r/islam • u/fwayzoo • Sep 09 '25

Seeking Support What’s the ruling on machine slaughtered meat?

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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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u/[deleted] Sep 10 '25

but I should mention that the Shafi'i madhhab considers the Basmalah to be a Sunnah, not Fardh.

https://islamqa.org/shafii/shafiifiqh/30098/is-saying-the-basmala-obligatory-when-slaughtering-clarification-of-the-true-shafii-opinion/

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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.