Slaughter and sacrificing (dhabh)

Ritual slaughter (dhabh) is framed by conditions on the person, the name of Allah, the tool and the manner. The encyclopedia reviews them with the points of divergence.

The person who slaughters

The ruling gathers the jurists' agreement: the slaughterer must be discerning. Hanafis, Malikis and Shafi'is (the most apparent view) require sound mind; Hanbalis hold it a condition because of the required intention. Puberty is not required: the consensus recorded by Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Qudama grants the lawfulness of an animal slaughtered by a woman, a child able to slaughter, or a slave, based on the hadith of Ka'b ibn Malik's servant girl who killed a sheep with a stone: « eat it » (reported by the two Shaykhs).

Muslim or People of the Book

The scholars' unanimity covers the lawfulness of the animal slaughtered by a Muslim or a People of the Book member (al-Ma'ida 5); the Magian or idolater does not enter this authorization. On the Arab Christians of the prophetic era, Malik and Abu Hanifa admitted them, al-Shafi'i excluded them, Ahmad carries two views. The hunting of a People of the Book member is admitted by most scholars; Malik alone excluded it.

The name of Allah

Three schools divide the topic: Hanbalis make the invocation a condition, whether omitted deliberately or by forgetfulness, the animal does not become lawful; Shafi'is make it a confirmed sunna, the animal remaining lawful, based on the hadith: « pronounce the name of Allah over it and eat » (al-Bukhari 1952). On a People of the Book member's omission, the majority eats the animal so long as no name other than Allah's was pronounced, a consensus recorded by Ibn Abd al-Barr and reported by an-Nawawi; Ibn Qudama requires the invocation from both alike.

The tool

What made the blood gush, with the name of Allah mentioned, eat of it, except the tooth and the nail: the tooth is a bone and the nail is the knife of the Abyssinians.al-Bukhari 5224 ; Muslim 1968

Any sharp instrument that makes the blood gush renders the animal lawful: iron, stone, sharpened wood, reed, glass. Tooth and nail are excluded so long as they are not uprooted; on uprooted ones, Hanafis and Malikis permit them, Shafi'is and Hanbalis refuse them.

Nothing for other than Allah

What has been slaughtered for other than Allah is forbidden and akin to carrion (an-Nahl 114-115), and the Prophet cursed whoever slaughters for other than Allah (Muslim 1978). The jurists include there the slaughter made to honor a guest or a dignitary; slaughter done out of sight for hospitality remains permitted, being the sunna of Abraham.

The manner: kindness to the animal

Allah has prescribed kindness in everything: when you kill, kill well; when you slaughter, slaughter well; let each of you sharpen his blade and ease his animal.Muslim 1955

The jurists draw rules from it: not to sharpen the knife in the animal's sight, not to drag it roughly, to offer it water, not to break the neck before life is gone, not to skin before cooling.

Practical note

These conditions explain the checklists used today: a qualified person, a sharp tool, the invocation, humane handling.