Failure to stun animals before slaughter causes them pain and suffering. Muslims should give
serious thought to whether this is cruelty (Al-Muthiah). If so, then surely the meat from them is
unlawful (Haran) or, at least, undesirable to eat (Makruh). Al-Azhar University in Cairo appointed
a special committee to decide whether the meat of animals slaughtered after stunning was
lawful. The committee consisted of representatives of the four acknowledged Schools of
Thought in Islam, i.e. Shafii, Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali. The unanimous verdict (Fatwa) of the
committee was: "Muslim countries, by approving the modern method of slaughtering, have no
religious objection in their way. This is lawful as long as the new means are 'shar' (Ahadd) and
clean and do 'cause bleeding' (Museelah al-damm). If new means of slaughtering are more
quick and sharp, their employment is a more desirable thing. It comes under the saying of the
Prophet 'God has ordered us to be kind to everything'" (Inna'l-laha Kataba-'l-ihsan 'ala kulle
Shay'in). (The History of Azhar, Cairo; 1964; pp. 361-363).
To crown all verdicts (Fatawa), here is the "Recommendation" of a pre-eminent Muslim
organization of this century — The Muslim World League (Rabitat al-Alam al-Islami). It was
founded in Makkah al-Mukarramah in 1962 A.C. (1382 A.H.) with 55 Muslim theologians
(Ulama'a), scientists, and leaders on its Constituent Council from all over the world. MWL is a
member of the United Nations, UNESCO, and the UNICEF. In January 1986 it held a joint
meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) and made the following "Recommendation"
about pre-slaughter stunning (No 3:1. WHO-EM/FOS/1-E, p. 8):
Pre-slaughter stunning by electric shock, if proven to lessen the animal's
suffering, is lawful, provided that it is carried out with the weakest
electric current that directly renders the animal unconscious, and that it
neither leads to the animal's death nor renders its meat harmful to the
consumer.
As of 1989, in the following countries, Muslims were NOT exempt from stunning: Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand. The following countries allow only
partial exemption to Muslims under special conditions and regulations: Belgium, Germany,
Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Finland, and Canada.
Providing for Animals Used to Carry Heavy Loads
Animals in the service of man should be used only when necessary and their comfort should not
be neglected:
The Prophet once passed by a lean camel whose belly had shrunk to its back. "Fear
God" he said to the owner of the camel, "in these dumb animals, and ride them only
when they are fit to be ridden, and let them go free when it is meet that they should rest."
(Narrated by Abdullah bin Ja'far. Awn [Ref. No. 32]; 7:221; Hadith No. 2532)
About taking care of animals while traveling, the Holy Prophet used to give the following advice:
When you journey through a verdant land, {go slow to} let your camels graze. When you
pass through an arid area, quicken your pace {lest hunger should enfeeble the animals}.
Do not pitch your tents for the night on the beaten tracks, for they are the pathways of
nocturnal creatures. (Narrated by Abu Huraira. Sahih Muslim - Kitab-ul-Imam [Ref. No.
53]; Vol. III; Chapter DCCVII; Hadith No. 4724; pp. 1062, 1063)
Saying daily prayers (salat) is one of the five most important obligations of the Muslim religion.
In the following Hadith, one of his companions tells us that the holy Prophet and his fellow
travelers used to delay even saying their prayers until they had first given their riding and pack
animals fodder and had attended to their needs: "When we stopped at a halt, we did not say our
prayers until we had taken the burdens off our camels' backs and attended to their needs."
(Narrated by Anas. Awn (Ref. No. 32); 7:223; Hadith No. 5234. Also "Guillaume" (Ref. No. 57);
pp.106, 107).
Hazrat Imam Ali's general advice about pack animals is: "Be kind to pack animals; do not hurt
them; and do not load them more than their ability to bear" (Maxims [Ref. No. 4]).
Cruelty to Animals
According to the spirit and overall teachings of Islam, causing unavoidable pain and suffering to
the defenseless and innocent creatures of God is not justifiable under any circumstances. Islam
wants us to think and act in the positive terms of accepting all species as communities like us in
their own right and not to sit in judgment on them according to our human norms and values.
Prevention of physical cruelty is not enough; mental cruelty is equally important. In the following
incident, a bird's emotional distress has been treated as seriously as a physical injury:
We were on a journey with the Apostle of God, and he left us for a while. During his
absence, we saw a bird called hummara with its two young and took the young ones.
The mother bird was circling above us in the air, beating its wings in grief, when the
Prophet came back and said: "Who has hurt the FEELINGS of this bird by taking its
young? Return them to her." (Narrated by Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah bin Mas'ud.
Muslim. Also Awn [Ref. No. 32] Hadith No. 2658. Also "Guillaume" [Ref. No. 57]; p. 106)
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