CATTLE FOR QUR’BAANI – IS STUNNING PERMISSIBLE?
QUERY BY A MUFTI SAHIB
QUESTION
Kindly provide guidance on the proper method of cattle slaughter as per the Sunnah or the guidance of the Fuqahaa/Akabireen.
I have noticed over the years differing methods of subduing cattle for slaughter. Generally, all of them require subduing the animal with force. Doing so with sheep and goats is substantially easier than cattle especially when cattle are of a larger size.
It generally takes considerable time and effort to subdue cattle. Thus the animal is stressed and often injured. Cattle pliers are often used in which the inside of the animal’s nose is severely pulled to bring the animal under control. It frequently happens that individuals involved in subduing the animal are injured in the process, sometimes by the animal and sometimes by being cut when the knife slips due to loss of control of the animal’s head.
On one farm last year, a particularly large animal could not be subdued and was kicking and bucking wildly against the crush pen. Eventually, the SPCA representative on site stunned the animal with a shot to the head. The animal was immediately concussed and the slaughter proceeded immediately thereafter without any difficulty.
From external observation, it seemed that stunning the animal was more merciful to the animal than the efforts to subdue the animal.
What is the proper method for subduing and slaughtering cattle which does not cause undue or minimal harm and stress to the animal?
In cases wherein the slaughter is difficult, would it be preferred to stun the animal or to continue trying to subdue the animal despite the danger and harm to the animal itself and those involved in the process?
ANSWER
Most certainly it is not permissible for the novices described in your letter to embark on slaughtering cattle. They lack expertise hence they perpetrate cruelty to the animals and also get themselves injured.
Stunning is not permissible. There is no need for this haraam practice because it is not incumbent to slaughter cattle for Qur’baani. A person who is unable to slaughter a sheep should not try slaughtering even sheep and goats. Similarly, a person who is unable to correctly handle a bull should not attempt to display prowess by slaughtering cattle. What is the incumbency for slaughtering cattle for Qur’baani? When sheep and goats are available in abundance, why slaughter cattle, especially when the process involves much cruelty and danger? Instead of cattle, they should make Qur’baani of sheep/goats.
Inflicting injury to the animal prior to slaughtering is haraam. Stunning is also infliction of injury. The scenario is not a case of a wild bull escaping, running wild and unable of being captured. In such an isolated case, the animal may even be shot, then slaughtered if still alive. But it is not permissible to adopt stunning as a procedure prior to slaughtering. There is no need for it because there is no Shar’i need to slaughter cattle.
It is not permissible for the novices described by the Mufti Sahib to engage in slaughtering cattle. Only those who are fully capable, may slaughter cattle.
8 Zil Hijjah 1445 – 15 June 2024