Waleed Basyouni – What is the rulings on a Zabihah Diet – Ask The
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As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salamu ala Rasulullah wa
ala alihi wa sahbihi wa mawala.
We welcome you to another episode of Ask
the Imam question and answer and fatwa session.
So we have quite a few questions.
As you know, if you want to post
your questions or your questions to be answered,
please send us an email at asktheimam at
themasjid.org.
That is asktheimam at themasjid.org.
We have two questions actually asked by a
sister.
One is concerning the Bihamit and she's wondering
what are the restrictions?
What are the exceptions?
She sees a lot of people eating other
than what they call it the Bihamit from
let's say, you know, American stores or restaurants
like Chick-fil-a and things like this.
What are the rulings on this?
What are the guidelines?
Are they right to not eat and to
eat from restaurants?
Are they wrong?
Are they eating haram meat when they do
this?
So these questions always been asked by many
people who only stick to the Bihamit that
they get from Islamic stores.
Yes.
First of all, I would like to say
it is important for a person to make
sure that they consume what is halal.
Right.
Because this is an important thing and the
Prophet ﷺ said any body that nurtures by
haram and that haram coming from haram income
or haram...
In and of itself, yes.
You know, belong to the hellfire.
So, Allah ﷻ order us.
Allah ﷻ said for us, eat from what
I have put in earth which is halal,
lawful and good for you.
And no doubt, Islam also forbade certain specific
type of food, specific type of meat they're
not allowed to eat.
But the general rule, everything else is halal.
So, for a person to care about this,
this is a good thing.
Okay, it's not a bad.
Here comes to what about eating what you
call halal meat.
I would like to say this, Dabiha.
They call it Dabiha.
Yes.
The word, there is nobody ever says you
are allowed to eat non-Dabiha.
Non-Dabiha means a dead meat.
Right.
You know, a prey that hunted by a
wild beast and killed it, then you come
and you scavenger it or eat from it.
That's nobody ever said that's allowed to eat
this thing.
The debate is, do we consider this Dabiha
or not?
I'll tell you, when I went to England,
you know, somebody pick me up from the
airport and he drove me literally, Sheikh, 47
minutes in London's traffic.
Why?
Because he want to show me a halal
McDonald.
Okay.
So, that's pretty far away.
That's a good thing though, right?
So, Sheikh, we have halal McDonald's.
This is obviously quite a long time ago.
So, after he finished, I said, he never
told me why he drove me that far.
Then he said, I said to him, oh,
we have a lot of these in Texas.
A lot of them in Texas.
It's so true.
For the whole weekend, he'd been telling everybody
we should move to Texas, you know?
Yeah.
All the halal McDonald's everywhere.
And later, I told him, you know, my
method, the way I choose, I don't have
a problem with eating from the general public,
you know, stores.
For me, all these stores also, as long
as it's beef, it's halal.
Right.
And he was like, he couldn't process this.
But the catch is, in the free, you
blow his bubble.
Yeah.
So, the phrase of halal or Dabiha, you
know, what that means to you, relatively, sometimes
it means that I eat from people who
have, for example, Muslims.
Or I eat from people who like a
culture store, you know?
And that became more and more what people
think of, equal to the word halal.
But in order for this to be halal
meat, it has to be killed by a
Muslim or a Christian or a Jew.
And you don't have to know the exact
person who, yes, slaughtered the animal.
Go by the general.
You know, if this is considered a Christian
country, Christian nation, Jews and Christians and Muslims
are majority in this country, it will take
the rule.
Bring it, bring proof to the opposite.
Yeah.
Unless you know for sure that this person
and this particular animal slaughtered by a Hindu
or a Buddhist or an atheist.
But as a general rule, that's what it
is.
It's like a Muslim country.
We don't, maybe what if some people who
like Ismaili, for example, Qadiani, you know, consider
Muslim according to the Muslims, you know, somebody
doesn't believe in God and he work as
law.
We don't go to these possibilities.
With these exceptions.
Yeah, exceptions.
Yeah.
So that's number one.
Number two, it has to be slaughtered.
Okay.
And slaughtering, there is a debate among the
scholars what's considered a slaughter, but as long
as the blood is basically a gush out
from the animal, okay, that's sufficient.
Some scholars said even if it is one,
you know, you have the throat and you
have the- It has been drained of
the body, yes.
Jaguar, it has to be one of these
three.
Okay.
So not like stabbing it on the stomach
and bleeding it.
Okay.
They have to be from the neck.
So you do basically to the two jaguar
or the throat, you basically, you cut it,
al-marī al-dad as we say in
Arabic.
