Resolution No. (315) : "Ruling on Pre-Slaughter Electrical Stunning of Birds."
Date (27 of Thilgidah, 1443 AH), corresponding to (27/6/2022 AD).
Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions
In its ninth meeting held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa` reviewed the resolution of the joint commission in charge of examining the use of electrical stunning of birds (Poultry) before slaughter in local slaughterhouses.
After thorough deliberations, the Board decided what follows:
Slaughtering an animal in accordance with Islamic Law is the condition that makes an animal`s meat lawful to eat and distinguishes it from dead animal, as reflected in the following verse: " unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form)." {Al-Ma`idah, 3}. Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "As long as it causes blood to flow, and Allah's Name has been mentioned over it, then eat it." {Transmitted by Bukhari & Muslim}. When jugular veins, food tract and windpipe of the animal whose life is stable are cut, its meat is lawful to eat, whether the slaughtering was done with or without the electrical stunning. What counts is that the stunning doesn`t lead to killing the animal on the spot or later, in case it was left without slaughtering, since the purpose behind the stunning is to relieve that animal and facilitate the slaughtering process. In order to achieve this purpose, the Board is of the view that using the electrical stunning based on the afore-stated conditions is permissible according to Islamic Law. The Board also considers that it is essential to implement the Jordan Standard Specification No. 2060/214 issued by the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO) to guarantee the implementation of all the general requirements of the sanitary and safety standards of the product.
Given the difficulty of implementing technical requirements or specific standards on all the local slaughterhouses, due to their using different machines and production lines, the Board is of the view that the management of each slaughterhouse should submit an individual application to the (JSMO). This concerns its production line and in the event it uses electrical waterbath stunning of poultry before manual slaughtering by knife. In fact, this enables a special commission from the Iftaa` Department to participate with specialized technicians to arrive at a special Fatwa regarding the method used by the applicant slaughterhouse. The Fatwa will either permit or prohibit this method of slaughter based on the ground reality and after the joint commission carries out its checks.
In addition, the Iftaa` Board recommends that a "Halal" certificate, which is issued by the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO)/Conformity Certificate Directorate, is required. It also recommends strengthening the role of oversight regarding this certificate and the stunning process. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
Grand Mufti of Jordan, Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi/ Member
Prof. Amjad Rasheed/ Member
Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodah/ Member
Dr.Majid Darawsheh/ Member
Dr. Jameel Khatatbeh/ Member
Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat/ Member
Dr. Mohammad Younes al-Zou`bi/ Member