Ruling on eating the meat of dead animals and pork

Q: We received a letter from some of our American brothers who accepted Islam while in prison in the United States of America. (Part No. 22; Page No. 452) They describe the problem they face regarding the food that is served in prison. Their problem is that the meals contain meat that has been slaughtered in American slaughterhouses, which is not in conformity with the lawful way of slaughtering according to the Shari‘ah (Islamic law). In fact, the meat is regarded as Maytah (unslaughtered dead animals) and so they avoid eating it, but they do not have an alternative for it. They are therefore looking for an official Fatwa (legal opinion by a qualified Muslim scholar) from a recognized body explaining the Islamic ruling on this matter. They want to use the Fatwa as evidence that it is not permissible for Muslims to eat the meat of Maytah or pork, to convince the prison administrators to serve them alternative food that is lawful for Muslims to eat. We hope that Your Eminence will give us a written answer that explains the ruling in this matter.May Allah reward you with the best on behalf of us and these American brothers!

A: There is nothing wrong in eating food served by disbelievers and others, as long as it does not contain any Haram (prohibited) ingredients, such as pork or its derivatives, or the meat of animals that were not slaughtered according to Islamic law or that were slaughtered by a non-Muslim who is not one of the People of the Book. Under these conditions, the food becomes Haram and it is obligatory for it to be avoided. As our American brothers know that the slaughtering is not done in conformity with the Islamically lawful manner, it is not permissible for them to eat it.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.