So one of them, three of them is
the best.
One of them, two of them, according to
the different opinions, it will be sufficient.
But as long as the blood start gushing
out, alhamdulillah.
So it's not, for example, electric shot and
that's it.
Yeah.
Or take the chicken and smash its head
and that's it.
Now, also another condition that al-ʻilm ar
-raḥmahullāh debate is it must or not must,
which is bismillah.
Okay.
And bismillah, it is in the opinion that
I lean towards, it is highly, it's wājib
if you remember and it is forgiven if
you don't remember.
Okay.
And also bismillah is not a must because
first of all, the Nabi ﷺ would be
asked, Ya Rasūlullāh, we eat from the people
of the book.
And we don't know if they say bismillah
or not.
He said, you say bismillah and eat.
Right.
So if it is must and conditioned, it
will not be with the possibility allowed for
you to eat.
Also, another thing is al-kitāb, not to
say bismillah.
Actually, if a Jewish or Christian say the
name of Jesus, because that's the Allah for
them or in the name of whatever God,
that will be harām and which will be
not allowed to eat.
Right, right.
It was ghilli li ghayri allāhi bih, it's
slaughtered in the name other than Allah.
So that will be absolutely harām.
Um, so with this being said, and the
verse that Allah ﷻ said, وَلَا تَأْكُلُ مِمَّا
لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ We know this.
That's, if you look at the context of
this verse, it's clearly talk about the shirk,
about those who slaughtered to other than Allah.
Yeah.
Allah ﷻ said don't eat from what Allah's
name is not mentioned it.
But other basically, if you look at the
context, talk about the people who mentioned other
than Allah's name on the animal.
They used to, yeah, for the idols.
Yes, for the idols.
And that's what I mean.
Some scholar became more strict about this, that
he must say Bismillah more.
Instead of that, I respect that.
You have to understand that this is very
two big schools, you know.
And to say it must be said, Bismillah
or it will be harām, it's actually put
a lot of people in harāj.
Because it's in difficulty.
Yeah, it's not imaginable when you have hundreds
of thousands of animals killed at the same
time.
And Bismillah, the possibility of not saying it,
it's very high actually.
There is some people said in America, they
stunned the animals or they electrocuted the animals
or put them in a restaurant or put
them, now they use a gas to make
them drowsy.
It's not meant to kill the animal.
It's not 100% to, or it's not
meant that the speed, that it is clever
in a way, the collaboration of that gun,
stunning gun, is meant to make it drowsy,
not to feel unconscious.
Then they slaughter.
Yes, it's not from the Sunnah of the
Prophet, but as long as it's still alive.
And I asked personally many people slaughterhouse, they
said, very rare for it to die, especially
big animal, you know.
So, and by the way, just for the
record, this method is used in many Muslim
country.
Right.
I see to slaughterhouse and show them.
When you have, yeah, when you have mass
abduction like this.
Seems like it's not, it's not something new,
you know, in many countries, they use this
similar method, you know, especially when you have
chickens and to make them subtle, to be
cut, you know, with the machines, not with
the hand.
Speaking of which, there is something that became
more strict.
This is the only halal if it's cut
by the hand, by machine.
I mean, all these strict restrictions remind me
of, you know, Allah SWT made it easy
for us and we make it harder.
Right.
And I want to say, one of the
reasons Allah SWT allowed the, so let me
finish this and I'll come to the last
point.
So with this being said, I do see
here some people, some scholars and respected opinion
says, no, you're not allowed to eat outside,
which you know for sure that's done according
to these conditions.
And some say, no, these conditions also applicable
to the general public because the Ahlul Kitab,
America as a land, majority is still Christians
and Jews.
And basically the way animals slaughter in general
and we are allowed to eat it.
And I lean towards that.
Also, there is another thing that is important
to keep in mind.
Why Sheikh, you think Allah allowed us to
eat from the people of the book, the
food of the people of the book?
To make it?
To make it easy for the people.
And it is part of the coexistence that
we have.
That's another thing.
Right.
But one first to make it easy.
Right.
You know, actually we need this world that
neither when you're traveling or a city, whereas
I know people drive like hundreds of miles
or like just to go to Halal store
and they make it so.
So the whole concept of it, Rukhsah.
Right.
This Rukhsah, which is a break, a gift
from Allah, there is a big chunk of
brothers and sisters today, they rejected this Rukhsah
from Allah.
And it becomes difficult on them.
And useless.
Right.
Yani this rule is literally useless today for
them.
It's impossible.
Allah will not ordain for us something that
is useless.
That's something which cannot be used.
It remains until the day of judgment.
Yes.
So why would I put myself in this
difficulty?
Another thing that also one of the reason
people of the book, you know, is that
what you just alluded to, which is the
interactions.
You know, I noticed that those who take
that opinion, you know, your presence and being
exist in general, restaurants and the Muslim community
being part of the society have actually more
positive impact than being so isolated.
In a very isolated.
Like an enclave.
Yes.
And I think that's not a very, in
my opinion, this is a very healthy thing.
You know.
I call upon, and this is something I
give credit to Toronto, which is just came
from.
I call upon our even halal store is
to be, you know, to care about, you
know, the shari process of the beef.
But also about the quality of the meat,
which is very sad.
Very good point.
Very sad today to tell you that many
people who sell halal meat, they don't care
about what kind of animals that they buy.
Some people told me sometimes they buy the
cheapest on the market.
You know, I would like to see about
the process, the animal treated with dignity.
Like when you buy now, kids free.
Right.
You're right.
We have more rights over this.
One time, a person from an animal rights
activist met with me and told me that
he has a report about Muslim slaughterhouse.
He said, it's one of the most inhumane
way I ever seen in my life.
And he was talking to me to reach
out, said, talk about it.
Reach out.
I know in your religion, it's not allowed
to do that.
So we would like to see more care
about this conversation to take place as well,
which is not only a halal, the good.
Yeah, it means a good meat, a good
process, a good, you know.
Also, I think our halal stories should cater
to the general public.
Yeah.
In Toronto, when I went, I went to
the steakhouse.
Attracts people.
Steakhouse.
One of the best, like one of the
best steak I've been to.
Even I saw Shukri's pictures on the, you
know.
It was right here.
So, you know, these kind of like mood,
instead of making just a cultural restaurant, it
became something that catered to the, like you
see Chinese food.
Yeah.
And even, I'm exist, but I want this
to be also more and more and more
to make that, you know, interact.
And it becomes like a dawah opportunity for
others.
Yes.
Sheikh, there is a reason why the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam died.
They found his shield was taken as a
bond by a Jewish person for collateral for
a handful handfuls of barley.
And Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had so
many companions who were rich.
He doesn't need to go to the Jewish
person to get money from him or borrow.
Right.
Or put his shield as a collateral.
He could have take from other, have now
from many.
And I always ask myself, why the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did that?
And the reason is to show that there
is an interaction.
Engage with them, yeah.
We are in this together.
We live together.
We interact.
We eat together.
We trade with each other.
And that's something I think it is missing
in this conversation.
And I like, you know, I really love
that you brought up these points.
And it's not just the question and the
fiqh issue of it.
It's just the implication of this lifestyle, you
know, living halal lifestyle and make it inviting
to other people from other cultures and other
religions that would like to engage with us.
And we engage with them.
Yes.
With bin Saad, I buy most of my
meat and chicken and stuff like that from
halal store and from cultural stores from our,
because I want to support our community.
Yes.
Yeah.
But also if I'm outside in a restaurant
I don't see a haram for me to
do that as long as it is, alhamdulillah,
not poor.
One last point in this topic is that
should this be a problem between the Muslim,
you know, different people in the Muslim community,
those who eat dhabiha and those who don't.
I mean, they do eat dhabiha, but they
also don't eat the same.
I mean, should those people who only eat
dhabiha meat that is from halal meat stores
look down upon other Muslims who, which might
be the majority actually, that you go to
McDonald's or you go to Chick-fil-A,
you buy your meat from H-E-B
or things like this.
Should that be something going on?
No, we should respect one another.
We should make fun of those who care
about this halal issue.
And we all care about halal, but those
who buy it from a cultural stores and
we should not make fun of them.
They should not look down upon those who
others and assume they are eating halal.
You know, sometimes I go outside to eat
in a restaurant, general restaurant, and my friend
will only eat meat killed by Muslims or
slaughtered by Muslims.
And guess what?
He would pay for all of us, but
he will not eat because he believes that
I'm doing something.
It's like me praying behind the Hanafi or
Shafi'ah or Haram Bari or Mariki.
I might disagree on some issues related to
wudu, to ghusl, salah, but still we're praying
together because I believe his salah is correct
in itself.
You do let people pay for you?
Because I've never succeeded with you.
Every time I went with the Sheikh, he
would always pay.
And I would be glad, of course.
Thank you.
All right.
Thank you for watching this episode.
Again, we remind you, it is send an
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