Darul Uloom Trinidad & Tobago

Q. Can you please respond to this e-mail and give me your opinion on content.

Before its certification, representatives from the certifying Islamic organization visited the plant to check the compliance of Halal process requirements. Plant has Muslim slaughterers who bless the chickens with Bismillahi Allahu Akbar. Chickens are slaughtered by cutting the jugular vein and esophagus only for full bleeding but head is NOT severed. Once the bird is fully bled then rest of the process is completed. Slaughtering is done mechanically. Product is cleaned, washed, chilled, cut and packed under the country’s guidelines and labeling regulations. Halal certificate is issued if requested by the customer. The plant is randomly visited by representatives of the certifying body to check Halal compliance. The plant has been inspected by Halal product teams from many Muslim countries which import Halal poultry from them. Plant is approved for Halal export to UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Indonesia and Mauritania. Halal product is shipped to these countries.

A. We have received this e-mail directly, but unfortunately, the manner of mechanical slaughter has not been accepted by the Darul Uloom, as well as many leading certifying Islamic bodies in different countries.

In the-mail two points are to be noted, they are:-
1) ‘Plant has Muslim slaughters who bless the chickens with Bismillahi Allahu Akbar’.
2) ‘Slaughtering is done mechanically’.

The second point tells us that the chickens are not slaughtered manually by hand, instead, they are slaughtered by a rotating blade that continues to rotate while slaughtering the chickens. According to the guidelines of Islamic slaughtering (in the case of tame/domesticated animals/birds) the slaughterer must recite the ‘Bismillah’ at the time he does the actual slaughtering. In the above mentioned case the question arises as to who is the slaughterer? Is it the Muslim slaughterers or the rotating blade? From our investigation, it is clear that it is the rotating blade that slaughters the chickens, thus processing about 23,000 chickens per hour on each of its two lines. This means that approximately 46,000 chickens per hour are produced on both slaughter lines. (as stated by IIIT in their communication with us, (DUHC) ).

If there are only two lines and there are only two Muslim brothers (as stated by IIIT), do you think that these two brothers can slaughter/cut the jugular vein and esophagus as mentioned in your attached e-mail) of 46,000 chickens in an hour! This is impossible. So if the rotating blade slaughters the chickens at a very fast rate, when or where is the Bismillah said?

Based on the information we have from IIIT, it is mentioned that Muslim laborers start the slaughtering machine while uttering the Bismillah continually. In other words, we are being told that when the Muslim slaughterman is ready to start the slaughtering machine, he simply says ‘Bismillah’ and flicks the switch to the ‘on position’. The information from IIIT also tells us that ‘two Muslim brothers recite Bismillah at each of the slaughter line’. It means that they simply stand at the slaughter line, and while the 46,000 chickens per hour are being slaughtered, they simply look at these chickens and say Bismillah as fast as they can, so that each Bismillah will fall on a bird, is this Islamic slaughter? Is this the way the Prophet (SA) has shown us? Do you simply say Bismillah on a switch which kills the chickens and then say it is Halal. Or do you stand, watching the chickens being cut by  a fast rotating blade and try your best to say ‘Bismillah’ 46,000 times in an hour so that all the birds will get ‘a Bismillah’?

You must know that in accordance to the way of proper Islamic slaughter as explained in the Shariah, both the above methods of mechanical slaughtering do not make the chickens Halal. It is for this reason, many Halal certifying bodies in the world have condemned these practices and have not considered such chickens to be halal.

It is unfortunate to see that some Muslims are becoming entrapped and confused through similar e-mails from those who possess no expertise in the areas of Halal and Islamic slaughter.

The Holy Quran has emphatically stated:- ‘Eat not of (meat) over which Allah’s name has not been pronounced. That will be sinful’ (Sura Al An’am 121).

This verse along with many others, and the blessed traditions of the Prophet(SA) make it abundantly clear that it is a condition for ‘Halal’ that the name of Allah  be said upon the animal/bird at the time when the slaughterer is slaughtering the animal or bird. When a person utters Bismillah on a switch, then this is not considered to be pronouncing it on a chicken, and when it is pronounced one time at the start of the machine, it cannot suffice for thousands of chickens which will be slaughtered on the same line, (afterwards).

