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LAWFUL AND UNLAWFUL
CONDUCT TOWARDS ANIMALS:
All Fatawas in this part of the book are directly quoted from: http://www.islam-qa.com
There is wisdom in what Allaah has created, there is also wisdom in what He has
prescribed and commanded in His laws ( the sharee’ah). He has forbidden His slaves to eat
unclean things because if they consume them, these things will become a part of them and they
will be what they eat. When a person eats, he resembles what he eats, and what he eats becomes
essentially a part of him. Hence man is more balanced in his attitude and behavior than other
animals because he is more balanced in what he eats. Eating blood and the flesh of carnivorous
wild animals gives a person a wild, devilish character and makes him aggressive towards other
people, so sharee’ah wisely forbids eating such foods except when there is an overwhelming
reason to do so, such as absolute necessity. Because the Christians eat pork, it gives them a kind
of harshness and cruelty. The same applies to those who eat the flesh of carnivores and dogs –
they take on the character of these animals. A devilish attitude is an essential attribute of fanged
carnivores, which is why they are forbidden as food by sharee’ah. Since camels may display such
a devilish attitude, Islam commands those who eat camel meat to counteract it by doing wudoo’
(ritual ablution). Since a donkey-like attitude is an essential attribute of donkeys, the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us to eat them. Since blood is the
vehicle of the Shaytaan through which he travels, Allaah has absolutely forbidden us to eat blood.
"Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which
hath been invoked the name of other that Allah, that which hath been killed by strangling,
or by a violent blow, or by a head long fall, or by being gored to death, that which hath
been (partly) eaten by a wild animal, unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due from), that
which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling
with arrow: that is impiety." (Al-Maidah # 3)
What about the skin of those forbidden animals?
If some animals are unlawful to eat because their flesh is impure, what about their skin? Do you
think it is ok to have a purse made of a pig's skin? Explain your reasoning:
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The skins of animals that become halaal through proper slaughter are pure (taahir),
because they become good through the process of proper slaughtering, such as the skins of
camels, cattle, sheep, gazelles, rabbits and so on, whether they are tanned or not tanned. As for
the skins of animals whose meat we cannot eat, such as dogs, wolves, lions, elephants and the
like, it is impure (naajis), whether it is slaughtered or it dies or is killed, because even if it is
slaughtered it does not become halaal and cannot be good, so it is naajis, whether it is tanned or
not tanned. This is according to the most correct opinion, because the most correct opinion is that
impure skins cannot be made pure through tanning if they come from animals which we are not
permitted to slaughter for food.
As for the skins of animals which have died before they could be slaughtered properly, if these
are tanned then they become pure, but before they are tanned they are impure. So now animal
skins may be divided into three types:
a) The first type: those which are pure whether they are tanned or not, which are the
skins of animals that may be eaten if they are slaughtered correctly.
b) The second type: skins, which cannot be pure either before or after tanning, because
they are impure. These are the skins of animals whose meat we cannot eat, like pigs.
c) The third type: skins, which become pure after tanning, but are not pure before
tanning. These are the skins of animals whose meat may be eaten if they are slaughtered properly
but not if they die otherwise. Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 52/39.
Among the blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon us is the fact that He has made our
religion easy for us, and has not made it too difficult or unbearable. He has allowed us many
things that were forbidden according to previously revealed laws.
Allaah says:
Allaah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you
[Qur’an: al-Baqarah 2:185].
Hence all kinds of food from the sea are permissible, whether they are plants or animals, alive or
dead.
Allaah says:
Lawful to you is (the pursuit of) water-game and its use for food – for the benefit of
yourselves and those who travel [Qur’an: al-Maa’idah 5:96]
Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “ Sayduhu (lit. hunting, pursuit) refers to whatever is taken from it alive, and
ta’aamuhu (lit. its food) means whatever is taken dead.”
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