Verses: "Eat from what Allah has provided you, lawful and good." (5:88); "And do not waste — indeed He does not love the wasteful." (6:141)
Foundational hadith: "Allah has prescribed excellence (ihsan) in all things. So when you kill, kill well; when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade and give his animal ease." (Muslim 1955)
Conditions of lawful slaughter:
- Invoking Allah's name — "Eat from what Allah's name has been pronounced over." (6:118)
- Cutting the jugular veins and windpipe or esophagus to release blood.
- Sharpening the blade — to minimize pain.
- Not exhausting the animal before slaughter.
- Not slaughtering one animal in front of another — per a sound hadith.
Wisdom: Islam made gentleness toward animals obligatory even at the moment of slaughter — using animals as mere targets or starving them is forbidden.
Modern mechanical slaughter: Permitted with conditions — preceded by tasmiya and blood must flow completely — approved by many jurisprudential bodies.
Question: What are the conditions of lawful slaughter? Cite the hadith commanding excellence in slaughter.
Answer: Invoking Allah's name, cutting jugular veins to release blood, sharpening the blade, not exhausting the animal. Hadith: "When you slaughter, do so well and let each of you sharpen his blade." (Muslim 1955)