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One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Al-salamo alaykom, we rahmat ALLAH wa barakaato

i`d like to first express my gratitude towards the daily Hadith i happily receive in my inbox, and all your efforts in making a very helpful Islamic website.

My inquiry is kindly the following:

I moved to live in the UK since 5 months now, and i usually ate (halaal) meat back home, and i like meat in general. Since i came to the UK (as i`m living in a city which is considered somehow small) i havent ate meat (which is for 5 month now), due to it being a small city, and eventually not having to supply halaal meat. I finally inquire of the following: My mother advised me, that every-now and then (once or twice a month for example) i could get some beef or chicken (that is not halaal) and say Al-tashahud on them and eat them. My mother is deeply religious and i trust her, but i thought i need a stronger declaration from a shiekh. Shokran jazeelan lakom, wa al-salaamo alykom wa rahmat ALLAH wa barakaatoh.

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Answer:

Halaal food in the uk

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause. We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Your Question: I finally inquire of the following: My mother advised me, that every-now and then (once or twice a month for example) i could get some beef or chicken (that is not halaal) and say Al-tashahud on them and eat them.

Dear and beloved brother, the mere declaration of the ‘tashahud’ and/or ‘bismillah’ does not make food which is unlawful lawful in Shariah Law.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 5 (part):

5 This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you, and yours is lawful unto them.

If the below five conditions are met, the food served by the People of the Book will be termed halaal for the believers.

1.      The animal itself should be halaal in Shariah. (Even if a muslim (Allah forbid) were to slaughter swine, it will not make it halaal!!).

2.      The one who slaughters the animal must either be a Muslim, or a Jew or a Christian. If any other person slaughters the animal, it will not be considered halaal.

3.      The animal has to be slaughtered and the blood should be oozed out naturally. It does not matter if the animal is slaughtered by hand or by a machine, from the front of the neck or from the back. What is important is that the veins must be cut to allow the blood to be oozed out of the body.

4.      The animal should have been alive at the time of slaughter. It is a routine in most slaughterhouses in the West, that they electrocute or sting the animal with an electric shock, and then slaughter the animal. That is fine, as long as one is satisfied that the electric shock did not kill the animal before its slaughter!

5.      The condition that Allah’s name has to be pronounced is not a condition for the People of the Book, as long as nobody else’s’ name is pronounced. If anybody else’s name other than Allah is pronounced at the time of slaughter, it does not matter who slaughters the animal, the meat is haraam.

If while consuming food in a predominantly Christian nation like the United Kingdom, one has enough reason to believe that any of the above listed five conditions are violated…..it would be best and closest to piety and righteousness for the believers to fear Allah and abstain from consuming that food.

If even one of the above listed conditions are violated, regardless of whether one declares the ‘tashahud’ and/or ‘Bismillah’ or anything else, the food will remain unlawful for the believers. The mere declaration of ‘tashahud’ and/or ‘Bismillah’ or anything else does not by itself make the unlawful foods lawful for the believers.

It remains the responsibility of the believer who consumes the food to strive to determine and make absolutely certain that the food he is about to consume is not unlawful.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan