Egyptian fatwa, Excalibur, July, 2008

[Guest guest]

*Egypt** Fatwa*:*A fatwa on the issue of live export*

 

* *

 

We are very pleased that our group ESAF in Egypt has taken the initiative to

call for a fatwa on the live export of animals.

 

Let us call on all Muslim countries to take the high moral ground and

unilaterally ban live animal imports! This would be a real and well deserved

slap in the face of Australian cruelty. No longer should it be said by the

MLA exporters that this disgusting cruelty is supported by Muslims - it is

not. And while we are about it, let's urge all Muslims to go vegetarian.

They are already doing so in increasing numbers. I asked an imam if it were

possible to be a good Muslim and still eat meat. He considered the question

carefully and said " Yes, you can be a good Muslim and still eat meat. But if

you don't, even better " .

 

Kind regards,

 

Mr.Philip Wollen OAM

 

The Winsome Constance Kindness Trust

 

Melbourne, Australia

 

 

 

* *

 

*In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful*

 

Thanks be to Allah and prayers and peace upon the noblest of all his

messengers, Mohammed bin Abdullah, Allah's blessings and peace be upon him,

upon his family, companions and whoever had followed them with piety till

the day of judgment and upon all prophets and messengers.

 

 

 

Mr Ahmed El Sherbeeny the Lawyer before the court of Cassation and Chairman

of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends has

submitted a letter including a request of a statement of the Islamic law

opinion in two matters:

 

 

 

The first matter is about the opinion of the Islamic law with regards to

those to torture the animal at the time of its slaughter by committing acts

that contradict treating it with mercy.

 

 

 

The second matter is about the opinion of the Islamic law with regards to

transporting the animals for long distances from one country to another by

means that do not observe the safety of the animal or treating it with

leniency in the manner mentioned in detail in his letter. To answer the

foregoing, we say:

 

 

 

First: The Islamic law has made it a must that the animal would be treated

at the time of its slaughter with leniency and by the means that guarantee

treating it with mercy. All this is included in the goodwill which was

ordered by the prophet(Allah's Peace and Blessings be Upon Him) in his true

saying(Hadith) in which he says: " Allah almighty has dictated goodwill in

everything :if you kill, you perfect the killing, if you slaughter you

perfect the slaughter. In slaughtering one must sharpen the blade and

comfort the animal before slaughtering it " narrated by Muslim. This

Prophetic saying indicates that slaughtering the animal must be carried out

with leniency and mercy. This is some of what is understood by the word

goodwill mentioned in the prophetic saying and what is understood from

requesting the sharpening of the blade with which the animal shall be

slaughtered so that the animal would not be in pain from the slaughter by

the dull blade. This what is meant explicitly by the saying of the Prophet,

Allah's Peace be Upon Him, " Comfort the animal that will be slaughtered. "

 

 

 

To satisfy such order, it is required that whatever comforts the animal

until its slaughter must be done. "

 

 

 

It has been mentioned in the true prophetic traditions what attests

forbidding the sharpening of the slaughtering tool before the animal that

will be slaughtered. The Prophet(Allah's Peace and Blessings be Upon Him)

saw a man sharpening his knife before the animal that he was about to

slaughter,so he forbid him from doing so and told him, " Do you want to

slaughter it twice, once with sharpening the blade before it and once more

by cutting its throat!? "

 

 

 

It has also been mentioned in the traditions narrated that Imam Aly(may

Allah be pleased with him) prohibited the slaughter of sheep before each

other or any other animals so that the feeling of the animal would not be

hurt in its last moments.

 

 

 

These evidences and others attest that any act that contradicts leniency

with the animal or treating it with no mercy at the time of slaughtering it

– in the manner mentioned in the question in detail – is considered a sinful

and forbidden act and does not agree with the leniency with the animal that

Islam calls for. This is the answer for the first question.

 

 

 

Second: With regards to the second question, we hereby say that the call of

Islam to be lenient with the animal and to treat it with mercy includes all

cases that necessitate such mercy, among which is transporting the animal.

Such transportation must be carried out by a comfortable mean that

guarantees its safety, prohibits its torture, threatening its life or

afflicting it with diseases that are contagious to the human being or third

party. This is deduced for the Prophetic saying of the Prophet(Allah's

Blessings and Peace be upon him), " Any good deed rendered in a hardship is

like an almsgiving " and his saying, Peace Upon Him, " A woman entered hell

fire for detaining a cat which she neither fed nor left to eat the leftovers

of the land. "

 

 

 

These two sayings and others attest that treating the animal must be built

on its mercy in all cases, among which is transporting it from one place to

another.

 

Torturing the animal at the time of its transport – pursuant to what is

mentioned in the letter of the questioner – is considered prohibited and

forbidden in the law of Islam if the case is as mentioned in the question.

 

 

 

Allah is Higher and knows Best.

 

 

 

Azhar Sheikh Imam

 

Dr/ Mohamed Sayed

Tantawy

 

(Signed)

 

24 April, 2008

 

 

 

Seal : Azhar Sheikhdom

 

 

 

Authorship and

translation

 

Scientific Bureau

 

FOUAD NEMAH

 

14(a) Sherif, St

Heliopolis,

 

Tel : 2567808 –

4506219

 

37, Kasr El Nil

Street, Cairo Tel : 3922124

Accurate True

Translation

 

Excalibur, July, 2008, Quarterly Newsletter of People for Animals, Calcutta