Q: I follow the Hanafi fiqh and the Hanafi fiqh states that chicken must be hand slaughtered. Machine slaughtered chickens cannot be eaten. The Shafi'ee fiqh allows for the consumption of machine slaughtered chicken as long as it is done the proper way (with Kalima). In Makkah and Madina there are mostly Shafi'ee followers. Is it okay for me, a follower of the Hanafi fiqh, to eat chicken when I go for Umrah and Hajj if it is not hand slaughtered?
A: The law in regard to machine cut chickens is that if the one slaughtering is a Muslim and he recites tasmiyah on each chicken separately, the meat will be halaal. The aspect of halaal and haraam is an extremely sensitive issue in Deen. The criteria in determining halaal and haraam is to verify whether the chicken slaughtered locally or abroad (i.e. in Makkah Mukarramah, Madinah Tayyibah or any other place in the world) was slaughtered according to the Shar'ee procedure of slaughter. It is incorrect for one to pass sweeping statements in regard to any meat (whether slaughtered locally or abroad) that it is haraam unless one verifies the information and investigates into the matter. For further details on the issue of machine slaughter, refer to http://muftionline.co.za/node/2505
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ لِيُجَادِلُوكُمْ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ ﴿الأنعام: ١٢١﴾
وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ ۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا لَّيُضِلُّونَ بِأَهْوَائِهِم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُعْتَدِينَ ﴿١١٩﴾
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