Documented Scientific Information and to Conduct the Necessary Tests to Ensure the Following
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WHO-m/~os/l-E January 1986 JOINT METING OF THE LEAGUE OF MUSLIM WORLD (Lm) AND THE WORLD HEFILTH ORGANIZATI~(WO) ON ISLAMIC RULES GOVERNING FOODS OF ANIMAL ORIaN Translated from the Arabic WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN 1986 TABLE OF COWElYTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................. 2. SUMMARY OF THE ISLAMIC LEGAL POSITION ............................... 2.1. Animals which it is unlawful to eat ....................... 2.1.1. Indisputably forbidden foods ......................... 2.1.2. Foods held to be forbidden by the majority of scholars 2.2. Animals which it is lawful to eat ......................... 2.2.1. Indisputably permissible foods ....................... 2.2.2. Foods held to be permissible by the majority of scholars 2.3. Ritual Islamic slaughter (gakah) ............................... 3. RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................... 3.1. Methods of slaughter ...................................... 3.2. Muslims residing in or visiting non-Islamic countries ..... 3.3. Study Committees .......................................... Annex 1 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS ........................................... Annex 2 FORMTION OF A COMMITTEE FOR THE STUDY OF STUNNING BY ELECTRIC SHOCK ............................................... Annex 3 FORMATION OF A COMMITEE FOR THE STUDY OF FOOD COMPONENTS AND ADDITIVES OF ANIMAL ORIGIN ............................... JOINT MEETlNG OF THE LEAGUE OF MUSLIM WORLD AND THE WORLD HEAT.TH ORGANIZATION ON ISLAMlC RULES GOVERNlNG FOODS OF ANIHAL ONlGIN At Lhe invitation of the League of Muslim World (LMW) and the World Health Organization (WHO), a joint meeting on the Islamic Rules Governing Foods of Animal Origir~was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 5 to 7 December 1985. A r~umber of jurisprudents and experts participated in this Meeting (see Annex 1). The Mecting was opened by Quranic recital, then Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, delivered an address on behalf of WHO. Following this, Dr Abdallah Omar Nasseef, LMW Secretary General, addressed the meeting on behalf of the League; Shaikh Abdallah A1 Bassam addressed the meeting on behalf of the participants; and finally Professor Mohammad Abdussalam delivered the message of Dr Dieter Grossklaus. President of the Federal Health Office, West Berlin, and Chief of the International AssociaLion of Veterinary Specialists in Food lfygienc. Election of officers was then made as follows: - Professor. Abdallah Omar Nasseef Chairman - Professor Abdel Aziz A1 Khayat Vice-chairman - Professor Mo?ia~i~rnadHawary Rapporteur The participants discussed, in full, methods of slaughter and rules governing meats in Islam, in the light of the working paper submitted by Professor Abdel Aziz A1 Khayat and Professor Mohammad Abdussalam and adopted the recommendations mentioned hereinafter concerning: - animals which it is unlawful to eat and those which it is lawful to eat; - ritual Islamic slaughter (dakah); - methods of slaughter. The Meeting recommended that two committees of jurisprudents and experts be formed. The first would discuss the subject of pre-slaughter stunning by electric shock, and the second would discuss the subject of food components and additives derived from animal origin. Annexes 2 and 3 contain the names of both committee members and the terms of reference of each. The participants reviewed the specification submitted by the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) on conditions of Islamic slaughter. They considered it a valid basis for the formulation of an international specification in this respect, on the understanding that it would be duly modified in line with the recommendations of the meeting. At the end of the meeting, the participants decided to cable their gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty King Fahd Ben Abdel Aziz, honourable servanL of the Holy Shrines. 2. SUMMARY OF THE ISLAMIC LEGAL POSITION 2.1. Animals which it is unlawful to eat 2.1.1. Indisputably forbidden foods --carrion(ls2) refers to animals which die a natural death and are not slaughtered in due form. The term also applies to any part cut from the body of an animal before it is slaughtered, or after slaughter but prior to complete death. (3) -Shed blood(l**) refers to the blood shed from an animal as a result of slaughter or injury. aul.hich has been dedicated to any other than ~od(l*2)refers to an animal upon which, at the time of slaughter, a name other than that of ~od was invoked, such as the name of an idol or false deity. --A strangled animal(2) refers to an animal which has died from asphyxia through obstruction of its air passage, whether self strangulated or killed by an external agent. A fatally beaten animal(2) refers to an animal which has died as a result of severe beating by an iron bar, for example, or which has been struck dead by a bullet, a stone or the weight of some object. Exceptions to these are birds or