['Aalim Network QR] Halal and Zabeeha Meat

[Mustafa Rawji <mrawji@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>]

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|       In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|  Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
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Salaamun alaykum,

	The following question on 'halal' meat was kindly answered by 
Moulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi.  

Wasalaam,

Mustafa Rawji
Acting Moderator, ABDG-A


QUESTION:

Salam Alaikum

	It is now very apparent, and confirmed by some of the Alims of the
Sunnis, that they consider the food and particularly the meat of 
Christians and Jews as Halal. Some meat stores, restaurants, airlines 
consider this is as genuine Halal meat. 
	According to our Marja, what is the distinction betwen Zabeeha which is 
the meat that is slaughtered according to the Islamic rules, and merely 
Halal, which may be the meat from the "people of the book."
	If a Muslim offers meat that he/she deems 'halal', can we 
question it in light of the above.

ANSWER:

Firstly, the terms "zabeeha and halal": According to Shi`a maraji`, zabeeha
and halal are one and the same thing. That is, the meat of an animal
slaughtered by a non-Muslim is not halal. So in our terminology, zabeeha and
halal is the same thing. (Even the Sunnis use the two terms as interchangeable.)

Secondly, when the definition of halal and zabeeha meat was one and the same
for all Muslims, you were told to accept the words of your Muslim brother
when he says that the meat is halal.

Now, however, the Muslims are divided on the definition of zabeeha and halal
meat. The Shi`as and many Sunnis on the one hand emphasize on the manual
slaughtering of the animal by a Muslim slaughterer; and many other
"liberated" Sunnis considered the animal slaughtered by a Jew/Christian as
halal.

In this era of relativity (which also creates confusion and choas), if you
know that your Muslim brother is using the term "halal" and/or "zabeeha" in
a meaning different from yours --- then you cannot assume that the meat is
halal and o.k.

Yours in Islam,

Sayyid M. Rizvi