Wish you All Holy Eid Mubarak.
Slaughter Animals as Guided by Allah
Dr. M. Laiq Ali Khan
Zabiha is an indispensable act expected from Muslims
to make the flesh of an animal eatable. This act is inherited from
Prophet Ibrahim who slaughtered the animal under Islamic direction and
only then he ate the meat. It is forbidden in Islam to cut any part of a
living animal and eat without slaughtering the whole.
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) came to Madinah and
followed this practice there. Abul Naqid Ullaisi states that when the
Prophet came to Madinah, the people had the habit of cutting down the
hips of living goats and the humps of living camels for eating. The
Prophet said about this: ?If a piece from the living animal is cut
down, then it is termed as Murdar.?
Islam forbids any kind of atrocity on animals
and even in sacrificing or slaughtering animals, it has given clear
directives which do not harm the animal or cause pain to it.
There are several ways in vogue to kill the
animal prior to eating since time immemorial. The early days of
civilisation reveal that the primitive man was used to killing the
animal before consuming, by stoning it to death which was very painful
for the animal. Islam forbids this because stoning or hurting the animal
produces vaso- vagal shock and a bio-chemical substance known as
Histamine is released. This dialates the blood vessels and the blood is
retained inside the flesh.
In the Quran, a word Zakia is used for
sticking- that means to clean. The flesh becomes eatable and clean
after sticking. Jews observe these rules strictly very similarly to
Muslims. Very often, it is questioned whether the flesh procured from
the animals slaughtered by Jews or Christians is Halal? In this context,
I have gone through various references and found that the Quran has
fixed a condition for sticking as, ?you eat such things without any fear
on which the name of Allah is pronounced and this is in such condition
when you are a believer in his signs.?
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As far as pronouncing the name of ?Allah? is
concerned, the Jews do it, but in their mother tongue, similar to the
directions of Islam. Maulana Maududi in his Tafheemul Quran
states that sticking by Jews and Christians is lawful. Ibn-e-Taymia
advocates that in Surah-al-Maidah in the Quran, it has been stated that
food from the People of the Book can be consumed. The basic concept
behind sticking in Islam is that the blood should be let out completely.
The Prophet said that : Let the knives be sharpened and concealed from
the animals and whenever you do the sticking, it should be quick.?
Mohammed bin Safwan narrates that he passed by
Prophet Muhammed with two hanging rabbits and asked ?oh! Prophet, I
found these two rabbits, but did not find any iron thing to stick them,
then I stuck them by a white sharp edge stone. May I eat them? The
Prophet replied ?do eat.?
Kab bin Malik narrates ?My flock of goats were
grazing on Salaa mountain. My servant saw that a goat was about to die,
she broke up a stone and stuck it with that stone. When he enquired
about it from the Prophet, he ordered to eat that. Adi bin Hatim
narrates that: ? I asked the Prophet to tell us, if we got a prey and if
we did not have any knife then could it be stuck with a piece of stone
or wood?? He replied, you are allowed as per your convenience, to let
out the blood and pronounce the name of Allah.?
The Hadith specifies two conditions for lawful
Islamic sticking-one the animal should be stuck in the name of Allah by
reciting His name, secondly, the blood should be let out completely from
the vessels of the neck without cutting the spinal chord to save the
animal from going into a state of shock. To let out the blood easily and
completely, it is very crucial to cut down the jugular veins and
carotid arteries along with other structures passing though the neck
except spinal cord which transmits the nerve impulses to the distal
parts. These impulses produce jerks in the distal tissues of the body to
remove the blood. On the contrary, some communities use another
procedure called ?Jhatka? in which the neck of the animal is cut-down in
a single blow by a sword. As a result, of the cut on the spinal cord,
the animal is in a state of shock. Hence, the blood is retained in the
tissues and a bio-chemical substance, Histamine is released.
The Halal and Jhatka meat was given to eat to
certain non-Muslims and their views were recorded about its taste and
smell as a trial. And it was seen that the Halal meat was found to be
more tasty by them. There are several ways to stick the animals on a
large scale. Very often, the animals are stunned, then they are lifted
and hung with their neck and head downwards. A knife is used then to
cut down the neck, but this procedure is against the Islamic spirit
because stunning of animal produces surgical shock prior to sticking
which is clearly forbidden in Islam.
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The Concept of Combined Qurbani
M. H. Lakdawala
Environment-friendly Id-ul-Zuha or Bakrid- ever heard
of that? What does Bakrid have to do with the environment? Since the
last couple of years, Muslims of Mumbai are discovering the benefit of
environmental-friendly Bakrid.
Due to the urban lifestyle and lack of adequate
space, sacrificing the animal and disposing off the related waste is the
major problem faced every year. Due to lack of proper waste disposal,
an epidemic broke out in the Muslim dominated localities in Mumbai in
the past. Dr Asad Mirza, a general practitioner in the Muslim-dominated
Bhendi Bazar area in South Mumbai reveals that every year, after Bakrid,
there is atleast 30 to 35 per cent rise in the cases of diseases such
as diarrhea, typhoid and malaria. ? The reason is not far to seek. Due
to lack of civic sense, most of the Muslim families drain off the blood
of the animal into the common drainage which clogs the entire drainage
system. Moreover the waste of the animal is left in the open for days
turning these areas into a perfect breeding ground for pathogenic
bacteria leading to the epidemic outbreak,? confirms Dr Mirza. What is
the alternative then? The posh housing societies solved the problem by
reserving the space in their large compound for the purpose and taking
care of the waste disposal. The real problem was faced by the congested
Muslim middle-class localities. Few of the alert Muslims reserve
community halls or Jamaatkhanas of the localities and request the
residents to keep their animals there, feed them and sacrifice them
there at nominal cost. Others have struck deals with their regular
mutton suppliers or butchers. The package is that the butcher will
purchase the animal, keep it, feed it and on Bakrid day, sacrifice the
animal and then make home delivery of the meat.
?This is not only a cost effective measure, but
also saves time and is environmental friendly. Since our mutton supplier
is a professional and has the infrastructure, they easily manage the
waste and protect the environment,? says Syed Zia, a timber merchant who
sacrifices seven animals on every Bakrid. Zubair Bagban used to keep
and sacrifice the animals on the terrace of his residence. But since
last three years, Zubair is keeping the animals at the community hall at
Mohammed Ali Road. A fruit dealer, Zubair was pained to watch the women
of the household struggling to clean the blood and disposing off the
waste. ? But now that problem has been solved as I, my relatives and
friends do the Qurbani at the community hall and in an organised
manner,? says Zubair.
Nazir Merchant of Classic Mutton Corner was able
to convince 28 of his regular customers for their Bakrid package. It
included purchase of the animal to home delivery of the mutton. ? This
year, the booking has crossed 50, our target is atleast 100 customers,?
says Nazir.
Dr Javid Shaikh who has registered with the
Classic Mutton Corner package is a relieved man. ? Every year in the
past, we had to search for a good butcher and then struggle to dispose
off the waste. Since the last two years, my family is celebrating Bakrid
in peace without any problem of purchasing the animal and disposing off
the waste,? says Javid. Many of the Muslim social organisations in
Mumbai are promoting ?combined Qurbani? as a concept which is not only
permitted in Islam, but also becoming very popular in the Gulf
countries. On a visit to any Muslim locality in Mumbai this time of the
year, one can find a slew of organisations offering individual share in
the combined Qurbani. The blackboard banners, handbills and posters
announce the details and cost of Qurbani per share.
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