Shar‘i Slaughter: Shedding Blood, Mentioning Allah’s Name, and Using Permissible Tools
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
Linguistic:
The word ḏhabḥ (ذبح) comes from ذَبَحَ يَذْبَحُ (form I verb) meaning “to slaughter.”
Al-ḏabḥ or al-ḏhabīḥ refers to the animal being slaughtered.
[Al-Munjid, p. 260; Lisān al-ʿArab 5/22]
Technical:
Slaughter is the act of cutting the jugular vein of a lawful animal owned by someone, in a prescribed way.
[Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuhu 4/2758; Mughni al-Muḥtāj 4/265; Kashshāf al-Qināʿ 3/201]
① Saying “Bismillah” when passing the knife; without it, the meat is not halal.
② The slaughterer must be a Muslim or from the People of the Book.
③ The jugular vein must be cut according to the Shar‘i method.
[Taʿlīq ʿalā Subul al-Salām by Shaykh ʿAbdullah Bassām 4/1845]
1. Hadith of Rāfiʿ ibn Khadīj رضي الله عنه
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ما أنهر الدم و ذكر اسم الله عليه فكل ليس السن والظفر، أما السن فعظم وأما الظفر فمدى الحبشة
“Whatever causes the blood to flow, and Allah’s name is mentioned upon it, then eat — except for teeth and nails. The tooth is bone, and the nail is the knife of the Abyssinians.”
[Bukhari 5543; Muslim 1968; Abu Dawud 2821; Tirmidhi 1491; Nasa’i 7/226; Ibn Majah 3178; Ahmad 3/463]
2. Hadith of Kaʿb ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه
He reported:
أن امرأة ذبحت شاة بحجر
“A woman slaughtered a sheep with a stone.”
When the Prophet ﷺ was asked about it, he permitted eating it.
[Bukhari 2304; Ibn Majah 3182; Bayhaqi 9/281; Ahmad 6/386]
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
Definition of Ḏhabḥ (Slaughter)
Linguistic:
The word ḏhabḥ (ذبح) comes from ذَبَحَ يَذْبَحُ (form I verb) meaning “to slaughter.”
Al-ḏabḥ or al-ḏhabīḥ refers to the animal being slaughtered.
[Al-Munjid, p. 260; Lisān al-ʿArab 5/22]
Technical:
Slaughter is the act of cutting the jugular vein of a lawful animal owned by someone, in a prescribed way.
[Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuhu 4/2758; Mughni al-Muḥtāj 4/265; Kashshāf al-Qināʿ 3/201]
Conditions for Shar‘i Slaughter
① Saying “Bismillah” when passing the knife; without it, the meat is not halal.
② The slaughterer must be a Muslim or from the People of the Book.
③ The jugular vein must be cut according to the Shar‘i method.
[Taʿlīq ʿalā Subul al-Salām by Shaykh ʿAbdullah Bassām 4/1845]
Hadith Evidence
1. Hadith of Rāfiʿ ibn Khadīj رضي الله عنه
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ما أنهر الدم و ذكر اسم الله عليه فكل ليس السن والظفر، أما السن فعظم وأما الظفر فمدى الحبشة
“Whatever causes the blood to flow, and Allah’s name is mentioned upon it, then eat — except for teeth and nails. The tooth is bone, and the nail is the knife of the Abyssinians.”
[Bukhari 5543; Muslim 1968; Abu Dawud 2821; Tirmidhi 1491; Nasa’i 7/226; Ibn Majah 3178; Ahmad 3/463]
2. Hadith of Kaʿb ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه
He reported:
أن امرأة ذبحت شاة بحجر
“A woman slaughtered a sheep with a stone.”
When the Prophet ﷺ was asked about it, he permitted eating it.
[Bukhari 2304; Ibn Majah 3182; Bayhaqi 9/281; Ahmad 6/386]
Key Rulings Derived
- Any sharp object that causes blood to flow and severs the veins is valid for slaughter — not just a knife.
- Women are also permitted to slaughter animals.