In the case where Muslim brothers simply stand close to the rotating blade and recite Bismillah when the chickens come close to the blade, this is also not acceptable as Islamic slaughter for different reasons. The first is that it is a condition that the name of Allah be pronounced by the slaughterman while he is slaughtering the chicken/animal. But in this case, the Muslim brother who stands at the slaughter line has nothing to do with the chickens that are being slaughtered, he is just like a person who passes and says ‘Bismillah’ close to an unbeliever who is cutting the throat of an animal. Can one say that the animal which has been slaughtered by the unbeliever becomes Halal because of the Muslim’s ‘Bismillah’ which he uttered while passing close by? No! Definitely not. In the above case, the Muslim brother is simply looking-on, as the rotating blade does its job of killing the chickens. It cannot be said that he (the Muslim brother) slaughtered the chicken. Further to this, we see that thousands of chickens per hour are slaughtered by the fast rotating blade. The Muslim slaughtermen are required to utter the Bismillah as fast they can, so that they will not miss out a single chicken. According to what is mentioned in your ‘sent e-mail’, the Muslim slaughterers are required to say ‘Bismillahi Allahu Akbar’ on each chicken. According to the information from IIIT, two Muslim brothers stand at the slaughterline to say this phrase. Understanding that the processing plant produces a minimum of 46,000 chickens per hour, does it seem humanly possible for two Muslim brothers to actually recite ‘Bismillahi Allahu akbar’ 46,000 times in an hour? If the slaughtering continues for a period of three hours (which is shorter than the time it normally runs for) then these two Muslim brothers have to be continuously reciting ‘Bismillahi Allahu Akbar’ for 138,000 times. Even in a case where they do not pause for a single moment, or take a sip of water for a moment (which is impossible) they would not be able to fulfil this requirement of uttering Bismillahi Allahu Akbar upon every single bird. If one simply pause for a second, or part thereof and did not utter the phrase for this short moment, then a chicken or more would missed the Bismillah and will thus be slaughtered without the name of Allah being mentioned on them. It will therefore be haram to consume such chicken. (do the advocates of Mechanical Slaughter consider this).

There are many problems with regard to the mechanical slaughter, and many great scholars including internationally renowned Mufti Taqi Usmani have outrightly condemned such methods of slaughtering the chickens.

As in other cases, you will always find Muslims breaking the laws, compromising in them, and also advocating a change of the original fundamental requirements.

The Prophet (SA) mentioned to us that a time will come when a Muslim will not be bothered about what he eat,s whether it is halal or haram. He also said that a time will come when a new name will be given to intoxicants and will be considered Halal. He also mentioned that a sign of the hour of judgement is that people will go to ignorant leaders for religious verdicts and instructions. They (the ignorant leaders) will then pronounce judgments and give answers, and will thus misguide others, while misguiding themselves.

Today, the word halal is being used loosely, and many things that do not qualify to be halal are given the name of halal. The word is being used for commercial purposes and it is a word which many food places use to attract Muslim customers. The reality is that many of the owners of these places are not Muslims. They do not understand the importance of Halal for Muslims, and they are not concerned about keeping their promises to the Muslims. The result is that, at times, they use chickens and ingredients that are not halal, but still sell these as being halal. It is to curb these problems and to avoid such treachery, the Darul Uloom Halal Committee has been very strict in the matters of Halal foods and products, and have implemented such standards which have been enacted by the shariah.

Besides our local area, such betrayal of trust and confidence has been seen in the international scene. Today, a few processing plants in other countries have been ordered to ‘shut down’ for deception to the Muslims in the matter of Halal meats and chicken.

The issue of mechanical slaughtering endorsed by IIIT has not been accepted by thousands of Muslims in America, England and Canada. They do not purchase chickens endorsed as Halal by them, and do not support mechanical slaughtering of chickens. In a similar manner, hundreds of Halal certifying bodies have not endorsed such Halal certificates, and have warned the Muslims in different parts of the world about such chickens.

