Selling animals to an abattoir that pays according to the weight of the animal after slaughter
Q: Is it permissible for a Muslim farmer to sell his animals to an abattoir that will pay him only after they slaughter and skin etc.? Nowadays, most abattoirs first slaughter the animal. They then grade the meat and accordingly pay the price on the hook. The price per kg is fixed e.g. A grade R40/kg, B grade R30/kg, C grade R20/kg. Is this sale permissible due to the price of the animal being unknown at the time of the sale? Will the ruling change if both parties are willing and agree, and generally this doesn’t lead to any problems as this has become the norm in dealing with abattoirs? If not, is there a way to make the sale valid such as the farmer making the abattoir his representative or leaving the animals by the abattoir and making them responsible without concluding the sale? How would it work out in the situation where the abattoir is non-Muslim owned?