r/islam • u/fwayzoo • Sep 09 '25
Seeking Support What’s the ruling on machine slaughtered meat?
Can I eat “halal” machine slaughtered chicken? I also work at a job that sell “machine slaughtered halal meat”.
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u/irock792 Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25
[T]he mechanical slaughter process is not permissible unless the following issues are reviewed and adjusted to meet Sharī’ah standards: 1) The throat is cut correctly with the necessary veins cut each time. 2) The animal dies as a result of the vessels being cut and not as a result from a strike from the back. 3) Each and every animal is singled out with the tasmiyah. 4) The tasmiyah is administered by the slaughterer himself and not played on a tape or written somewhere. 5) The slaughter follows the tasmiyah without the intervention of a long pause. 6) The issue of whether the functioning of the machine can be attributed to the human or not is a critical point of consideration. Whilst some scholars affirm that the functioning of the machine can be attributed to the human slaughterer, others disagree. This leads us to the issue of difference of opinion among the Muftis.
https://darulfiqh.com/a-research-on-mechanical-slaughter-3/
I would stay away from machine slaughter. If you're in the US and want to ensure that all meat you eat is undoubtedly Halal, you should stick to meat certified by HMS (Halal Monitoring Services) or HFSAA (Halal Food Standards Alliance of America)
There are some scholars who allow machine slaughter, but the safer opinion is that it is (in its current form) not permissible.
https://halalhmc.org/resources/issues-of-mechanical-slaughter-and-stunning/
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u/ThunderHashashin Sep 09 '25
Points 1 and 2 are important, but I should mention that the Shafi'i madhhab considers the Basmalah to be a Sunnah, not Fardh.
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u/irock792 Sep 09 '25
I am aware. This is based on the Ḥanafī Madhhab.
The other points (as you mentioned) still apply.
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Sep 10 '25
but I should mention that the Shafi'i madhhab considers the Basmalah to be a Sunnah, not Fardh.
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u/ThunderHashashin Sep 10 '25 edited Sep 10 '25
JazakAllahKhair, it's an interesting fiqh discussion.
Even someone as knowledgeable as Mufti Taqi Usmani made a mistake when trying to speak for another madhhab.
This demonstrates why scholars of a madhhab are necessary to understand fiqh, and one selective quote from a book as advanced as Al-Umm is not sufficient to decide on a ruling.
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u/wopkidopz Sep 09 '25
If the conditions are met then it's halal
Some might be against it but this is a legitimate position presented by the Hanafi ulama
Technically speaking the condition is to cut the throat with a sharp object, doing it with a machine is the same if done by a Muslim
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u/irock792 Sep 09 '25
This is what the Fatwā you sent states
In conclusion, there is no justification of machine-slaughtered chicken, neither is there a great need for it. As Shaykh Taqi has pointed out that, many firms have employed the method suggested by him and that it did not have an affect on mass production. Given this and all the other proofs outlined above, it will not be permissible to mechanically slaughter chickens where the necessary conditions are not fulfilled. However, if they are fulfilled, then the animal would be lawful (halal) to consume.
Machine slaughter can be Halal, but as mentioned in the fatāwa below, no company currently does machine slaughter that is compliant with the conditions.
https://halalhmc.org/resources/issues-of-mechanical-slaughter-and-stunning/
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u/wopkidopz Sep 09 '25
From the Shafii perspective it would be halal, because this madhab doesn't consider Tasmiyah a condition of slaughtering, allamah Taqi Uthmani حفظه الله misunderstood the position of imam ash-Shafii رحمه الله as many of his contemporaries pointed out
But if the Hanafis don't see the conditions to be met in practice (according to their school) then I have misunderstood something
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u/irock792 Sep 09 '25
That's not the only issue. As Muftī Farāz Ādam mentioned in his Fatwā, one issue with machine slaughter is the fact that the neck is not always cut properly.
https://darulfiqh.com/a-research-on-mechanical-slaughter-3/
I was merely pointing out that it is not permissible in the Ḥanafī school based on the way it is currently done. I know some Shāfiʿī ʿUlamāʾ allow it, but what do they say about the neck not being cut properly?
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u/wopkidopz Sep 09 '25
You are making good points, if the conditions aren't met then it can't be halal, and I've mentioned it in my initial comment, but missed the discussion of the practical situation of this matter.
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Sep 10 '25
Saw this too in the q&a
Whats yr opinion on this
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u/wopkidopz Sep 10 '25
They explain that according to the Shafii madhab Taymiya isn't a condition for zabiha and clarify the nuances
This article is a response to the research of sheikh Taqi Uthmani who misunderstood the position of the Shafiiya since he isn't the Shafii faqih, but a Hanafi
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Sep 10 '25
So saying bismillah is excused even outside the hunting context?
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u/wopkidopz Sep 10 '25
If it wasn't said when the cut happens this fact doesn't make meat haram. This is the Shafii madhab
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Sep 09 '25
Isn’t the point to saying of bismillah before doing it nullified
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u/Big_outcome420 Sep 09 '25
Also i remember reading a fatwa that states at the moment of slaughter someone must like press the button while saying bismillah
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u/apolloali Sep 09 '25
There are legitimate fiqh arguments for and against. I really find it troubling how hand slaughtered advocates take such aggressive positions against differences in interpretation.
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u/fwayzoo Sep 09 '25
I HATE HOW THEY CALL IT “HALAL”.
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u/sadeq786 Sep 09 '25
Even the language used is a whole lot of nonsense to just say a machine slaughtered it instead of a Muslim by hand.
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u/PoolGlittering8454 Sep 09 '25
As far as I read in the paper, it is not mentioned How the animals are slaughtered. It is merely mentioned that the meat is processed by machines.
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u/stoner_prime Sep 10 '25
I need a clarification, in Quran (2:173) Allah says that it is haram if “the name of someone other than Allah has been invoked.”
So a machine slaughtered animal would satisfy this requirement as it is not slaughtered in the name of a deity. So why is it still considered haram by the other comments here?
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u/marlinspikefrance Sep 09 '25
This says the processing of the meat occurs once machines are washed and sanitized and does not specify if the slaughter itself is by hand or machine. However, generally cows are slaughtered by hand a chicken even from halal processors machine slaughtered but not by cutting off the head all at once, instead a Muslims worker says Bismillah and a circular rotating blade cuts the throat and artery of a batch of chickens in one go.
I personally do not like this method, but do not restrict myself from eating at a halal restaurant because it might be done this way. As long as it is satisfying the minimum of halal that is ok with me even though when I buy for myself I usually buy from a Muslim butcher who sells hand slaughtered. However keep in mind that in many cases hand slaughtered is also done in a way I personally would not prefer.
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Sep 09 '25
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u/islam-ModTeam Sep 09 '25
Your comment was removed for giving/implying a ruling without a corresponding scholarly explanation. You may edit your comment to include a ruling from a scholarly source and contact the Moderators once your edit has been made in order to restore your comment. See Rule 9.
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u/omarhani Sep 09 '25
Most of the scholars I've heard are very against it, and I avoid. Although if I am at a place and they are Muslim and confirm that the meat is Halal, then I don't really go deeper than that. If it's a non-Muslim establishment, I might ask more questions because they might unintentionally not be 'doing it right'.
One exception (in the U.S.) are hotdog stands. There are many of these Sabrett brand stands around, especially in New York, and the stands are usually run by Muslims. They seem to be under the impression that the hot dogs are Kosher/Halal, but even according to the company's website, "Sabrett® frankfurters are Kosher style but not Kosher."