Q: 29 – Title: Your fatwa is self-contradictory. In the same fatwa you said that stunning is 'cruelty' then in almost the same breath you offer advise on how to manipulate the stunner. I think that neither your student nor you had applied your minds to the reality of the cruel slaughtering system in the broiler-chickens plants. Question ASSALAAMUALAIKUM Answer Disclaimer: This answer is in general context and not specific to any processing plant.
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh Jazakallah for your email. At the outset, we wish to point out that there is no need for us to woo anyone in issuing a fatwa. We are driven by our consciousness in Allah and Shari’a. To woo anyone while issuing a fatwa is using the Shari’a for self respect which is khiyanat and not permissible. All?h protect us from using His Shari’a to suit our nafs and desires. All?h knows the condition of the hearts. We make du’a that Allah grant us Ikhlas to present Din with sincerity and honesty, Amin. Hereunder is our considered opinion regarding of chickens only. Stunning is indeed cruelty to animals and hence not permissible. It inflicts pain to the chickens. Dr. Schalz and Dr. Hazim of the Veterinary School in Hannover, Germany conducted a comparative study between traditional slaughter and conventional slaughter and recorded the EEG (electro encephalograph) and ECG (electro cardiograph) of both methods of slaughter and concluded that in the conventional method the EEG and ECG recorded immense pain in the brain of the animal. In stark contrast to the conventional method, the EEG and ECG of the traditional method recorded no pain upon incision. Thereafter upon 3 seconds of the incision, the EEG and ECG recorded the animal to be in deep sleep and unconscious with no record of pain in the brain. Upon 6 seconds of the incision, the EEG and ECG recorded zero. In the view of the above, it becomes more clear that stunning is a cruelty to chickens. Nobody can deny that. We should endeavor to change the system. The stunned chickens are the creation of All?h and deserve our kindness in dealing with them. We will be held accountable in the court of Allah for oppressing these poor chickens. Supporting an oppressive system is party to the oppression. Alhamdulillah in UK, stunned-free slaughtered chickens are available. We too should make an effort to produce such a system. The other issue is the Shari’a position of the slaughtered chickens through the stunning procedure. If the chicken is alive after being stunned and slaughtered, one cannot regard the slaughtered animal to be har?m, in spite of the impermissible practice of stunning. While we do condemn the practice of stunning, from a practical point of view, we are aware that many Muslims do consume such chickens. We should discourage people from supporting the oppressive system and also do whatever is possible within our means to save those that incorrectly support the system from eating haram. It is in that regard, we advised that the voltage of the stunner should be controlled. This should not be interpreted as our approval of the oppressive system. It is mere damage control method from consuming haram. Merely condemning a procedure is not sufficient; we should exert our energies in creating a practical stunning-free alternative facility for the Muslim public. We live in a society where people expect the ‘Ulama to do everything; declare something halal and haram and also create the alternative. It is sincere people like you who could now use your energies to create the alternative. Then there would be no need for the public to enquire about the stunning system. And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best Wassalamu Alaykum Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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