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Fatwa CenterEating food in the US outside the masjid that sells Halal meat
Question
I live in a small town with a very low Muslim population. There is a masjid here that supplies halaal meat. My friends insist that its ok to eat meat is from other sources outside of the masjid, because its meat from the People of the Book. Is the food outside of the masjid is haram, mucroo, or mubah? If halaal meat is available at the masjid, is it still ok to eat from outside?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
The Book of Allah, The Sunnah of Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) and the consensus of the scholars all confirm that it is permissible to eat the animals slaughtered by the people of the book. Allah says: "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."(Al-Ma'idah 5:5)
If the animal is slaughtered as usual by cutting the two jingular veins and the pharynx then it is halal for us to eat, but if the animal is killed by other means like electric shock or is strangulated to death or the like, then it is a dead meat and it is haram to eat it. Allah says: " Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maytatah (the dead animals - cattle-beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and the meat of that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allâh, or has been slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which Allâh's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering, and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns - and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal - unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death) and that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on AnNusub (stone altars)…." (Al-Ma'idah 5:3)
If a person does not know that the animal is killed in a non-Islamic way, or shocked electrically or by other methods then it is permissible for him to eat the meat of this animal.
However, if he knows that the animal is not killed according to Islamic etiquettes then it is not permissible to eat the meat of this animal. It is the same case if it is generally known that the people in the country are not slaughtering according to Islamic etiquettes; the animal slaughtered by them is not permissible to eat.
As there are Muslims in your village who provide Halal meat, then it is better to stay away from the meat of animals slaughtered by non-Muslims.
Allah knows best.
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