Integrals of Islamic Slaughter
One examines four integrals before judging whether the meat is lawful or unlawful (halal or haram). When these integrals are satisfied, the slaughter is Islamically acceptable, i.e., tathkiyah is proper. These integrals are as follows: the method of slaughter, the person doing the slaughter, the slaughtered animal and the tool used for slaughter.
1. Method: The method of slaughter comprises severing the pathways of air and food. This is the minimum. The scholars recommended to severe also the two jugular veins located on the two sides of the neck. According to others, the minimum is severing the two pathways and one of the jugular veins. Consequently, throwing the animal in boiling water does not make the meat edible. Beating an animal to death by a rock or a bat or anything else does not fulfill the integral of slaughter. Most of the non-Muslim slaughterhouses in North America and elsewhere do not comply with this integral as many credible Muslim witnesses have testified.
2. Slaughterer: The slaughterer has to be a Muslim, Christian, or Jew. The slaughter of an apostate, Hindu, Majus and pagan is not edible. The condition not to mention other than the name to Allah while slaughtering is also applicable. The meat of an animal slaughtered by someone other than these three kinds of people is Islamically non-edible meat (maytah). One then understands that the mechanical slaughter done by the automatic machines renders the meat not Islamically edible. Without a disagreement among the scholars, the slaughterer has the intention to slaughter while clearly the machine does not. Again, most of the slaughterhouses in North America and elsewhere do not comply with this integral as many credible Muslim witnesses have testified.
3. Animal: The slaughtered animal should be one of the Islamically, permissible and edible animals. The books of fiqh discussed this issue in detail.
4. Tool: The slaughtering object should be an instrument that is able to cut by its edge the pathways of air and food. The instrument needs to have an edge and better be sharp like a knife, sword or spear. Shooting a domestic animal, electrifying it, or suffocating it is not a permissible means of slaughtering. Most of the non-Muslim slaughterhouses in North America and elsewhere do not comply with this integral as many credible Muslim witnesses have testified.
These integrals have some sunan, which Prophet Muhammad encouraged us to do. In particular, saying Bismillah or Bismillah Allahu Akbar or Allahu Akbar while slaughtering is a recommended sunnah and is not an integral. One also should look for the Islamic manners in slaughtering. In addition, there are some disliked acts, makruh, which the slaughterer is encouraged to avoid. The Islamic law (Shari`ah) defines the conditions on how one may slaughter and hunt by deploying trained animals like a dog, falcon, cheetah or leopard.
One thing important to recognize is the maytah forbidden meats are filth (najisah, or najas). They are contaminant to anything gets in contact with them. At this point, one needs to clean the contaminated part properly with water. Moreover, if a meal contains these kinds of meats or their broth, the entire meal became filth (najis), and it is unlawful (haram) to serve it or eat it.