With respect to the statement in your ‘sent e-mail’ that the chickens of this processing plant is approved for Halal export to UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Indonesia and Mauritania, I wish to share some important information with you, which would reveal that ‘not everything that is propagated as Halal’ is really halal.

Due to the problems encountered in the proper manner of slaughtering chicken/animals in different countries, the committee of the senior scholars of Saudi Arabia took on the responsibility of sending delegates to the slaughterhouses of foreign countries which export meat to Muslims countries. Thereafter, those delegates sent letters describing what they observed in those slaughterhouses. The following are some of these letters and correspondence.

“A Letter From Brazil

1. This is a letter from Ahmad Ibn Sâlih Mahâyiri describing the method of slaughtering the birds and cattle which are imported to Saudi Arabia from Brazil.

All praise is for Allah, and mercy and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, and upon all his companions.

To the respected scholar, Abdul Aziz Ibn Bâz;
Peace be upon you and the blessings and mercy of Allah,

In response to your letter numbered 4/ 3443 dated Jumâd Ath­Thi 21, 1398 A.H. regarding an investigation as to how the chickens and cattle which are imported into Saudi Arabia are slaughtered, it honors me to bring to your attention the following points:

Between the 14th of Rajab 1398 A.H. and the 30th of Rajab of the same year, I traveled by land to visit seven Brazilian Cities which export meat and chickens.

1. Curitiba which is 450 Kilometers away from the city of Londrina.
2. Ponta Cruza which is 210 Kilometers away
3. Campo Grande which is 75 Kilometers away
4. Guiaba which is 125 Kilometers away
5. Goiania which is 110 Kilometers away
6. Providente which is 25 Kilometers away
7. San Joseph which is 375 Kilometers away

Although I went to every company in these cities which exports meat and came to know of their method of slaughter, I will only discuss in this letter —If Allah wills- those companies which export to Saudi Arabia. I will also give my observations and suggestions in light of what I learned during my journey”. (Legal Rulings on Slaughtered Animals pg.91)

“The Princisa Company Which Specializes In Chickens

This company is located in the city of Ponta Cruza in the state of Parana in Brazil. It raises chickens in a special farm and slaughters more than 150 tons of chickens in one month. The company packs the meat and exports it to many Arab Countries, such as Muscat, Amman, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. This company exports through the Patropraz company of Brazil. The meat is packed in nylon cases and cartons on which it is written in Arabic, “Slaughtered according to Islamic law.” (I have enclosed a sample for you to examine).

When the Ministry of Commerce from one of the Islamic countries requested the importers to provide proof that this exported meat was slaughtered according to Islamic law along with the imported papers, this company went to the president of the Islamic organization in nearby Curitiba. They spoke to Husayn Al-U’mayri and made an agreement with him that his organization will certify that each container of chickens was slaughtered according to Islamic law. In exchange for this certification, the company would give his organization approximately 10% of the value of the chickens. (You will find enclosed a label of certification from this Islamic organization both in Arabic and Portuguese).

On the 14th of Rajab 1398 A.H., I left Londrina and headed towards this company, passing by the city of Curitiba in order to pick up Husayn Al-U’mayri, the president of the Islamic Organization. I went with him to the company’s headquarters in the city of Ponta Cruza. After being welcomed by the supervisors, I requested that they allow me to witness their method of slaughter. I personally observed the following points:

(In this company), the chickens are hung by their legs upside­ down while they are still alive. A machine takes them to a place where a man is standing with a knife. He cuts the jugular vein of every chicken which comes to him, and he tries to take the least amount of time possible so that he can cut the jugular vein of the next chicken. After the chicken is slaughtered, the same machine takes the hanging chickens to an area where there is hot water. The chickens are immersed in this water in order to pluck the feathers, clean the insides, and package the meat into the nylon bags described above.

The issue of contention in this method of slaughter is that most of the time the two jugular veins are not cut because of the speed in which the slaughterer is required to do his job. Similarly, the chickens are also placed in boiling water within a short period of time after the slaughter, and there is a possibility that they might not have died as of yet, causing them to choke to death. In the same way, it is also necessary to verify whether the slaughterer is from the people of the book or a pagan.

