No doubt, a Muslim seeks to eat halal food as Allah has ordered:
“So eat from the good, ḥalāl (lawful) things which Allah has provided for you, and be grateful for Allah’s favours, if you ˹truly˺ worship Him alone.” (Quran 16:114)
The scholars established a principle which states:
“The default ruling regarding meat is prohibition, and it is not made permissible except through certain, valid Islamic slaughter.”
This principle is not derived from a single explicit text; rather, it is the result of a comprehensive juristic induction based on:
- The Qur’anic verses that require proper slaughter (dhakāh)
- The prohibition of carrion (maytah)
- The requirement to mention the name of Allah
- The consensus of the jurists on exercising caution regarding meat
- The special legal status of the rulings on slaughter in Islamic law
When considering whether meats are halal or not, we have to consider four elements:
- The one doing the slaughtering
- The animal being slaughtered
- The tools being used
- The method of slaughtering
For the meats to be halal, all four need to be fulfilled.
1) The One doing the Slaughtering
Allah has ordained that the ones who do the slaughtering have to be Muslim. The reason for this is that are the ones who know Allah, and this act of slaughtering is also an act of ʿibādah, and so the Muslim is best placed to worship Allah in accordance to the laws of Islam; and to mention Allah’s name at the time of slaughtering.
In addition, it is allowed for Muslims to eat from animals that a Jew or a Christian – who are deemed as people of the Book – has slaughtered. This is under the notion that these people are monotheists who worship the One God, and will be carrying out this act according to their teachings.
Allah says:
And this verse revealed in Surah al-Māʾidah (The Table Spread) is the same surah that outlines the distorted beliefs of the People of the Book. Nonetheless, Allah still allowed it for the Muslims to consume meats that are slaughtered by these people, as they are people of religion.
And from this, we can understand that all other peoples are excluded from the concession to eat the meats that they have slaughtered. This includes idolators who worship idols or false gods like Hindus, atheists, agonists, Buddhists, Sikhs and others. Because if they would all be allowed, then there is no need to give us a concession for the People of the Book.
Some also stipulate that the slaughtering person must be in possession of a clear mind and not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, trained in the job, with an awareness of what he is doing, in order to do the slaughtering correctly, and not harm the animal.
The need to know who is slaughtering becomes an important venture for the one who seeks halal food. Because if one only assumes that the country has Christians, and therefore the slaughterhouse must be under the general title “People of the Book” will make a drastic error, for the following reasons:
- The majority of the Western countries have abandoned religious practice in regards to preparation of meats. This is due to the fact that Christianity as a religion no longer adheres to the standards of the Bible. And so, Christians will eat anything. There is nothing haram in their code of eating, with minor exceptions such as Seventh-day Adventists.
- In addition to this, Western Christians do not adhere to a religious method of slaughtering. They will happily eat a strangled chicken or an electrocuted lamb. There is no halal or haram standard for slaughtering, as they believe there are no universal, binding dietary restrictions, and consider all foods clean based on New Testament teachings.
- Slaughterhouses operate with no religious predeterminant. They operate as businesses seeking to make a profit; and have no religious statutes to govern their mode of practice.
- In addition to c) they don’t have any religious requirement to employ a Christian to do the slaughtering. And so, any person can do the slaughtering irrespective of their religion or lack of one.
- To assume the citizens of and country are People of the Book, because the country’s religion is Christian is also a fallacy, as statistics show more and more people identifying as non-Christian as opposed to Christian.
- We have not discussed the wider debate as how some imams consider the People of the book as a certain type of religion where they have inherited the religion, and not converts to it.
2) The Animal that is being slaughtered
The animal has to be lawful to eat, alive, healthy, to be slaughtered only for good reason, e.g. not for amusement.
Allah has prohibited for us certain categories of animals. These include pigs. In the hadith, the Prophet e has also prohibited animals like predators, donkeys and rats (as well as others).
Also, animals that have died without slaughtering, be they drowned, strangled, beat to death or attacked by a predator. These animals will not be halal, even if they are slaughtered by a Muslim. Because they don’t fulfil this category.
Basically, the animal must be alive at the time of cutting. It cannot be dead before the cut.
3) The tools being used
Whilst in Islamic law, the focus is less on what tool you use and more on how the slaughter is performed. Still, the classical jurists do mention clear guidelines about what tools are allowed.
Permissible Tools for Slaughter in Islam
1. Any sharp tool that cuts and causes blood to flow
Islamic law allows any tool that is sharp enough to cut the throat quickly, such as: metal knives, steel blades, sharp stones, glass and any sharp-edged tool that slices cleanly. With the condition that it must cut by severing, not by crushing.
Tools That Are Not Allowed
1. Teeth and nails
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Use anything that causes the blood to flow and the name of Allah is mentioned, except teeth and nails.” (Sahih al‑Bukhari)
Some stipulate that the reason is that teeth are considered like bones of predators, and nails resemble claws.
2. Tools that kill by impact, not cutting
Examples include a blunt hammer, or a stone used to crush the head. In addition, any tool that stuns and kills without cutting and any device that suffocates or electrocutes the animal to death. These are not valid because they do not perform the required cutting of the throat. This also leads to a dispute in regards to a hunting gun, due to the dispute if the bullet is a blunt tool or a severing one.
