Do I Have To Check If Meat Is Halal If I’m A Guest?
Question:
Assalamu ‘alaykum.
If I get invited by a Muslim family which is not very religious, and I get served meat (not pork), do I have to avoid it or make investigations till I am sure the meat is halal? And what is the matter what would the matter be if I get the invitation from non-muslim families – should I be concerned every time?
Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
Yes, it would be best if you were cautious about this. The classical works state that one does not need to ask when at someone’s house. (Birgivi, al Tariqa al Muhamadiyya) However, we find ourselves in non-Muslims countries where there have been multiple cases of people passing off haram meat as halal. Precaution should be the basis here.
The way around it is to call the people who have invited you to ask them that if they plan on preparing meat or chicken for you, you have a practice of only eating meat from whichever particular butcher that you know to be certified by a sound authority.
Make it clear that you are not trying to be difficult and that you’re not suspicious. You make a conscious choice to support these authorities that give peace of mind to Muslims.
Supporting A Reliable Authority To Support The Muslims At Large
I feel this is something one has to be careful about depending on where one lives. There have been many scandals about meat in the UK, and more keep appearing in the news. The safest thing to do is to consume meat approved by a reliable authority.
In the UK, HMC is the most reliable. They have a representative – usually a scholar – present at the abattoir who witnesses the slaughter. The meat is stamped at various points of the process until it reaches the butcher or fast food outlet. Also, they disapprove of stunning the animals. This leads to the premature death of chickens in many cases.
With a non-Muslim host, you can request fish or a vegetarian option; it’s easy. Many people have dietary requirements, so it wouldn’t be burdening anyone to mention a preference.
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital. He was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.
