The Ruling on Animals Slaughtered by the Christians Which Were Slaughtered With As-Sar' or by Al-Qasf and the Ruling on Pork Fat

Question :

F. T. from Germany is asking two questions: Regarding the first, he says: The Christian slaughterhouses in most European and American countries follow the method of slaughtering sheep by As-Sar' (electric shock) and they slaughter chickens by Al-Qasf (breaking the neck); what is the ruling on this?

Regarding the second question, he is asking about the ruling on pig fat and he says that he has heard from some present-day scholars, who permit it.

Answer:

The answer to the first question is to say that Allah's Mighty Book, the pure Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslims prove that the food of the People of the Scripture is permissible; Allah, Most Glorified says:
"Made lawful to you this day are At-Tayyibāt [all kinds of Halal (lawful) foods, which Allah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits)]. The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them."

This Noble Verse proves that the food of the People of the Scripture is permissible. And what is meant by this, is the animals which they slaughter. And they are not above the Muslims, rather in this matter, they are like the Muslims, so if it is known that they slaughter in a manner which places the animal in the category of dead meat, it is forbidden, just as it would be forbidden if a Muslim did that, according to the Words of Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful:
"Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maitah (the dead animals -cattlebeast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, or has been slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns."

So every slaughter by a Muslim, or one of the People of the Scripture, which places the slaughtered animal into the category of that which has been killed by strangling or a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns, then that slaughter makes the animal forbidden, and places it in the category of dead meat, according to this Noble Verse. This Verse makes specific exceptions to the generality of the Words of Allah, Most Glorified:
"The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you!!!

Just as it makes specific exceptions to the evidences which prove the permissibility of an animal slaughtered by a Muslim, if he performs the slaughter in a manner which places his slaughter under the ruling of dead meat.

As for your saying that the Christian slaughterhouses follow the method of slaughtering sheep by As-Sar and they slaughter chickens by Al-Qasf, I have asked people with experience about the meaning of As-Sar' and Al-Qasf, because you did not make their meaning clear. One of the persons asked replied that As- Sar' means killing the animal by electricity without it being slaughtered according to the Islamic law. As for Al-Qasf, it means breaking the neck once; so if this is what is meant by As- Sar and Al-Qasf, then an animal slaughtered by shock is dead meat, since it was not slaughtered according the Islamic method of slaughter, which consists of cutting the throat and the esophagus and the letting of the blood. And it has been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah said: that he
"That from which the blood was let over which the Name of Allah was mentioned you may eat, but not (that which was slaughtered using) teeth and the nails."

As for Al-Qasf, bearing the aforementioned meaning, it is permissible to eat an animal slaughtered in this manner, because it includes slaughter according to the Islamic Law, which is to cut the throat, the esophagus and the jugular veins. Because there is blood letting in that process, along with the cutting of what it is necessary to cut. However, if the meaning of As-Sar and Al-Qasf to you is different from what we have mentioned, we request you to inform us of it, so that the answer may be in the light of that information. May Allah grant success to all in reaching the truth.

As for the second question, which is (regarding) pig fat, the answer to that is, that the opinion of the four Imams and the majority of the scholars is that its fat is forbidden as a consequence of the meat being forbidden. It was reported by Imam Al-Qurtubi and Al-'Allamah Ash-Shawkani that there is a consensus among the Muslim scholars (regarding its prohibi- tion). Because if it is determined that something better is forbidden, then it is with all the more reason that something lesser than it be forbidden; and because fat is adherent to meat without exception, so it is included in the prohibition and forbiddance. And, because it is naturally attached to it, the same harm will result from it as results from that to which it is attached, i.e., the meat. And, because authentic Hadiths from the Messenger of Allah have been reported proving the prohibition of the pig and all of its parts. And the Sunnah explains the Qur'an and makes its meaning clear. No one disputes this as far as we know.

But even if we were to suppose that someone held a different opinion, it would be an exceptional difference of opinion, contradicting the evidences and the consensus of the scholars which preceded it, so no regard would be paid to it. Among the narrations from the Sunnah on this subject is the report of the Two Shaikhs, Al-Bukhari and Muslim, in the Two Sahihs, on the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the Prophet addressed the people on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, saying:
"Verily, Allah and His Messenger have forbidden you from selling alcohol, dead meat, swine and idols."

So he has linked the swine to alcohol and dead meat, and he did not make an exception for its fat. Indeed, he has included the prohibition of selling it, as he has included the prohibition of selling alcohol and dead meat, and this is a clear evidence that the whole of it is prohibited. And the Hadiths on this subject are numerous.