Question Summary:
Can I say Bismillah and eat the food in the following situation?

Question Detail:

 
I am a hosteller in a college. It is said that halaal foods are provided in our mess. So I have been having foods from the mees since I joined. Today I had food at our college but just before taking the food I asked to one of my Muslim friend whether chicken provided to us halaal or not. He replied, "Hey Just Say Bismillah and eat if you don't know''.  I refused and objected him that it was not fair. Further I asked him about the foods in our mess are halaal or not. They (mess workers) bought chicken from Muslim shops. Some said it is halaal and one person said that most of the times it is halaal but sometimes not because he have seen Non-Muslims working in that Muslim shop slaughtering the chickens. I don't know whether those Non Muslims are from People Of The Book or  of others. Now my question is can I eat foods from our hostel by saying Bismillah before eating? 
 
Thanking you 
With Regards
MOHAMMED AYUB ALI

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.   
 
Assalāmu ῾alaykum wa Rahmatullāhi Wabarakātu
 
(1) It is compulsory to take the name of Allah when slaughtering an animal. Allah says in the quraan in the following verses:
 
Verse: 1
 
 
1. For every nation We have specified a rite (for slaughtering) so that they may take the name of Allah Ta’ala upon (the slaughter of) the animals granted to them as sustenance. (Hajj 34)
Verse:2
 
 
2. And consume not of that whereupon the name of Allah Ta’ala was omitted (at the time of slaughter). Indeed it is a transgression. Verily the Shayaateen inspire their friends to cause division with you. If you obey them, you are indeed Mushriks (ascribing partners to Allah). (An`aam 122)
Verse: 3
 
 
3.And they say, "These animals and crops are forbidden; no one may eat from them except whom we will," by their claim. And there are those [camels] whose backs are forbidden [by them] and those upon which the name of Allah is not mentioned - [all of this] an invention of untruth about Him. He will punish them for what they were inventing. (An’aam 138)  
(2)    If a person did not take the name of Allah upon slaughtering an animal, the animal will be haram[1] 
 
(3) Meat and chicken purchased from supermarkets slaughtered by non-muslims, even by Christians and jews is not halaal. It is a well-known fact that the majority of present day Christians and Jews do not take the name of Allah at all before slaughtering or they do not take the name of Allah before slaughtering every chicken.[2]
 
(4) If Allah’s name was not recited at the time of slaughtering the animal, the Bismillah at the time of eating will not substitute the Bismillah at the time of slaughtering.[3]
 
And Allāh Ta῾āla Knows Best
Wassalāmu ῾alaykum 
 
Jibran Kadarkhan

Student Dārul Iftā
Mauritius
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
 
 
 
[1]   (وَتُشْتَرَطُ) التَّسْمِيَةُ مِنْ الذَّابِحِ (حَالَ الذَّبْحِ) (الدر المختار في رد المحتار على الدر المختار  ج 6 ص 302 أيج(
[2]    والصحيح اامختار عندنا هو القول الاول يعنى ذبائح اهل الكتاب تاركا للتسمية عامدا او على غير اسم الله تعالى لايوكل ان عام يقينا او كان غالب حالهم ذاك وهو محمل النهى عن اكل ذبائح نصاري العرب ومحمل قول على لا تاكلوا من ذبائح النصارى بنى تغلب فانهم لم يتمسكوا من انصرانية بشيئ الا بشربهم الخمر فلعل عليا عام من حالهم انهم لايسمون الله عند الذبائح او يذبحون على غير اسم الله.فكذا حكم ان نصارى العجم ان كان عادتهم الذبح على غير اسم تعالى غالبا لا يوكل ذبيحتهم و لاشك ان النصارى فى هذا الزمان لا يذبحون بل يقتلون بالوقذ غالبا فلا يحل طعامهم   (تفسير مظهرى :3/37)
(جواهر الفقه:6/216‘مكتبة دار العلوم كراچي)
 (وَمِنْهَا) أَنْ يَكُونَ مُسْلِمًا أَوْ كِتَابِيًّا فَلَا تُؤْكَلُ ذَبِيحَةُ أَهْلِ الشِّرْكِ وَالْمَجُوسِيِّ وَالْوَثَنِيِّ وَذَبِيحَةُ الْمُرْتَدِّ (بدائع    الصنائع ج 6 ص 224 دار الكتب العلمية)
[3] وَأَمَّا شَرَائِطُ الرُّكْنِ فَمِنْهَا أَنْ تَكُونَ التَّسْمِيَةُ مِنْ الذَّابِحِ حَتَّى لَوْ سَمَّى غَيْرُهُ وَالذَّابِحُ سَاكِتٌ وَهُوَ ذَاكِرٌ غَيْرُ نَاسٍ لَا يَحِلُّ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمُرَادَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى {وَلا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ} [الأنعام: 121] أَيْ: لَمْ يُذْكَرْ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ الذَّابِحِ فَكَانَتْ مَشْرُوطَةً فِيهِ. (بدائع الصنائع ج 5 ص 48 دار الكتب العلمية(
 جديد فقهي مسائل ج 2 ص 144 زمزم
 أحسن الفتاوى ج 7 ص 470 أيج أيم سعيد