Eating Meat Slaughtered By Shi‘a

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

I live in a very Shia-majority country. This country says they have halal meat and all, but it just occurred to me that these butchers may not be considered Muslim to us due to the beliefs of most of these Shias. Do I stop eating meat? Do I have to ask them about their beliefs? We don’t know of any Sunni butchers.

Answer

I pray you are well.

You can assume the meat is halal and not have any concerns. Although many hold heterodox beliefs, most of the Shi‘a are still Muslims, and the conditions they have for slaughtering animals are the same as the conditions the Sunni schools of law have in general.

For example, in the Hanafi school, only the name of Allah can be said when slaughtering, and from the two carotid arteries, the windpipe and the gullet, three of the four need to be cut. (Maydani, Lubab) I believe they require all four to be cut, which is in line with the Hanafi school.

Therefore, you may eat the meat without any qualms and without further investigation.

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, and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.