Question:
I have a concern about eating out without knowing if it’s halal or kosher. I was told we can’t because the way the animal is slaughtered. But some said it’s ok because we live in a country from the people of the book. I also came across a video from uthman ibn Farooq stating that the united states is a secular country. Please elaborate.
جزاك الله خيرا.
Answer:
Salām ʿAlaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh,
Jazākum Allāhu khayran for your thoughtful question regarding eating meat in non-Muslim countries and the status of the People of the Book in the modern context.
1. The Qur’anic Basis
Allāh ﷻ says in the Qur’ān:
“The food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you…” (Sūrat al-Mā’idah 5:5)
This verse refers to the permissibility of consuming the slaughtered animals of Ahl al-Kitāb (People of the Book – Jews and Christians), even though they held beliefs that included forms of shirk. It is also important to note that it is not a condition on the People of the Book to pronounce the name of Allāh at the time of slaughter.
2. Contemporary Application
While the United States and Canada are officially secular countries, their populations are predominantly Christian. There is an established Islamic legal principle that “the ruling is based on the majority”. According to major Islamic legal councils such as AMJA (Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America), as well as leading scholars in the Shāfiʿī, Mālikī, and Ḥanbalī schools, this Christian identity still qualifies them as Ahl al-Kitāb in practical fiqh rulings.
These councils have ruled that meat and poultry slaughtered by Christians or Jews in these countries is permissible, provided the following conditions are met:
- The animal is slaughtered while alive.
- The method used does not involve killing by blunt force, strangulation, or other ḥarām methods.
In Canada and the U.S., federal regulations (e.g., FDA and CFIA) require animals to be slaughtered before death.
3. Concerns About Secularism and Belief
Regarding the concern that these nations are “secular” and not “Christian,” secularism refers to the structure of governance, not necessarily the religious identity of individuals. The permissibility of eating meat from Ahl al-Kitāb is based on the faith of the slaughterer, not the legal status of the state. Thus, if the individual performing the slaughter is Christian or Jewish, the ruling remains.
Conclusion
Therefore, according to the sound opinion in the Shāfiʿī, Mālikī, and Ḥanbalī madhāhib and the position of credible fatwā bodies like AMJA, eating meat or poultry from the U.S. or Canada that was slaughtered by Ahl al-Kitāb is permissible, unless you have specific reason to believe that the animal was not slaughtered properly.
However, an important exception must be noted: if you go to a butchering facility or store and you know with certainty (yaqīn) that the individuals slaughtering the meat are not from the People of the Book, then it is not permissible to purchase or consume that meat. In such a case, the general presumption no longer applies, as certainty overrides assumption.
As always, those who wish to exercise greater caution by eating only certified ḥalāl meat are free to do so.
Wa-Allāhu Aʿlam.