Responding to the question as to whether it is permissible to eat meat from animals which have been stunned before slaughter, the Islamic Fiqh Council affiliated to the Muslim World League issues the following fatwa:
“At the tenth session of the Islamic Fiqh Council at the Muslim
World League held in Makkah from Saturday, 24 Safar 1408 A.H./ 17
October 1987 to Wednesday, 28 Safar 1408 A.H./21 October 1987, the
issue of slaughtering animals by means of electric shock was pondered
over.
After thorough discussion of the issue, the Council agreed on the following:
First, if the animal is still alive after electric shock and
then it gets slaughtered, then it is slaughtered in an Islamic way and,
thus, there is nothing wrong in eating it. Allah Almighty says: “Forbidden
unto you (for food) are carrion and blood and swine flesh, and that
which hath been dedicated unto any other than Allah, and the strangled,
and the dead through beating, and the dead through falling from a
height, and that which hath been killed by (the goring of) horns, and
the devoured of wild beasts.” (Al-Ma’idah: 3)
Second, if the animal happens to die through the electric
shock before it gets slaughtered, then it is carrion, which is
forbidden for Muslims to eat. Allah Almighty says: “Forbidden unto you (for food) are carrion…” (Al-Ma’idah: 3)
Third, giving the animal high voltage electric current
before slaughtering is in fact severe torture for the animal. Islam
prohibits torture and enjoins mercy and clemency. The Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) said: “Verily Allah has enjoined
goodness to everything; so when you kill, kill in a good way and when
you slaughter, slaughter in a good way. So every one of you should
sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably.”
Fourth, if the animal is exposed to a low electric current
that would not cause the animal to suffer, and it is rather undertaken
to relieve the animal’s pain and control it while slaughtering it, then
it is legally all right to do so, for so long as it is in people’s
favor.”
