle - beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allâh’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering, (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allâh, or has been slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow (Part No. 22; Page No. 457) The scholars of Islam have unanimously agreed that such meat is forbidden. However, if it is still alive after being stunned in the manner described and is slaughtered properly, then it is permissible to eat it, because Allah (Exalted be He) says at the end of the Ayah (Qur'anic verse) with regard to animals that are strangled, dealt a violent blow, suffer a headlong fall, are gored by horns or partly devoured by wild beasts ...unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death) So Allah (Exalted be He) excludes from these forbidden types of meat those that are reached when still alive and slaughtered in the proper manner. They may be eaten because of the effect of proper slaughter, unlike those that die by being stunned before being slaughtered, in which case slaughtering does not render them permissible. Thus, it is known that the Qur'an forbids animals that have been stunned if they die as a result of that stunning before being slaughtered properly, because the animal that is stunned has suffered a violent blow, and Allah (Exalted be He) has stated in this Ayah that such an animal is haram (prohibited) unless it is reached while it is still alive and slaughtered in the proper manner. Second, it is haram to stun an animal by striking it or giving it an electric shock and so on, because that causes suffering to the animal, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade causing suffering and tormenting, and he enjoined kindness and goodness in general terms, and with regard to slaughter in particular. Imam Muslim related from Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Do not take anything in which there is a soul as a target (of one's marksmanship). Furthermore, Muslim narrated from Jabir ibn (Part No. 22; Page No. 458) `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them) who said, The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade tormenting any kind of animal to death. Related by Muslim also from Shaddad ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Allah has decreed kindness (or proficiency) in all things. So when you kill, kill well. When you slaughter, slaughter well. Let one of you sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he slaughters. If it is not easy to slaughter animals unless they have been stunned by a method that will not kill them before they are slaughtered, then it is permissible to stun them and slaughter them whilst they are still alive, in cases of necessity. If it is not easy to slaughter them unless they are killed, the ruling of catching game is applied in this case. The animal may be shot with an arrow, or a bullet and so on, not stunned by an electric shock or throttling. If it is still alive, it can be slaughtered, (Part No. 22; Page No. 459) if not, the means of shooting is considered a means of slaughtering. It is reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of `Abdullah ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prohibited the throwing of pebbles by saying: It does not catch the game, nor does it inflict defeat on the enemy, but breaks the tooth and puts the eye out. Furthermore, Al-Bukhari and Muslim related on the authority of Rafi` ibn Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, If the killing tool causes blood to gush out, and if Allah's Name is mentioned, eat (the meat of the slaughtered animal). But do not slaughter with a nail or a tooth, for the tooth is a bone and the nail is the knife of the Ethiopians. A Sahaby (Companion of the Prophet) narrated that they, when they were in the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him), captured some camels and sheep (as booty). One of the camels fled and a man threw an arrow at the camel, and Allah (Exalted be He) stopped the camel with it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Some of these animals are like wild animals, so if you lose control over one of these animals, treat it in this way (i.e. shoot it with an arrow). Additionally, Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, (If one of the animals you possess gets out of control, treat it like game. As for the camel (Part No. 22; Page No. 460) that falls into a well, you may pierce it where it is possible.) This is approved by `Aly, Ibn `Umar and `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with them). Additionally, Al-Bukhari and Muslim related on the authority of `Ady ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, When you set your dog (for the chase), mention the Name of Allah, if it catches the game and you reach it while it is still alive, slaughter it. If you find it dead and that (your dog) has eaten nothing from it, (even then) you may eat it; but if you find along with your dog another dog, and (the game) is dead, then don't eat, for you do not know which of the two killed it. And if you shoot your arrow, mention the Name of Allah, but if it (the game) goes out of your sight for a day and you do not find on that but the mark of your arrow, then eat it as you like, but if you find it drowned, do not eat it. Imam Al-Bukhari related on the authority of `Ady ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, (Part No. 22; Page No. 461) I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about the game killed by Mi`rad (a heavy featherless blunt arrow). He said, "If you hit the game with its sharp edge, eat it. But if the Mi`rad hits the game with its shaft with a hit by its broad side, do not eat it, for it has been beaten to death with a piece of wood (i.e. unlawful). Accordingly, the officials of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should be kind with animals, even if the latter are needed to be slaughtered. They should not strike the heads of the animals or stun them with an electric shock. They also should not allow other persons to use these methods prior to the slaughter unless slaughtering is not easy except with shooting or using a way, such as tying with ropes or the like, that controls the animal. If not, the animal may be pierced or shot with a tool that pierces into the body and causes its death immediately after shooting, which is considered as slaughtering. This is based on the above mentioned Hadith and Allah's saying, So keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him as much as you can May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions!