ISLAMIC SLAUGHTERING AND

MEAT QUALITY

Prof. Dr. Javaid Aziz Awan

Country Director
Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America,
Shan Plaza, New Garden Town, Lahore
ifancapk@gmail.com

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INTRODUCTION
Meat indispensable for sound human health
Provides several essential nutrients:
Proteins
Amino acids
Mineral elements
Vitamins
Meat subject to spoilage by:
Chemical reactions
Biochemical reactions
Biological agents, including bacteria
Responsible for food-borne diseases
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INTRODUCTION
Hence meat be produced so as to:
Minimize chemical and biochemical changes
Prevent chances of bacterial contamination and
growth
Preserve quality
Slaughtering of lawful animals and birds essential to
prepare for food purposes
Pre-slaughter management and bleeding methods
regulated by:
religious practices and
legislations
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ESSENTIALS OF HALAL SLAUGHTERING

Islamic method of slaughtering - based on two
important principles:
Tasmiya - invoking name of Allah - slaughter being
done with His permission
Tazkiyah - means purification
This in accordance with several commands given in
the Holy Quran

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ESSENTIALS OF HALAL SLAUGHTERING

Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of
swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other
than God; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a
violent blow, or by a head long fall, or by being gored to death;
that which hath been partly eaten by a wild animal, unless ye
are able to slaughter it (in due form) .. (Al Maida - V:4)
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) gave comprehensive guidelines on
slaughtering of animals in following Hadith:
Verily Allah, has prescribed proficiency in all things. Thus, if
you kill, kill well; and if you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each
one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the
animal he slaughters.
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ESSENTIALS OF HALAL SLAUGHTERING

Process of slaughtering in Islam - consolidated
Slaughterer:
must be adult Muslim or
one who believes in Holy Scriptures
should be in possession of his mental faculties
Lay animal (except camel) on its left flank, preferably
facing Kibla
Recite name of Allah:
Subhan Allah, or
La illaha illila ho, or
Allah-o-Akbar or
Bismillah Allah-o-Akbar
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ESSENTIALS OF HALAL SLAUGHTERING

Lay animal (except camel) on its left flank, preferably
facing Kibla
Recite name of Allah:
Subhan Allah, or
La illaha illila ho, or
Allah-o-Akbar or
Bismillah Allah-o-Akbar
Give quick incision using very sharp knife on front of
the neck to severe: Wind pipe, Oesophagus, Carotid
arteries, Jugular veins
Prohibited - practice of cutting off part of an animal or
removing its skin while still alive
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PRE-SLAUGHTER HANDLING OF ANIMALS 1. Selection of animals

Islam permits consumption of few animals and birds
only
Strictly prohibited:
Pork
Blood
Carrion
Dead animals
All carnivorous animals
All birds of prey
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1. Selection of animals
Permitted animals:
All herbivorous, even-toed ruminants
Animal for Halal slaughter be:
Healthy
Free from any apparent or
hidden impurities/disease
Must be legally owned
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) advised companions to use
very sharp knife
Further instructed that sharpening of knife not be
performed in front of slaying animal
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3. Rest prior to slaughtering

Islam promotes calm and rested animals prior to
slaughtering:
Not fatigued
Not excited
Not nervous
Prohibited - any act that causes neurosis or
excitement or other abnormal behavioural changes in
animal
Prohibited in Islam - Practice of collective slaughtering
- other animals do not view their companion being
killed
Research reveals - practices inhumane
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3. Rest prior to slaughtering Scientific

evidence
Modern methods require animal prior to slaughtering not
be subjected to:
Stress
Fatigue
Neurotic
Otherwise excited
Rough handling of animals in pre-slaughter period
adversely affects meat quality
Result - dark, firm and dry meat (dark cutting meat)
Fatigued or starved animals
Organisms from gut may invade blood stream and
eventually muscles
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3. Rest prior to slaughtering Scientific

evidence
Proper relaxation before slaughtering:
Helps animal to bleed well
Builds up muscle glycogen essential to lower pH of
meat
Increases storage life by reducing chances of
microbial growth
Improves taste due to conditioning/ tenderness
Helps delay or reduce fermentation in stomach
may otherwise give meat characteristic smell
known as bone taint
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4. Stress prior to slaughtering- Scientifc

evidence
Generally regarded undesirable that animal awaiting
slaughter view slaughtering process causes stress
Animals under stress - lead to undue emotional
instability and fatigue
Anorexia, etc. Discharge hormones from adrenal
glands:
adrenaline from adrenal medulla
17 hydroxy- and 11-deoxy-corticosterones from
adrenal cortex
Hormones deplete muscle glycogen and potassium
Deleterious effects on meat quality
To prevent these adverse effects, tranquilizers
recommended to calm stocks in transit.
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5. Feeding the animals

Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) advised that animals
destined for slaughtering be:
well fed
provided with drinking water
Preferable that animals have free access to feed and
water prior to slaughtering
Two schools of thoughts:
Animal to remain hungry - Fasting
Animal be well fed
Fasting animals - Fasting animals before slaughter
recommended in modern abattoirs
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5. Feeding the animals Scientific evidence

Fasting animals - Advantages claimed:
Bleed better
Carcass easier to dress
Carcass has brighter appearance
Reduced bulk of animals stomach
Reduced chances of bacterial contamination from
gut
Fasted animals - Disadvantages:
Loss in weight of carcass and liver
Lower glycogen reserves in muscles
Reduced gustative quality of meat
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5. Feeding the animals Scientific evidence

Well-fed animals:
Glycogen level in muscle reaches higher level
Ensures production of adequate lactic acid
Lowers pH of meat
Such meat has good: Appearance, Taste, Tenderness,
Longer shelf-life
Meat spoilage bacteria prefer growth at high pH levels
- around pH 7.0
Any decrease from normal value of about 6.8 reduces
chances of bacterial multiplication, especially food
poisoning ones
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5. Feeding the animals Scientific evidence

Meat of soothed and well-fed animals:
pH attains 5.5 or even lower level
Meat of fatigued or neurotic animals:
pH varies from 6.5 to 7.0
To produce meat of good keeping and eating quality,
often recommended to feed animals prior to
slaughtering
In some cases sugar solution fed to quickly restore
glycogen level in tissues

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6. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE - Halal

Slaughtering rules apply to animals and birds in complete physical
control of man - all domesticated birds and animals (except
camel)
Conventionally, slaughtering process consists of two to three
different stages
Depends on religious practices and legislations
Posture of animal and bleeding method governed by religious and
national legislations
Western countries require animals be stunned before slaughtering
Stunning widely practiced in Western abattoirs
Main objective
make animal unconscious for gentle and painless death
No standard method for all animals under all conditions
Muslims and Jews not in favour of stunning
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6. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
Modern method - 1. Stunning
Stunning effective in having calm animal
Stunning may adversely affect quality of carcass
cause injury to medulla oblongata in brain - controls
blood circulation and respiration
Desirable these systems continue to function - help
pump blood out of carcass when blood vessels
cutMethod of shooting by free bullet - too dangerous to
use in abattoirs
Captive bolt - discarded
Carbon dioxide anesthesia - exact dose of gas
important for specific length of time
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6. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
Modern method -1. Stunning
Electrical stunning widely used
increases frequency of blood splash - appearance
of small dark red areas in meat
also lowers glycogen reserves of muscle
approximately in 5 % electrically stunned animals
heart failure - animal dead before incision made
Stunning - outcome of industrial revolution
Initially meant to protect the slaughterer and other
employees
Reality - no relation with mercy on animals
More animals be slaughtered in least time
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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
2. Animal positioning
Islamic method - lay animal on left flank preferably
facing Kibla
Scientific evidence
When laid on left flank, likelihood of more blood to
drain owing to body pressure on heart
Laying animal enables it to convulse
results from contraction of muscles due to lack of
oxygen in brain cells when incision made in neck
During convulsions blood squeezed out of vessels
Hence more blood drains out
a pre-requisite for meat of superior eating and
keeping quality
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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
2. Animal positioning -Scientific evidence
During convulsions blood squeezed out of vessels
Hence more blood drains out
a pre-requisite for meat of superior eating and
keeping quality
Evidence suggests more blood lost from sheep in
horizontal position than those hung vertically
Islam permits use of knife or any sharp object for
bleeding
Incision made in neck with simultaneous recitation of
the name of Allah - Takbir
Takbir has religious significance to believer
makes submission to Allah
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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
Slaughtering actually done in the name of Allah
So eat of (meats) on which Gods name has been
pronounced if ye have faith in His Signs
(Al Anaam - Vl:118).
Slaughtering not in name of any person or deity in
accordance with following commands:
Eat not of meats on which Gods name has not been
pronounced: that would be impiety. But the evil ones
ever inspire their friends to commit end with you if ye
were to obey them, ye would indeed be Pagans
(Vl:121).
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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques - Islamic method
Cut throat transversely without injuring spinal cord to
severe carotid arteries, jugular veins, oesophagus and
trachea
Two requirements in slaughter of animals for meat:
animals be dispatched without unnecessary
suffering
bleeding be as complete as possible
When both carotid arteries and veins severed
connection between brain and body retained via spinal
cord and brain sends messages to heart and lungs
Heart pumps blood to parts of body
drained out from severed blood vessels in neck
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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques Scientific evidence
Results of a comparison of study on different methods of
slaughtering:
Maximum blood lost in Kosher method
Jewish method similar to Islamic as regards
physical details
Minimum when chicken simply beheaded
Islamic method ensures maximum blood drainage
from body before completion of death process
Unconsciousness induced between 3 to 6 seconds

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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding Scientific evidence
Blood excellent medium for growth of microorganisms
Meat retaining more blood than critical level liable to bacterial
spoilage
Blood retention in tissues can cause unpleasant appearance
and discolouration in meat
Keeping and eating qualities of meat depend, in part, on
removal of maximum blood from carcass
To produce good carcass animal be bled effectively
Heart and respiratory system must function continuously as
long as possible after severance of blood vessels
This attained most thoroughly when heart and respiratory
functions
retained by maintaining medulla oblongata/spinal cord
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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques Scientific evidence

Positioning of animal in Islamic method:

clearly prevents retraction of carotids
ensures rapid onset of unconsciousness and
painless death
In Islamic method of slaughtering maximum
blood drained - outranks other slaughtering
techniques
HENCE BETTER QUALITY OF MEAT
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ANIMAL RIGTHTS IN ISLAM

Islam recognized animal rights long before human
rights recognized in Western World
Numerous Ahadiths on kindness and mercy towards
animals
Holy Prophet (pbuh) advised:
Nourish animals well
Save animals from hunger and thirst
Show kindness to animals
Do not hit or mark animal on its face
Do not shoot arrows at cattle or bird tied or held up
Do not fight animals for sports or recreation
Do not unjustly kill even a sparrow or smaller bird
(other than for food)
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EXTRODUCTION

Current scientific data reveals Islamic

recommendations for slaughtering animals
highly rational
Good physique and health considered basic
requirement for selection of food animals
Pre-slaughter management of animals requires
they should not be fatigued, excited or neurotic
Proper rest, absence of hunger and thirst and
use of sharp knife alleviate pains of death
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Thank You

HALAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

Head Office:
192- Ahmad Block, New Garden Town , Lahore, Pakistan
Ph: +92 42 35913096-8 , Fax: +92 42 35913056
E-mail : info@halalrc.org Web: www.halalrc.org