Prophet’s Muhammad method of Zabiha is the only HALAL HUMANE and HEALTHY method of slaughter?
PROPHET’S MUHAMMAD METHOD OF ANIMAL SLAUGHTER/DHABH, WITHOUT ANY STUNNING,IS THE ONLY HALAL HALAL HUMANE AND HEALTHY METHOD OF SLAUGHTER……!
Stunning is a new invented procedure, used on the animal before slaughter,in order to make the animal” unconscious”/?not to feel pain ?, before the act of slaughter!
The common types of stunning are:
-Electrical :used commonly on sheeps when electrodes are applied directly to the head/brain of the sheep in most cases.
-Electrified water bath for poultry :the birds are suspended on the shackle(upside down), then the heads of the chickens are immersed in the electified water bath.
( leading to strangulation and death of many ,or electrocution and death .. before doing the cut!)
-The Captive Bolt Pistol:used commonly for cattle/cows,calves and goats;
It is the shooting,by a gun or pistol,in the forehead (mechanical method) by a blank cartridge or compressed air.
It could be penetrating or non-penetrating(Percussion stunning)
It breaks the skull,shatters and destroys the brain!
-Carbon Dioxide(CO2):it is done by moving the animal through a room which contains a mixture of CO2 and air(chamical strangulation)
It is used mainly for pigs
These different types of stunning techniques,have been invented in the west,mainly because of greed and financial motives .. for more killings, and because of ignorance and the false idea that:
By doing the cut to the animal to be slaughtered it causes “PAIN”, and is unhumane and against the welfare of the animal???
However we disovered scientifically and medically and islamically that the only method of animal slaughter which should be accepted and practiced is:
THE DIVINE DIRECT METHOD/DHABH,without the use of any type of stunning,and as practiced by all the prophets of ALLAH,and finally by the final prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him).
The act of animal slaughter in Islam is a HOLY ACT,permanently fixed ,for all times and for all places,and is full of mercy/health, to the animal and to the consumers.
All that have been prooved and supported by the new scientific medical researches and studies;
Obviously we fully support all the new technology of today,before and after animal slaughter!
They are accepted and adopted by the muslims in the world,as long as it does not interfere with the natural physiological process of DHABH/dying!
Also we fully support and accept all the laws/regulations of the land which have been made for Hygiene health and enviromental reasons and for the protection of the consumers.
We would like now to give you in BRIEF the different islamic reasons and arguments against the use of any method or type of stunning before the slaughter of the animal:
-RELIGIOUS/ISLAMIC FACTS:
*The final Holy Book AL QUR’AN and the Sunnah/Ahadith and behaviour of the final prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him),have explained in details,THE DIVINE DIRECT METHOD OF ANIMAL SLAUGHTER/DHABH. He showed us by his gentle hands how Dhabh/animal slaughter should be done..and he was/is our teacher and our model to follow!
*it is the same method adopted and practiced by all the prophets of GOD like:Abraham,Moses,Jesus …etc, who never used or advocated any type of technique or stunning before slaughter!
*The Jews everywhere do oppose strongly any type of stunning for their Kosher meat.(Mose’s way/Muhammad’s way)
* Mercy to man,animals and all the creation…. is the base/character of all the heavenly teachings..and no man can be more merciful to the animals than our Creator:ALLAH and all his prophets.
*The verse/Aya in the Holy Book AL QUR’AN(Chapter 5,verse 3) describes clearly and amazingly the prohibition of some of the stunning techiques which are used today(strangulation or suffocation/ for chickens,blow to the head/for cows..) ,and the prohibition also of many of the outcomes of stunning(death/Mitah of the animal before doing the cut and the consumption of any blood due to the death of the animal before causing less bleeding out and more blood staying inside the meat…!).
Medical researches have prooved that blood is the best medium for the growth of germs/bacteria,this is why the meat of stunned animals decay quickly,contrary to the meat of unstunned animals!
*TAYYIB/natural wholesome safe type of meat is what Islam has asked us to consume all the times in any type of meat or food. Medical sciences today have prooved that stunning disrupts and disturbs the natural healthy”Tayyib” chemicals and constituents of meat(QUALITY)….making it NOT TAYYIB/ not wholesome!