After leaving the slaughterhouse, I held a meeting with the president and the members of this company, and I explained to them which aspects of their method of slaughter were in conflict with Islamic law. I described the method of slaughter in Islam to them and I made a special request to them to adopt this method because of the great number of chickens which they export to Muslim countries.

Thereafter, the president of the company said to me, “Our company is completely prepared to adjust our method of slaughter, so that it can be in accordance to Islamic law. We can change the instruments used to slaughter and hire a Muslim to carry out the slaughter. However, we will only do this when we are given an advance order for the number of chickens which need to be exported. In light of this, we will be able to adjust the slaughter so that it can be in accordance to Islamic law.”

After we left the office of the company, I explained to the president of the Muslim Organization with wisdom and clarity that he was making a mistake by certifying that the meat was slaughtered in accordance to Islamic law. I appealed to him to stop doing this and to personally supervise the slaughter or appoint someone to supervise it so that the slaughter could take place according to Islamic law. He promised me that he would do so. Allah knows best.

Here, a very disappointing thing to note is that, although the chickens were not halal, the Muslim person from the Islamic Organization was simply selling ‘Halal Certification’ to the processing plant. Thereafter, these were shipped with the name ‘Halal’ to Muslim countries, when in reality it was not Halal, as explained by the shaikh”. (End Quote) (Ibid pg 92-93)

“The Sadia Awiysata Company And Chickens

This is one of the largest companies in the world for cow and chicken meat. It has more than 20 branches in the Brazilian States, and it exports to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. It has new slaughterhouses in Sao Paulo, Güiaba, Porto Alegre, Campo Grande, and Rio de Janeiro. It exports almost 300 tons of chicken in one month alone. Sadia receives a certification that the meat was slaughtered according to Islamic law from some Islamic organizations in Sao Paulo. The most famous of these organizations is the Santo Maro Islamic Organization and the Al-Jâmiyat Al-Khayriyyah Al-Islâmiyah. The company gives them a fee in exchange for their certification.

The method of slaughtering animals in this company is different from the method used by the Princisa Company mentioned above. Firstly, the chickens which are hanging from their legs on the moving machine are slaughtered with less haste, ensuring that the two jugular veins are cut most of the time. However, the unlawful factor still remains, i.e. the slaughtered chicken is placed in boiling water before it dies. Similarly, there is no guarantee that the slaughterer of this company is a person from the people of the book. All this was regarding the chickens slaughtered by this company. I would like to draw your attention to the following observations regarding the cows slaughtered by this company (Sadia) and their export to Saudi Arabia:

Sunday the 20th of Rajab (June 25) 1398 A.H., I went to the city of Guiaba, passing by the cities of Presidente and Campo Grande. On Thursday the 29′ of Rajab 1398 A.H., I went to visit this company with the president of the Muslim organization in the city of Guiaba, Khalid Al-Qara’vi and the secretary, Faysal Fans. We held a meeting with the president of company, Adison Jawaw Franseycon and a group of supervisors. I explained to the audience the benefits of slaughtering animals according to the Islamic method.

The president of the company told me that they used to stun the animals using an electric shock and they would remove their skins without draining the blood. They discovered that the meat slaughtered in this way spoils very quickly, even if it is kept in refrigerators. The color also quickly changes to a dark ash-gray. The veterinary doctors of the company advised them to slaughter the animal in such a way that all the blood is drained out. I interrupted him by saying, “The blood will only completely flow out by cutting the two jugular veins and the blood will not completely flow out from anywhere else.” The head of the company said, “We now use this very method for the 1500 cows which we slaughter every day for export.”

I requested him to show me their method of slaughter. They made us wear special suits and took us into the slaughterhouse. The slaughterhouse was extremely large and had many separate sections. At the entrance, the bulls are driven to a narrow place which is sealed off so that that they cannot escape. A person stands with a hammer in his hand and he hits the bull on the head without killing it. This is done so that the bull loses consciousness and can be slaughtered with ease. It falls to the ground and within a few seconds, an automatic hook raises it up with its head upside-down. Thereafter, a person comes with a knife and he cuts the skin of the neck in order to reach the jugular vein. Then, he uses a larger knife to cut the jugular vein. After this, the blood starts flowing out abundantly until the animal dies, as if it is pouring from a faucet.

