With this, Islam stands out from the man-made religions and faiths, in that it has appointed and fixed certain methods and ways for the slaughtering of animals. It has laid down principles, and prescribed laws without which the animals are not lawful to consume.
The issue of slaughtering animals is not a normal and mundane issue, in which an individual may act as he/she desires, without being restricted to rules and principles. Rather, it is regarded from the acts of worship, and there is sacredness associated with it, for the reasons mentioned above.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:“Whoever prays our prayer and faces our Qiblah and eats our slaughtered animals, is a believer who is under Allah’s and His Messenger’s protection.” (Recorded by Imam al-Bukhari on the authority of Anas ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him)
In another Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) stated:
“I have been ordered to fight the people until they say: “There is no God but Allah”. When they do so, and pray like our prayers, face our Qiblah and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacrosanct except by due legal right.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)
The
above two narrations of the blessed Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) are
very clear in determining that, the slaughtering of animals holds a significant position in Shariah. The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace)
counted the slaughtering of animals with praying Salat and facing the Qiblah. He considered it from those specific features of Islam, which distinguishes a Muslim from a non-Muslim and regarded it as one of the hallmarks of a true believer with which his life and wealth is protected.
Islamic Guidelines to Slaughtering Animals