*Islam forbids the infliction of any type of cruelty or suffering on any animal, as in stunning which has been prooved to be painful through EEG/electric recording of the brain!
* Every animal who suffered in his/her life or during slaughter/stunning and repeated stunning especially after the failure of stunning,will take us to the Divine Court of ALLAH on the Day of Judgment ,for prosecution and punishment!
*It is also not allowed to cause any STRESS to the animal before slaughter,as done in stunning(which is cruel and give us harmful meat)
One is quite surprised to discover that the islamic teachings are full of all types of animal care and welfare.
* the prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) has said in a Hadith/Saying:
“…….to “fight” those who do not slaughter as we slaughter…?”
Obviously all those who use stunning the animals ,are not slaughtering their animals as the prophet/s did!
The adding of stunning is a deviation and disobedience of the prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him)!
* the new medical sciences today have prooved the HEALING and the TRANQUILLISER
effects of pronouncing the NAME OF ALLAH(ALLAH AKBAR) on a live conscious/hearing animal who has not been stunned at all !
(Please see separately our brief on the new medical discovery/study which cames from Syria,see also the website at the end).
When the animal discards out all its harmful blood and the meat is purified from all germs ,bacteria and viruses.
Mentioning the Name of Allah at time of slaughter is a CURE for many diseases and infections affecting the animals! (see separate study)
*Halal and Tayyib is the only HEALTHY meat or Food ..and all the teachings of islam is for our own health and survival.
*Even when some muslims consider the islamic view on stunning is contoversial and the prohibition is doubtful(Shubha)…But according to the islamic teachings: all muslims are requested to avoid practicing anything doubtful or Shubuha?
IN THE UK,EUROPE AND IN THE MUSLIM WORLD MANY ISLAMIC FATAWAS/RULINGS WERE REPORTED AGAINST ANY TYPE OF STUNNING LIKE:
The European Council for Fatwa and Research,The Islamic Shari’a Council in the UK,Darul Uloom,Regent Park mosque and many Ulamas in muslim countries etc..(we are trying now to make a list of Ulamas/Muftis in the world who opposed and prohibited the use of stunning).
HEALTH/ SAFETY :
Islam advocates all the times all healthy types of behaviour and in every aspect of life:
But stunning does break this golden islamic rule:
*Stunning kills some animals especially chickens(about 1/3 of chickens,as reported by the Farm Animal Welfare Council/FAWC),before doing the act of slaughter,thus making the heart stops and causing less bleeding out and more blood inside the meat
which is very harmful to health and is full of germs/bacteria and harmful waste products.Besides quick coagulation do occur in the blood staying inside!
It causes also: “Salt and Pepper Haemorrhage” inside the meat after the rupture of the small blood vessels thus causing the consumption of blood again which is very harmful to health and causes many cases of food poisoning!
MAXIMUM BLEEDING OUT/no blood left inside, is the rule in the islamic teachings
*The Captive Bolt Pistol for stunning have been prohibited lately in some countries because of the risk of Mad cow disease/BSE when the brain is damaged or exposed and some parts do go inside the blood vessels to different organs of the body!
Also the new advice today to avoid the risk of BSE is AVOID the cutting of the spinal cord during slaughter,as advocated by islam more than 1400 years ago!!
* Halal and TAYYIB/wholesome/natural meat or food,is the rule in Islam:
Islam advocates strongly natural feeding and farming to the animals(organic)/ without any animal protein and without any genetically modified diet and with the avoidance of all chemicals/hormones/antibiotics..!
Meat affected by harmful diseases/chemicals can not be consumed according to Islam!
Feeding the “vegeterian animal” animal protein/meat is prohibited in Islam,this is why we had recentlythe big disaster before:Mad cow disease/BSE when our innocent cows were fed/force fed the meat of other animals/animal protein!
