Stunning animals at abattoirs

Question:-

What are the methods of stunning an animal? Which of them are permissible in terms of Shariah and which are not? I believe that animals are stunned before slaughtering at abattoirs.

Answer:-

There are two methods of stunning; the reversible method of stunning and the irreversible method of stunning. Reversible stunning refers to a type of stunning where the animal is revived after a few minutes (after being stunned) and returns to its normal state. In other words, the animal does not die after stunning, it is still alive while being slaughtered in accordance with Shar’i requirements. In this method of stunning (and slaughtering thereafter), the meat will be considered as Halaal. However, in spite of it being fundamentally permissible to consume the meat of such an animal, we advise that one opts for consuming meat of unstunned animals, as these are easily available and it is what we would recommend.

Irreversible stunning refers to that type of stunning where the animal cannot be revived after the stunning procedure, meaning that the animal will die if not slaughtered immediately. This method of stunning has always been a matter of controversy amongst the Ulema/scholars, as there is no certainty of the slaughterer reaching the animal in a living state. It is possible that the animal had already died before being slaughtered (as a result of the stunning), due to which the animal falls in the category of carrion which is ‘Haraam.’ The slaughtering after its death bears no consequence whatsoever in making the meat ‘Halaal.’ It is due to this reason that many Ulama do not approve of the irreversible method of stunning and advise against deploying this method. Our Fatwa department also concurs with this opinion.

ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!

ANSWERED BY:

Mufti Mohammed Desai

Date: 26 Shawwal 1443 / 28 May 2022