Can Muslims eat meat slaughtered by Christians or Jews?

The verse that grants the permission

The ruling rests on a clear statement in Surah al-Ma'idah, revealed after the Jews and Christians had already altered their scriptures — and the permission was granted anyway.

"This day are all good things made lawful for you. The food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them."— Qur'an 5:5

Ibn Baz explains that "the food of those who were given the Scripture" means their slaughtered animals specifically, because other foods — fruits, grains, vegetables — are lawful from anyone at all, including idolaters. The verse singles out dhaba'ih (slaughtered meat) because that is where the restriction would otherwise lie. Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه stated plainly: "Their food is their slaughtered animals."

Why their disbelief does not cancel it

A natural question is why meat from people the Qur'an describes as disbelievers should be permitted. Ibn Baz addresses this directly: the same Lord who declared them disbelievers in the Qur'an is the One who permitted their food. He calls it a kindness and a favour — Allah "was gentle with us and permitted their food out of grace and generosity." Their creed does not make their slaughter unlawful; the permission stands on its own text.

The default is permission, not suspicion

This is the practical heart of the matter. If you do not know how the animal was killed, you eat it and you do not investigate. Ibn Baz is explicit:

"If you do not know how they slaughtered it, then eat, and praise be to Allah, and do not ask — as long as you know this is from the slaughter of the People of the Book, Jew or Christian, it is lawful for you."— Shaykh Ibn Baz, on the authority of Qur'an 5:5

The same principle applies to imported meat in non-Muslim countries. Ibn Baz ruled that meat sold in the markets of non-Muslim states is lawful if it is known to come from the People of the Book, "because the default is that it is lawful by the Qur'anic text, and this is not abandoned except for a verified matter that requires prohibition." He adds that you are not obliged to trace the supply chains of every company.

When the permission is withdrawn

The permission is conditional. If you know one of the following, the meat becomes unlawful:

• The animal was dedicated to other than Allah: if they slaughtered it in the name of the Messiah, Mary, an idol, or any being besides Allah, it is maytah (carrion) and forbidden. This is the sin of ahlah li-ghayr Allah — consecrating to other than God.
• The animal was killed without lawful slaughter: strangling, electric stunning that kills before the cut, a blow to the head, drowning, or shooting. Ibn Baz's reasoning: "They are not more honourable than Muslims. If a Muslim strangled it, it would be unlawful — so how much more so a Jew or a Christian?"
• The animal was not one permitted to eat in the first place: pork, or blood, or meat with alcohol in it.

The distinction is between not knowing and knowing. Doubt does not remove the permission; certainty of a violation does.

What counts as lawful slaughter

The scholars describe the valid dhakah (slaughter) as cutting the throat, the windpipe, and the two jugular veins. Ibn Baz explains that cutting all four is the most complete form; cutting the throat and windpipe alone is sufficient; cutting one of the jugular veins along with them is also valid. The essential act is that the animal dies by the cut, not by some other means.

If they omit the name of Allah

The People of the Book generally do not mention Allah's name over the animal. Does this invalidate it? Ibn Baz and IslamWeb both hold that it does not, by analogy to a Muslim who forgets or is ignorant of the ruling. The Qur'an says:

"Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or err."— Qur'an 2:286

And the Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah has lifted from my nation the error, the forgetting, and what they are forced to do." Ibn Majah recorded it, and though its chain has some weakness, Ibn Baz notes it has many supporting narrations. The majority of scholars permit the meat when the name is omitted out of ignorance or forgetfulness.

Who is excluded

The permission is specific to Jews and Christians. It does not extend to:

• Idolaters, Magians (fire-worshippers), Buddhists, atheists, and communists — their slaughter is forbidden by consensus. Ibn Baz notes the four imams and the majority held the Magians' slaughter unlawful, and called the contrary view "very weak, indeed false."
• Those who entered Judaism or Christianity after the Prophet's ﷺ mission — al-Qastallani notes their slaughter is not lawful, because the verse refers to those who were in those religions before the sending of the Prophet ﷺ.

A note on the schools

Al-Qastallani records that Malik and Ahmad held the fat of the People of the Book's animals to be forbidden, since fat was prohibited to them in their own law. The majority position, and the one the verse supports, is that the tazkiyah (ritual slaughter) applies to the whole animal — flesh and fat alike — and the verse does not distinguish between them.

Key takeaways

• The default is permission: meat from Jews and Christians is lawful by Qur'an 5:5, and you do not need to investigate how it was killed.
• Knowledge of a violation removes the permission: if you know the animal was dedicated to other than Allah, or killed by strangling, electric stunning, or a blow, it is unlawful.
• Omitted name of Allah does not invalidate it: ignorance or forgetfulness is excused, by analogy to a forgetful Muslim.
• The permission is exclusive to the People of the Book: meat from idolaters, atheists, and other disbelievers is forbidden by consensus.
• Imported meat from non-Muslim countries is lawful if it comes from Jews or Christians, unless you know a specific condition was violated.

And Allah knows best.