The Ruling on Killing Animals With an Electric Shock

Question :

The Permanent Committee for Religious Verdicts received a letter from brother Sayyid Aziz Pasha, General Secretary of the Federation of Islamic Societies in London, in which he informed us that he had received a letter from the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals requesting him to convince the domestic Islamic Societies in Britain to accept the eating of animals which had been given an electric shock prior to slaughtering. He mentioned that this Society had indicated in its letter that the highest Judge in Tanzania had delivered a speech to the people in which he said that there is no evidence in the Qur'an to prohibit eating the meat of animals which had been given an electric shock before slaughtering them. And the aforementioned person sought the correct legal verdict on this. We request from your Eminence to kindly issue a legal verdict regarding this matter and to communicate it to us so that we may be able to answer the aforementioned person with the necessary information.

Answer:

The Committee answered as follows:

Firstly: If the electric shock was applied to its head or it was given an electric current for example, then it died before it could be slaughtered, it would be considered an animal that died from a blow, and may not be eaten. This is the case even if its neck was cut or Nahr was performed to its throat after that. And Allah, Most High has forbidden it in His Words:
"Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maitah (the dead animals.

-cattle-beast 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.

The scholars of Islam are in agreement that slaughtered animals such as this are forbidden. But if it was reached while it was still alive after being hit by electric shock, as mentioned, or the like, and Dhabh or Nahr was performed on it, it would be permissible to eat it. This is according to the Words of Allah, Most High, at the end of this Verse, regarding the animal killed by strangling:
"or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death).

He, Most Glorified has made an exception for that which was caught while it was alive and slaughtered. Such animal may be eaten due to the effect of the slaughter on it, as opposed to that which died due to electric shock before it was slaughtered. Because an animal hit by electric shock is considered one that. died from a blow, and Allah has made clear in the Verse in Surut Al-Ma'idah that it is forbidden, unless it was reached while it was still alive and slaughtered by Dhabh or Nahr.

Secondly: Striking an animal with an electric shock, or sending a current through it or the like is forbidden due to the torture it includes. The Prophet ﷺ prohibited hurting and torturing them, and he ordered kindness and good treatment in all circum- stances, and particularly in cases of slaughter. Muslim narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, that the Prophet ﷺ said:
not take any living thing as a target."

"Do Muslim also narrated on the authority of Jabir bin 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "The Messenger prohibited the killing of any creature by tethering it and then using it as a target."

Muslim also narrated on the authority of Shaddad bin Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said:
"Verily Allah has enjoined Ihsan upon all things, so if you kill, then kill well and if you slaughter, then perform your slaughter well, and each of you should make his knife sharp in order to soothe his sacrificial animal."

If it is not easy to perform Dhabh or Nahr of an animal without giving it a non-lethal electric shock before the Dhabh or Nahr procedure, then it is permissible to give it an electric shock and then slaughter it while it is still alive, out to necessity.

If it is not easy to slaughter it except by something which takes its life, then its ruling is that of game which is struck by something which pierces it, such as an arrow, a bullet or the like not by strangling, nor electric or the like.

If it is caught while alive, it may be slaughtered, but if not, then the fact that it was hit by the instrument thrown at it is considered slaughtering it. Al-Bukhari and Muslim, narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah bin Mughaffal, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:
"That from which the blood was let, and over which the Name of Allah was mentioned you may cat, but not (that which was slaughtered using) teeth and the nails; as for the teeth, they are bone and as for the nail, it is the knife of the Ethiopians."

He (the narrator) said: "Camels and goats fell to our lot as spoils of war, and one of the camels became wild among the people. So a man shot an arrow at it and killed it. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Verily, this camel has become untamed, like wild animals, so if you find any animal becoming wild, treat it in the same manner."

Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, said: "Any animal which you are unable (to catch and slaughter) is like game. As for the camel which falls into a well, whenever you are able to, slaughter it." Ali, Ibn 'Umar and 'A'ishah held the same opinion. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated on the authority of 'Adi bin Hatim, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "Allah's Messenger said:
When you send your dog, mention the Name of Allah, Most High over it and if it catches something for you and you find it alive, slaughter it. But if you find that it has already killed it, but has not eaten from it, then eat it. And if you find another dog with your dog and it has killed it, then do not cat, because you do not know which of them killed it. And when you shoot your arrow, mention the Name of Allah, Most High over it. And if you do not find it for a day, then you find no signs on it except your arrow, eat if you wish; hut if you find an animal drowned in water, do not eat it.

Al-Bukhari narrated, on the authority of 'Adi bin Hatim, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah about game killed by Al-Mi'radh and he said:
"If the game is killed with its sharp edge, then eat it, but if it is hit with its broad side and killed, then the game has been beaten to death, so do not eat it."

So it is incumbent upon the concerned people in the British.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to be kind to animals, even when they slaughter them. They should be given an electric shock to the head or subjected to an electric current, for example. They should not allow anyone to do this to animals when slaughtering them by Dhabh or Nahr, unless it is not possible to slaughter the animal without striking it with something that will help control it. It is possible to slaughter it by tethering it with a rope. If it is not possible to do this, then it may be struck with something that pierces it, as this will count as slaughtering it. If it is not caught alive after being struck (by the spear, arrow etc.), according to the Hadiths which we have mentioned previously and according to the Words of Allah, Most High:

"So keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much as you can."

May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.