Meat and slaughter: when is meat halal?
For meat, the species is not enough: how the animal was slaughtered matters. A label saying 'beef' or 'chicken' says nothing about slaughter. Here is how Tayib handles meat, animal fat and pork.
Below are the app's encyclopedia entries exactly as Tayib shows them: the four schools' reading, the explanation, the texts and the sources. Tayib informs, it does not certify — for your personal situation, ask a qualified scholar.
Meat and slaughter: when is meat halal?
Meat: "doubtful" for all four schools in Tayib (halal slaughter not proven). Meat without proof of ritual slaughter. The Qur’an permits the food of the People of the Book (5:5); the slaughter conditions and their application to industrial products must be established. Applicable certification may document these conditions, subject to its authenticity and scope.
- 01.
In the shop, when "Meat & slaughter" appears on the ingredient list.
- 02.
When the label leaves out an ingredient's origin and you want to know what is missing.
- 03.
When someone says "it's halal" or "it's haram" with no source, and you want the argument.
4 entries · meat & slaughter
Main entry firstMeat
halal slaughter not proven
Meat without proof of ritual slaughter. The Qur’an permits the food of the People of the Book (5:5); the slaughter conditions and their application to industrial products must be established. Applicable certification may document these conditions, subject to its authenticity and scope.
Beef, poultry or similar fat
halal slaughter not proven
Fat from a lawful species, but without proof of ritual slaughter: the same question as for meat. Certification applicable to the product may document this slaughter; its authenticity and scope still need confirmation.
Animal fat
species and slaughter unspecified
Animal fat without details of the species or slaughter.
Pork
forbidden by the Qur’an
Pork, including wild boar, and all its derivatives are forbidden (Qur’an 5:3). Unless another species or an imitation is specified, ‘jambon’ (ham), bacon, ‘lardons’ (bacon pieces), ham and ‘couenne’ (rind) are read as pork. A named flavouring or a preparation explicitly from another species is treated separately.
What the texts say
Qur'an and hadith cited by the appQur’an 6:121
Verse
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِسْقٌ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِهِمْ لِيُجَـٰدِلُوكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ
« And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allāh has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him]. »
Sahih International
Qur’an 5:5
Verse
ٱلْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ ۖ وَطَعَامُ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ حِلٌّ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ ۖ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَـٰفِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىٓ أَخْدَانٍ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُۥ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
« This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers. And whoever denies the faith - his work has become worthless, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers. »
Sahih International
Sahih Muslim 1955 a · Sahih
Hadith
« Shaddid b. Aus said: Two are the things which I remember Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) having 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. »
Abdul Hamid Siddiqui
Qur’an 5:3
Verse
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةُ وَٱلدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ وَٱلْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَٱلْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَٱلْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَٱلنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَآ أَكَلَ ٱلسَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى ٱلنُّصُبِ وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُوا۟ بِٱلْأَزْلَـٰمِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ ۗ ٱلْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَٱخْشَوْنِ ۚ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًا ۚ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ فِى مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ ۙ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
« Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh, and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islām as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful. »
Sahih International
Qur’an 6:145
Verse
قُل لَّآ أَجِدُ فِى مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلَىٰ طَاعِمٍ يَطْعَمُهُۥٓ إِلَّآ أَن يَكُونَ مَيْتَةً أَوْ دَمًا مَّسْفُوحًا أَوْ لَحْمَ خِنزِيرٍ فَإِنَّهُۥ رِجْسٌ أَوْ فِسْقًا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ ۚ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
« Say, "I do not find within that which was revealed to me [anything] forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood spilled out or the flesh of swine - for indeed, it is impure - or it be [that slaughtered in] disobedience, dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], then indeed, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful." »
Sahih International
Qur’an 2:173
Verse
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
« He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful. »
Sahih International
6 institutional opinions
Shown apart from the schoolsMeat of the People of the Book permitted
Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah (Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta)
Meat slaughtered by Christians or Jews is lawful (Qur’an 5:5) without needing to check the slaughter method or the invocation of God’s name.
