Title: Mass Slaughter of Chickens, is it Halaal ? Question: I happened to have visited a chicken factory in Australia who claim that their meat is Halaal. Their slaughtering procedure is as under: Takbeer is recited (by a Muslim slaughterer) at the beginning of each shift for a whole lot of chickens to be slaughter in the 8 hrs shift. All the chickens are stunned by a light electric shock before going to the slaughtering machine. Chickens are brought under the blade to cut their neck completely at once. I wonder this way of slaughtering is Halaal. Look forward to your quick reply. Wassalaam Answer: Muslims are directed to recite God's name at the time of slaughtering the animals. One may be of the opinion that reciting the name once on the whole lot, consisting of a number of animals, is sufficient. Even though I do not like the idea and do not consider it to be in consonance with the spirit of the directive, yet I find myself obliged to submit that one can ascribe to the opinion that such recitation on the whole lot is sufficient. In view of this point, it would not be prudent for me to declare such recitation as not fulfilling the requirement of recitation prescribed by Islam. As for the method of slaughtering, if the neck is separated completely and it is not merely the jugular vein that is severed, then it means that the process of slaughtering is not in consonance with the Islamic teachings. The stated process will not force the whole blood to drain from the body, naturally. Thus, in short, even though there may be a difference of opinion regarding the recitation part of the slaughter, it seems quite clear that the actual process of slaughter is not in conformity with the principles of Islam. In view of the foregoing, it seems that the animal should not be eaten. I hope this helps. Moiz Amjad April 11, 2005