-Today in the west, many top scientists and doctors oppose all types of stunning,mainly for health and safety reasons ,like :
Van der wal,wernberg,Mcloughlin,Pollard,Winstanley,Marple etc…
-LEGAL/OFFICIAL:
*All muslims(and the Jews) are allowed to do their own religious slaughter,according to the British laws,which was reinforced again in March/2005.
All are exempted from the use of any type of stunning.
So nothing to worry about if muslims practice their prophetic method of slaughter?
This law/facility is also in some other European/western countries.
All arab and muslim governments support and facilitate too the prophetic method of animal slaughter,without the use of any type of stunning.
*The Opposition to any type of stunning in the is the OFFICIAL VIEW of muslim organisations/mosques and imams in the UK, and which was given repeatedly to DEFRA,Farm animal welfare Council,the Ministers and the Prime Minister himself!
(many submissions against any stunning, were done in the name of the Muslim Council of Britain(MCB) which do represent over 400 muslim organisations and mosques,the Union of Muslim organisations/UMO which do represent over 215 muslim organisations and mosques,
The Islamic Cultural Centre/Regent Park mosque,the islamic Sharia Council,Darul Uloom
the islamic Medical Association,UK Islamic Mission,Islamic Foundation etc…)
We do admit that, unfortunately, there are some muslims who do practice stunning mainly because of their ignorance and lack of knowledge, on all the above mentioned islamic , scientific medical and legal datas and facts…
or because of their greed and for financial motives.
Many also do not know that it is allowed and is legal to slaughter animals without any type of stunning.
Commonly, “muslim businessmen” are behind the support and use of stunning???,some do try to “buy”a “cheap fatwa” from a mosque/centre in order to justify their wrong doing!ALL FOR MONEY?
Some they say:
We do stunning without killing the animal?
But this argument is devious and misleading for many reasons:
-First: Who is checking/ or double checking or through a vet,if each individual animal slaughtered ,is still alive after stunning.especially when there is a mass large production to kill 6000 birds/hour,with the competition to kill more and more/hour??
– Second:What about the other HARAMS/problems resulting from stunning,even when the animal is still alive if one is sure about that:
*pain and cruelty to the animal who can not speak or complaint..
*rupture of the small and minute blood vessels inside the meat ,thus oozing blood inside, have less bleeding out ,and blood/meat is consumed after by the muslims ..when any drop of blood is forbidden to consume in Islam!
*damage to the natural healthy chemical composition of the meat,making the meat NOT TAYYIB and not healthy to consume,even it becomes poisonous!
* interference with the hearing of the Name of ALLAH(ALLAH IS GREATER) and its miraculous beneficial healing and tranquilliser effects to both:man and animal!
* what about the other religious and health datas which were mentioned before
and which do oppose any type of stunning
Similarly and unfortunately,some Ulamas/Imams ,have not been aware of all these HORRIFYING FACTS and medical outcomes related to stunning…. they badly need to be aware of these new scientific/medical informations and facts which result from stunning ,before they do “fall into the trap” and give any wrong fatwa/ruling on stunning!
Dr A.Majid Katme(MBBCH,DPM)
Muslim Spokesman on Halal meat and Food
Spokesman: Islamic Medical Association/UK
Tel no: 0044 7944 240 622 E-mail address: akatme@hotmail.com
REFERENCES/WEBSITES:
-My scientific medical islamic study:
AN UP-TO-DATE ASSESSMENT OF THE MUSLIM METHOD OF SLAUGHTER
(you can get it from many muslim websites..or by going to;
www.azhar.jp/info/halal-eng/halal5.html )
-The famous book: AL-DHABH:Slaying animals for food the Islamic way
By Dr Ghulam Mustafa Khan
-Websites against stunning:
www.unstunnedhalal.com (islamic and medical facts against stunning)
www.iccservices.org.uk (Regent Park mosque)
www.iccuk.org (Regent Park mosque)
www.halalmc.co.uk (Halal Monitoring Committee/Halal shop list)
www.mcb.org.uk (Muslim Council of Britain)
www.thingsnotsaid.org( Effects of saying ALLAH AKBAR on the conscious animal)
www.shechitauk.org (Jews/for Kosher meat/no stunning)
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……. Useful downloads