Modern Tools
Based on the above, we can note that the following are not allowed:
- Killing by electric shock alone
- Killing by gas
- Stunning that kills the animal before the cut
4) Key Conditions for a Valid Islamic Slaughter
Regardless of the tool, the following must be fulfilled:
The throat must be cut, and so severing the windpipe (trachea), the food pipe (oesophagus), and ideally the two jugular veins.
The blood must flow: A clean, sharp cut that allows blood to exit.
The name of Allah must be mentioned, saying “Bismillah” at the moment of slaughter, although there is some leeway in this.
The act of slaughter (Al-Dhabh) starts by pronouncing the name of Allah (Most Gracious) – the Creator (BISMILLAH ALLAHU AKBAR ), to take His permission and in order to make the slaughtering person accountable and responsible; and thereby ensuring compassion and mercy to the animal during this act.
Allah says:
“And eat not of that where on ALLAH’s name has not been mentioned for verily it is abomination. “( Surah Anam 6/121)
The (halal) method of slaughter can be described in detail as follows:
A very sharp knife (which should be kept like a surgeon’s knife in sharpness and cleanliness) is used to drive a deep swift cut. This is done instantaneously and quickly to the trachea (windpipe) and the oesophagus (gullet). In doing so, severing (also) the blood vessels of the neck (the two carotid arteries which carry blood to the brain and head and the two jugular veins which bring blood from the brain back to the heart). However, it is important that the central nervous system (the spinal cord) should be kept safe and intact (not cut).
This deep, large cut through all the blood vessels of the neck causes acute blood loss and haemorrhagic shock. Blood is under great pressure from the pumping of the heart, especially in the big carotid arteries (systolic pressure ) and at high speed – according to the laws of physics – the pressure goes from high to low resistance. The point of the cut is the scene of low resistance for blood to and from the brain.
As the heart is fully intact and beating, then most of the blood is going to be pumped and poured out instantaneously and quickly under pressure leading to a rapid fall in the blood pressure.
This rapid fall, deprives the brain of its main source of oxygen and glucose. And with no blood – which is necessary to keep the animal alive and functioning; and able to deal with any perceptive sensation – this leads to anoxia and almost immediate loss of consciousness (anesthetization or “stunning” ). The cerebrospinal fluid pressure falls even more rapidly than the blood pressure because of the jugular veins being cut, and this results in a deep shock and more loss of consciousness. Therefore the animal will lose consciousness very quickly. The movement of the limbs is a involuntary action, as the body tries to get more blood to the brain, and the animal is unaware of this.
Conclusion:
For the meat to be halal, it needs to fulfil the four conditions as stipulated above. Even if a Muslim, does not fulfil these conditions, then his meat is not halal. So, what about when it is a person whom you don’t know what religion he is? and you don’t know how he is slaughtering the animal.
Seeking halal isn’t just a legal or dietary choice — it shapes the inner life of a believer in profound ways. When you look at the spiritual tradition as a whole, you start to see that halal is really about who you are becoming, not just what you are eating. Let me lay out the deeper implications in a way that speaks to both the heart and the intellect.
The Spiritual Implications of Seeking Halal
1. It purifies the heart
Classical scholars often say that haram food darkens the heart, while halal food nourishes it.
The idea is simple: what enters the body eventually influences the soul.
- Halal sustains clarity
- Haram breeds heaviness, confusion, and spiritual numbness
A person who is careful with halal often finds their intuition sharper and their worship lighter.
2. It strengthens your connection with Allah
Choosing halal is an act of obedience.
Every time you pause, check, verify, or avoid something doubtful, you are essentially saying:
“Your pleasure matters to me more than my appetite.”
That intention alone elevates ordinary eating into an act of devotion.
3. It protects the acceptance of duʿā’
The Prophet ﷺ taught that a person who eats from the unlawful may find their supplications blocked.
Halal, therefore, isn’t just about food — it’s about keeping the channel between you and Allah open and clean.
4. It cultivates taqwā (God‑consciousness)
Seeking halal trains the mind to:
- pause before acting
- question motives
- avoid the grey areas
- choose integrity over convenience
This habit spills into every part of life — money, relationships, speech, and leadership.
5. It builds a disciplined, principled character
A person who is careful about halal becomes careful in:
- what they earn
- what they consume
- what they say
- what they allow into their home
Halal becomes a framework for living, not just eating.
6. It brings barakah (blessing)
Halal sustenance is described as having a special kind of expansiveness:
- less becomes enough
- work becomes fruitful
- the home feels lighter
- the heart feels more at ease
Barakah is not measurable, but it is unmistakable.
7. It aligns your outer life with your inner values
Seeking halal is a way of saying:
“My spiritual identity matters in the real world.”
It turns faith into action, and action into identity.
8. It honours the prophetic way
The Prophet ﷺ was meticulous about what he consumed and how it was obtained.
Following halal is a way of walking in his footsteps — quietly, consistently, sincerely.