The Slaughtering Of an Animal According To the Islamic Law
In Islam to conform any animal as Zabiha and Halal, and for its meat to be consumable the following points are1) The animal should be of a Halal category.
2) The animal should be slaughtered in a Shar’ee manner.
To conduct the slaughtering process in accordance to the Shar’ee procedure the following points are important.
1) The definition of zabiha is to cut an animal in such a way that conforms to the rulings of shariah or the Islamic law. (With zabiha the filthy blood leaves the body quickly and easily, after which, the meat of the animal becomes consumable.)
2) There are four main veins out of which if even three are severed the animal would be considered to have been slaughtered in accordance with shariah. Those three veins are;
a) air passage, this the vein through which the animal breaths,
b) Esophagus or the gullet, this is the vein through which the food and water is channeled.
c) The two jugular veins one of which is on the right hand side of the air passage and the second on the left hand side of the gullet.
The Prerequisites of the Zabiha
1) The one who is slaughtering should be a Muslim. Now, whether the person is a man or woman or whether that person is in the state of purity or impurity doesn’t matter (as long other conditions of slaughter are adhered), the consumption of such an animal would be halal. However, if a “kafir” slaughters the animal then the consumption of that animal would be haram.
2) The one who slaughters could be a Jew or a Christian with these two conditions. One is that they should be faithful and practicing of their religion, and second they should utter the name of Allah only, no other name can be taken when they are slaughtering the animal.
3) The person should be aware and intelligent.
4) The person should be conscious.
5) At the time of slaughtering the name of Allah should be recited. (Such as “bismillahi Allahu Akbar” which has to be recited just a mere thought of it in the heart or mind is not enough.)
6) The name of Allah should be taken only with the intention of slaughtering and no other intention can be associated with that.
7) One should not associate another name while saying the name of Allah.
8) The animal should be slaughtered immediately after the recitation of the name of Allah prolonging must be avoided.
9) At the time of slaughter there must be at least some life still left in the animal.
10) The cutting should be between the throat and the breast collar.
11) The bismillah should be recited once on every animal. In other words, once an animal is slaughtered with a recitation of bismillah, this same bismillah cannot be sufficient for all the other animals. If the other animals are sacrificed without a new bismillah on each one of those animals on whom bismillah has not been recited, then this method would not be right.
12) The animal which is killed and/or slaughtered without abiding to the Shar’ee procedure should not be mixed with the zabiha halal animal(s), in such a manner that the zabiha halal animal(s) cannot be recognized from the other dead animals.
13) After the Zabiha has been performed, during the cleaning process, the animal should not be placed in warm water for such a period of time that the heat affects the meat of the animal. The indication the
animal is affected is that the meat gives out the odors of the undigested food and feces left in the digestive organs.
Apart from these requirements other factors are considered in the Shar’ee process, and it is Sunnah to acknowledge the following:
A. Satisfactorily, sharpen the knife
B. Give the animal water to drink
C. Face the animal towards the Kiblah (direction towards Ka’ba)
D. The person slaughtering the animal should face the Kiblah.
E. Be in the state of purity. (taharah)
F. Slaughter the animal using the right hand.
G. Racing the knife through the throat.
H. Stating the (haa) in Bismillah with a Kasra, meaning to state bismillahi Allahu akbar.
I. Comfortly place the animal to its left side, and tie the hooves (feet) of a large animal.
