Unlawful to Eat Non-Halaal Meat and Allah's Name Must Be Mentioned when Slaughtering
14-10-2002 | IslamWeb
Question:
How do I explain to some people that eating non-Halal meat in a foreign country is Haram? A friend's argument is that the Qur'an did not mention that you have to mention Allah's name during slaughter in the Qur'an, but just you have to mention Allah's name. I referred your question number 17350 to him, but the translation of the Qur'an is not the direct translation. And how do I refute that people can pray Friday prayers at night? The direct translation of the Qur'an can be interpreted very misleadingly by people. Could you provide me some Hadiths to back my stand?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The meat that is forbidden in itself like the meat of pigs, dogs, donkeys (not zebras) and the like should not be consumed except if one fears for his life regardless of whether these animals were slaughtered according to Islamic rites or not, or whether the name of Allah has been mentioned on them or not. The evidence for this is the following verse; Allah Says (what means): {He has forbidden you only the Maytatah (dead animals), and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah (or has been slaughtered for idols, etc., on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} [Quran 2: 173]
But the meat of the animals that are lawful to us is not forbidden if the conditions of slaughtering were respected and none of these conditions were neglected. The first condition is to mention the Name of Allah on it as Allah Says (what means): {And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience.} [Quran 6: 121]
Tasmiyah (saying Bismillah –i.e. mentioning the Name of Allah) should be uttered just before slaughtering. This is the opinion of the majority of the scholars.
But they disagree regarding whether the meat of the animal that was slaughtered by a person who did not mention the Name of Allah is lawful to us or not. But what we believe to be more correct is that mentioning the Name of Allah is an obligatory act for the slaughtering to be valid regardless of whether it is performed by a Muslim or someone from the People of the Book. This is the case because Allah prohibited us from eating the meat of an animal that was slaughtered without mentioning His Name. There is no evidence proving a differentiation in this ruling between one slaughterer and another slaughterer, or someone who forgot to mention the Name of Allah, or one who did that deliberately. The Prophet said: “If the killing tool causes blood to gush out and if Allah's Name is mentioned, then eat (of the slaughtered animal).”
This is evidence that the slaughtering cannot be valid without the two conditions set by the Prophet and that one condition cannot suffice alone instead of the other.
As for those who say that the Jumu'ah (Friday) prayer can be prayed at night, they are wrong and their opinion goes against the consensus of the Muslim scholars.
So, their view is vain and is not backed by any evidence from the Quran or Sunnah. In fact, the evidence is against it. So, those who make such practice should put forward their evidence if they have any, and we are certain that they would not be able to do so.
Allah knows best.