The main issue which needs to be discussed in this method of slaughter is the non-fatal blow given to the animal before the slaughter; can we use analogical reasoning (Qiyás) to apply the permissibility of hitting an animal which runs away and cannot be subdued to this blow given to the animal in slaughterhouses? Also, is it permissible to tear the skin of the neck before cutting two jugular veins, and is the slaughterer from the people of book or a pagan?

When I asked the president of the company as to how they receive the written certification that the slaughter took place according to Islamic law, he said that this is done by an Islamic Organization in Sao Paulo. Thereafter, I asked him that how this is possible when there is a distance of 1800 Kilometers between you and them?” (End Quote) (Ibid pgs. 94,95,96)

Here also, we see that there are a lot of inconsistencies which the shaikh saw, and he was not convinced that the meat was halal. Along with this, the company said that they were receiving a halal certificate from an organization that was at a far distance of 1800 km from the processing plant. Obviously, there was no one from the Islamic Organization to view or inspect the slaughtering, yet, halal certificates were being issued.

“The Denmark Meat Company

This company is in Denmark and not in Brazil. However, for benefit’s sake, I have included an article from the magazine, Al-Watan Al-Araby, which is printed in the Arabic language in the heavily Arab-populated city of Paris, France. This article has been written by an Arab who is working in Denmark and whose name is Muhammad Al-Abyadh Al-Maghriby. He works in a factory which cans meat, and he says that they write on all the meat and chickens exported to Arab countries that it was slaughtered according to Islamic law. However, he says that this is incorrect because the animals are killed by an electric current under all circumstances”. (End Quote) (Ibid pg. 98)

“To the attention of the head of the Committee

After giving a description of the method of slaughter in Brazil, I am pleased to tell you about the Islamic Center of Brazil which was established through the sacrifices of the Arab Embassies and the Muslims. Up until now, it does not have a strong influence and a permanent leader. This center built an Islamic school for the Muslims in Brazil, and within a short period of time they closed it down and handed it over to some Brazilians to start a Brazilian School – yes, a school which would be Brazilian in methodology and administration – without imposing any restrictions or conditions on them. The organization did this because of their fear of establishing any sort of presence in those matters which affect Muslims in the area. This is the same organization which has resolved to personally supervise the method of slaughter. It will be great if this truly does happen, but how is it possible for them to take the responsibility of supervising when there is a distance of hundreds of miles between it and the slaughterhouses, and when it has no employees or workers there to appoint for this purpose?

Because of this, I suggest that you obtain the names of the exporting meat companies, their addresses, and the names of the importers through the Saudi Ministry of Commerce. This will allow you to appoint some of the delegates which are sent from Saudi Arabia to Brazil for the purpose of spreading Islam to visit these exporting companies. Thereafter, they can study the feasibility of appointing a Muslim living in these cities to personally slaughter the animals or to supervise the slaughter in exchange for a wage which will suffice for his needs and allow him to free himself for this task. The company or the importer will be responsible for paying this wage. In this situation, your delegate will be able testify that the slaughter took place under his responsibility and with his knowledge, under the supervision of so-and-so whom he relied on to free himself for this task and to live near the slaughterhouse. In this way, all the efforts will be united and we will have – if Allah wills – a leadership which can be trusted upon to supervise all aspects of the slaughter.

Even the  Israeli people send special Jewish envoys to countries from which they import meat to carry out the slaughter themselves and to settle down permanently near the slaughterhouses in exchange for a wage from the importing companies. A group of them have already come to Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and other Brazilian cities for this very purpose. Similarly, there are people of Jewish origin living in Argentina for this objective, and they receive their wages from the importing companies. Allah knows best. May Allah send His special mercy upon Muhammad (S.A), his family, and all his companions (R.A).

