Ruling of importing, selling, buying and eating chicken and other meat slaughtered in the lands of Kufr.

Shaykh Aboo Abdi Rahmaan Yahyaa bin 'Ali al-Hajoori

Question: What is the ruling of importing chicken meat from the lands of Kufr? The likes of those named 'French Chicken' or other than that which are imported from the lands of Kufr? What is the ruling of eating them? Selling them? and buying them? Is this trade permissible?

Answer: The conditions for the correctness of a slaughtering of animals, chickens, or their likes of what Allah has made permissible to eat from their meat are: that the slaughterer be a Muslim or from the people of the book, and that the name of Allah is mentioned on it before it was slaughtered in order for it to be according to the Islamic way, as Allaah said:

الْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلُّ لَّهُمْ
Made lawful to you this day are At­Tayyibât [all kinds of Halâl (lawful) foods, which Allâh has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, etc., milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits, etc.). The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals, etc.) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them. [Surah al-Maidah: 5]

And Allaah also said:

لاَ تَأْكُلُواْ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ
Eat not (O believers) of that (meat) on which Allâh's Name has not been pronounced (at the time of the slaughtering of the animal), for sure it is Fisq (a sin and disobedience of Allâh). [Surah al-An'aam: 121]

And the hadeeth of Shadaad bin Aws (radiAllaahu 'anhu) in Saheeh Muslim, that the Prophet (sallalaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ (Allaah has prescribed al-Ihsaan on everything) and also : وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذَّبْحَ (If you slaughter, slaughter with Ihsaan). These slaughtered meat imported from France and from other than them from the lands of Kufr, either chicken and other meat, from what I know is that they don't fulfill the Shuroot as-Sihhah (conditions of the correctness) for the slaughtered animal to be eaten. As it is shown by the adillah (evidences), it is waajib to avoid eating such meat that are imported by the lands of kufr, and avoid selling them and other such trades which are promoted among the muslims as the hadeeth states: إن الله إذا حرم شيئًا حرم ثمنه (Verily if Allaah forbids somethng, He forbids earning from it.) Allaah has instead given us wealth of animals in this country (yemen) and other countries from the imports from the lands of Muslims. And with this richness it is haraam to eat the slaughtered animals in question, and (it is haraam) to buy them as the Messenger of Allaah said: إنه لا يدخل الجنة لحم نبت من سحت (أي من حرام) النار أولى به. (Any flesh that grows from ill-gotten gains is more deserving of being touched by Hell-fire).

These slaughtered animals raise doubt and suspicion for its permissibility or forbidennes on the intellect, the Messenger (sallalaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبك (Leave the doubtful matters to that which you don't have doubt), and the hadeeth is saheeh which is narrated from Hasan bin 'Ali (radiAllaahu anhu), and the Messenger (sallalaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: فمن اتقى الشبهات استبرأ لدينه وعرضه (Whoever avoids the doubtful matters, he has absolved himself (from wrongdoing) in his religion and in his honor.) Agreed upon on Nu'maan bin Basheer (radiAllaahu anhu). And all praise is due to Allaah.
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