« There is nothing in the verse to indicate a particular method of slaughter nor is there any hadith that explains this verse as to call for investigating the method of slaughter. »
Fatwa no. 9417, 05 May 2015
Permitted unless death occurred without throat-cutting
Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah (دار الإفتاء المصرية)
An animal slaughtered by the People of the Book is lawful even without tasmiya, but if it is established that the animal was killed by suffocation or a gunshot without its throat being cut, a Muslim must abstain from eating it.
« وأما ما ذُكِر من إماتة الحيوان بالخنق أو بضرب الرأس بنحو المسدس: فإنه إن تبين ذلك وأن الحيوان لم يُذبَح، كان على المسلم الامتناع عن أكل لحمه. »
Fatwa no. 1984 (page 11988), 31 October 1981
Non-lethal stunning tolerated
International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA, OIC)
Slaughter should in principle take place without stunning, but meat from an animal that was stunned and then had its throat cut is lawful if it is certified that the animal did not die before its throat was cut; electrical stunning of poultry and certain methods (penetrating captive-bolt gun, sledgehammer) are forbidden.
« it is per- missible to consume the meat of a lawfully slaughtered animal after it has been stunned, if it is technically certified that the animal did not die from this operation before its slaughter. »
Resolution No. 95 (3/10), Jeddah, 28 June – 3 July 1997
People of the Book: permitted under conditions
International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA, OIC)
Meat slaughtered by the People of the Book is permitted in a non-Muslim country, but forbidden if it is proven that the animal was not slaughtered according to the Islamic method.
« are allowed to consume the meat of lawful animals slaughtered by the People of the Book, after making sure it is free from any forbidden material. However, this meat is prohibited if it is proved that the animal has not been slaughtered according to the Islamic method. »
Resolution No. 95 (3/10), Seventh clause, 1997
Stunning: 2025 decision postponed
International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA, OIC)
In 2025, the Academy postponed any new resolution on pre-slaughter stunning pending further research.
« The Council of the Academy decided to postpone adopting a resolution on this subject pending additional research and studies »
Resolution No. 263 (8/26), Doha, 4–8 May 2025 (published 20 November 2025)
All stunning rejected
AVS – Halal Certification and Monitoring (France)
AVS rejects every stunning method for all animals it certifies (sheep, cattle and poultry) and guarantees that the animal is alive at bleeding.
« The AVS Association does not accept any stunning method whatsoever, and this applies to all animals slaughtered by us (sheep, cattle, poultry). »
n.d. (article 'AVS and the prohibition of stunning')
Meat and slaughter
Why uncertified meat is ‘doubtful’
To be lawful, meat from a permitted animal must come from compliant slaughter: slaughtering in the best manner and sparing suffering. Mentioning Allah’s name is a condition according to the majority of scholars; for Shafi‘is, it is a strongly recommended sunnah.
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِسْقٌ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِهِمْ لِيُجَـٰدِلُوكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ
“And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allāh has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him].”
“Shaddid b. Aus said: Two are the things which I remember Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) having 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.”
The People of the Book
The Qur’an makes the food of the People of the Book lawful. Scholars differ over what this covers today, particularly meat from industrial slaughterhouses: the slaughter conditions still need to be established. Resolution 225 of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy allows organisations to require a Muslim slaughterer to reassure the consumer; this does not remove the Qur’anic permission regarding the People of the Book.
ٱلْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ ۖ وَطَعَامُ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ حِلٌّ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ ۖ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَـٰفِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىٓ أَخْدَانٍ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُۥ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
“This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers. And whoever denies the faith - his work has become worthless, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.”
Stunning
In France, the debate mainly concerns stunning before slaughter. Some organisations reject it; others accept it under conditions. Tayib shows the organisation’s published position when known, and ‘not documented’ otherwise.
What people often ask
The Qur’an makes the food of the People of the Book lawful (5:5) and forbids that over which Allah’s name has not been mentioned (6:121). For the majority, mentioning Allah’s name is a condition (except in cases of forgetfulness); for Shafi‘is, it is a sunnah. Contemporary scholars differ over meat from non-Muslim industrial slaughterhouses; resolution 225 of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy allows organisations to require a Muslim slaughterer.
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