How Much Do I Need to Inquire about Halal Meat?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

Do you have to physically see the slaughter and ask every time about meat, even in stores and restaurants, even in Muslim countries?

And is all meat assumed to be haram if its slaughter method is unknown, or do we assume it is halal as it is in a shop or restaurant in a Muslim country?

When you buy from a shop, it is already slaughtered, and when you eat from a restaurant, it is cooked, so would it be haram as I do not know if it is 100 percent halal because I did not see the person slaughtering it?

Answer

I hope you’re doing well, insha’Allah. Jazakum Allah khayr for your question.

Learning about the halal and haram–and being careful about it without misgivings (waswasa)–is a key aspect of living with mindfulness (taqwa) of Allah Most High.

The following Answers address your question:

• A Reader on Halal Meat
• Is It Necessary To Avoid Doubtful Meat Even In a Muslim Restaurant?
• The Issue of Halal Meat (A Detailed Article)
• Do I Have To Check If Meat Is Halal If I’m A Guest?
• Can I Trust a Restaurant That Says Their Food Is Permissible (Halal)?

We also recommend these two courses on the fiqh of halal and haram:

1. Living Right: Halal and Haram and Living Prophetic Excellence (Hanafi)
2. Nahlawi’s al-Durar al-Mubaha fi al-Hadhr wal-Ibaha: A Manual of Proper Conduct [Elective]

And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.

wassalam,

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.