animals shot dead by arrows or bullets with the intention of hunting. An. adma1 dead through fallin% from a hei~ht(~)refers to an animal which has died as a result of falling from a height or into a pit or similar hole. --A horn-butted - animal(2) refers to an animal which has died as a result of the butting of horns of another animal. - (1) The follouing is the Quranic evidence denoting prohibition: - "Say: I find not in that which is revealed unto me ought prohibited to an eater that he eats thereof except it be carrion, or blood poured forth, or swineflesh - for that verily is foul - or the abanination which was imnolated to the name of other than God." (Cattle, verse 145). - "He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swineflesh, and that which hath been imlated to (the name of) any other than God". (The Cow 173). (2) "It is forbidden unto you (for fwd) carrion; and blood; and swine flesh; and that which hath been dedicated unto any other than God, and the strangled, and the fatally beaten, and the dead through falling fran a height, and the horn-butted; and the devoured of wild beasts; saving that which ye make lauful (through slaughter in due form); and that which has been imlated into idols". (The Table Spread, verse 3). (3) God Almighty says: "When they are down on their sides (after slaughter) eat thereof". (The Pilgrimage, verse 36). - Abu Dauood and Al Tenidi narrate that the Prophet, peace be upon him said: "whatever is cut fran the body of a living animal is carrion". &I animal which has been partially devoured by wild beasts(2) refers to any animal (other than those hunted) which has been partially devoured by wild beasts or birds of prey. An animal which has been sacrificed to idols or dedicated to other than _cod (=r -Slaughtered animals of polytheists, non-believers, secularists, atheists, gagians, apostates and all non-kitabis(4) m_atever is harmful to eat(5) Prohibition of the aforesaid meats invariably comprises all parts of the animal and its derivatives, including its fat and bones. 2.1.2. Foods held to be forbidden by the majority of scholars gules and domestic donke~s(6) are held to be forbidden by the majority of scholars. However, to Imam Halik, they are only reprehensible. (7) Predatory animals and beasts with canine teethC7), such as lions, tigers, wolves, leopards, bears, dogs and cats are held by the majority of scholars to be forbidden. To Imam Ualik, however, these are reprehensible rather than forbidden. (*) -Birds.. - of prey with clawsc7), such as the falcon. goshawk, vulture, eagle, sparrow hawk and peregrine are regarded by the majority of scholars as being unlawful to eat. However, Imam Halik believes that all these are generally permissible. (4) Evidence denoting prohibition of the above is the following Hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad: "When you arrive in Persia from Nabatea, eat the mat you buy from a Jew or Christian, but not that slaughtered by a ilagian". (5) - The Holy Quran cannands: "Kill not yourselves". (Uanen, verse 29). - The Prophet, peace be upon him, likewise, stipulates: "Harm not thyselves and inflict no harm on others". (narrated by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hajah). (6) Corroborating this Anas Ibn Malik narrates that the Prophet, peace be upon him, ordered a caller to announce to the people: "God and His messenger forbid you to eat the flesh of damestic donkeys, as it is foul; therefore, throw it away and turn over cooking pots wherein such meat is being boiled". In this connection too, Jaber narrates on the authority of Muslim: "On the day of the battle of Khaibar, we slaughtered horses, mules and donkeys. The Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade the eating of mules and donkeys, but not horses". (7) The Hadith narrated by Muslim: "All wild beasts with canine teeth are forbidden" is evidence denoting prohibition. This is further substantiated by another narration by Muslim, who maintains that the Prophet, peace be upon him, "prohibited the eating of all wild beasts with canine teeth and all birds of prey with claws". (8) The above are held to be permissible on the grounds that they are not mentioned mng the prohibitions cited in the Quranic revelation: "Say, I find not in that which is revealed Unto me ought prohibited to an eater that he eats thereof except it be carrion ...". (Cattle, verse 145). P,sts_, such as mice, scorpions and beetlesc9) are regarded by the majority of scholars, as being unlawful to eat. To Imams Ualik and A1 Awza'i, however, these are only reprehen~ible.(~) Elephants are generally regarded by the majority of scholars as being unlawful to eat, though some jurisprudents hold it to be permissible. 2.2. Animals which it is lawful to eat 2.2.1. Indisputably permissible foods -Sheep, camels ,cows, buf fa1oes_(l0) and all terrestrial non-predatory animals, whether domesticated, or non-domesticated, such as the hedgehog and mole rat, as well as poultry, such as pigeons, chickens, turkeys, ducks and pther non-predatory birds, like sparrows, provided they have been killed in a sanctioned form, whether by slaughter (gabh), slaying (naw), stabbing (aqr) or hunting.