Your student
Ahmad Salih Mahayiri
(End Quote) (Ibid pgs 98,9

From the above ‘first hand’ information given on the true reality of what takes place in many of these foreign slaughterhouses, it becomes clear to us that ‘chickens being exported to Saudi Arabia or any other Islamic Country’ does not become an evidence that these chickens are halal. In fact, magazines in Saudi Arabia published articles regarding this issue, warning the Muslims that these chickens are not Halal, even though it is labelled Halal. Let’s look at the following information:-

“IMPORTED CHICKENS

The magazine, Ad –Da’wat As –Sau’diyat published an article in its 676th issue on the 27th Dhul Hijjah 1398 A.H under the heading, “News regarding imported chickens.’

While writing this letter, I came to know of an article published in the magazine, Al-Mujtami issue number 414 on the first of Dul-Qa’da 1398 A.H., on page 20 under the title, “The slaughter of chickens in Denmark.” This article was written by the Organization of Muslim Youth. The summary of this article is that chickens of Denmark are not slaughtered according to Islamic law and are unlawful for a Muslim to consume even if it is written on the carton that these chickens have been slaughtered according to Islamic law. It is a well-known fact that thousands of chickens are slaughtered there”. (Ibid pgs. 104,105)

While on this topic, we wish to bring to your attention to another email which many Muslims have asked about. The content of the email is as follows:-

“Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Because of the fact that all the Theological requirements are fulfilled in the process of slaughtering the chicken at this processing plant, they are all Halaal”. (End Quote)

When one looks at this email, he begins to form the opinion that all is well and good with the chickens that are imported by this company. However, a closer look at what really takes place would reveal that the method adopted for the slaughter of these chickens are not in accordance to that which is accepted as ‘Islamic Zabiha’ or Islamic slaughter.

We do not know if the writer of the above email withheld information, or he did not have information regarding the manner in which chickens are slaughtered at the respective processing plant. Nonetheless, what has been written clearly by the Islamic Certifying body is that the company does machine/mechanical slaughter. In other words at one point ‘Bismillahi Allahu ‘Akbar’ is said on the switch when it is put on the ‘on’ position, and at another point the Muslim laborers are required to stand at the beginning of each of the two lines, uttering continuously (non-stop) ‘Bismillahi Allahu Akbar’ while the birds are slaughtered by the rotating knife. We have already explained in the beginning that this is not acceptable in Islam as being halal and this type of slaughtering has been condemned by many scholars and certifying bodies. To re-inforce our position we wish to present the official fatawa of one of the greatest scholars of the Islamic world at present, who is Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani of Pakstan. He writes:-

“If a person is stationed by the rotating blade to recite the name of Allah every time the throat of a chicken is cut (I witnessed this in a slaughterhouse in Canada), then there are the following difficulties in considering the recitation of the name of Allah to be valid in Islamic law:

The rotating blade should be removed and replaced with four Muslims who take turns in cutting the throats of the chicken while reciting the name of Allah as the chickens are brought by the hooks”. (End Quote). (Legal rulings on Salaughtered Animals- Mufti Taqi Usmani pg. 78).

From this, it is clear that this sort of machine/mechanical slaughtering does not fulfill the requirements of ‘Islamic slaughtering’ and hence, cannot be deemed Halal. Mufti Taqi (the grand Mufti of Pakistan) has also declared that it does not make the chickens halal and this is the official position of the Darul Uloom.

In conclusion, we wish to say that at present, the chickens imported by KFC for their sandwiches have not been approved as being Halal by the Darul Uloom Halal Committee, although the company (KFC) has provided certification that it is Halal. These chickens are done through machine/mechanical slaughtering which have not been accepted by the DUHC. The evidence and explaination of its non-acceptance have been mentioned before.

We also wish to say that ‘the chicken on the bone’ (Original and spicy chicken) continue to be chickens that are supplied by Arawak Ltd. and are Halal. However, due to the fact that these chickens, as well as the imported ones are prepared together in the same oil, the Darul Uloom has issued the ruling that it will not be permissible to consume.

And Allah knows best.

Mufti Waseem Khan