Is Jhatka Meat Haram? A Helpful Guide with 2 Good Points
14/05/2020
Jhatka or Chatka is the animal slaughtered with one blow in Sikhism. For a Muslim Jhatka meat could be halal or haram according to the situation and we must not jump into conclusions. Sikhism is a religion founded by Guru Nanak who died in Pakistan and the Sikhs mainly follow the teachings of the ten gurus. The concept of Jhatka type slaughter in Sikhism was put forward in the Rehat Maryada proposed by the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.) in 1931 and this was only the conclusion of the later Sikhs and not the ten gurus. This was concluded in 1980 and mentioned that Amritdhari Sikhs can eat meat as long as it is Jhatka meat.
The Jhatka way of slaughtering is believed to be introduced by the tenth guru, Gobind Singh but the historical accuracy of this claim is questionable. The main Sikh scripture the Granth sahib both speaks for and against meat eating. There is evidence that even the Sikh gurus hunted and ate animals.
Gobind Singh said the following,
"When I became a Spiritual Sovereign, I tried to spread Religion to the best of my ability. I hunted various games in the forest, including bears, nilgaus and elks. Then, I left my home and proceeded towards the city of Paunta. On the banks of the Kalindri, I refreshed and amused myself with many kinds of amusements. There, I killed many ferocious lions and also nilgaus and elks."
(Vachitra Natak, Chapter 8, Verse-1-3)
Guru Nanak too ate meat.
At Kurukshetra, a great centre of Hindu pilgrimage, where a big fair was being held on the occasion of the solar eclipse. A follower of the Guru offered him deer meat to eat. The Guru who had never made any distinction between one kind of food and another and took whatever was offered to him, did not refuse the courtesies of his devotee. And he allowed him to roast it for his food.
(Bhai Mani Singh, Gyan Ratnavali, page-123)
The above two evidence shows that Gobind Singh killed animals as amusements and Guru Nanak was offered and never asked whether the deer was killed by one chop(Jhatka). The many differing statements and actions of the gurus have divided Sikhs in to two camps, one supporting the consumption of meat and the other adopting against it. The Sikhs are famous for denouncing the Muslim zabiha method of slaughtering arguing that it is inhumane and makes the animal suffer. What the Sikhs do not know is that the zabiha method cuts the vessels of the neck and throat and disconnects the nerve that flows the blood to the brain thus disconnecting the pain nerve and as a result of this the animal dies not feeling any pain. The animal struggling is not due to pain but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles due to blood flowing out of the body. According to the so called Sikh method of Jhatka, the animal is slaughtered from the back of the neck and this causes the spinal cord of the animal getting cut and as a result of this the animal feels immense pain because of experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. The Sikh who is slaughtering the animal is actually doing more harm than good by cutting it from behind.
The Islamic method vs. Jhatka method
In the Islamic Zabiha method the throat, wind pipe and the blood vessels of the animal is cut and the animal does not feel pain and the blood becomes completely drained. As a result of this the meat can be kept fresh for a long time and it won't attract germs due to not having traces of blood in it. The Jhatka method not only is it cruel and painful for the animal, the meat does not drain out all the blood of the animal and as a result the blood remains in the animal and it attracts deadly germs and bacteria that can infest in the meat and cause serious illnesses for the person eating it. The Jhatka meat cannot be kept for too long due to the blood not fully been drained out from the body of the animal and this makes the meat go stale quickly and the meat becomes hard to chew. The meat of the animal slaughtered under the Jhatka method leaves blood clots and traces of blood in the body and in the heart due to the animal experiencing cardiac arrest and this can cause bacteria to grow inside the dead body of the animal. The other point that needs to be understood is that the Jhatka method which is loosely taken from the Granth sahib which forbids torturing animals is not practical because only smaller animals such as goats can be killed with one chop and bigger animals cannot be killed in this manner because cows, bulls and other larger animals have stronger and harder muscles in their necks and chopping off the necks of these animals would need gigantic swords to do so. In Islam there are two views that need to be understood on the Issue of eating Jhatka meat. One is haram and the other is halal. Let me explain these two points so that it would be easy to understand on what Islam actually says on eating Jhatka.
Point-1-Jhatka Meat is Haram
This view is based on the fact that animals sacrificed other than mentioning the name of Allah is haram. Narrated by Abdullah bin 'Umar:
The Prophet (sal) met Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail in the bottom of (the valley of) Baldah before any Divine Inspiration came to the Prophet. A meal was presented to the Prophet (sal) but he refused to eat from it. (Then it was presented to Zaid) who said, "I do not eat anything which you slaughter in the name of your stone idols. I eat none but those things on which Allah's Name has been mentioned at the time of slaughtering." Zaid bin 'Amr used to criticize the way Quraish used to slaughter their animals, and used to say, "Allah has created the sheep and He has sent the water for it from the sky, and He has grown the grass for it from the earth; yet you slaughter it in other than the Name of Allah. He used to say so, for he rejected that practice and considered it as something abominable"
(Bukhari)
Allah (swt) says,
"He has only forbidden you what dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that over which any other (name) than (that of) Allah has been invoked; but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring, nor exceeding the limit, no sin shall be upon him; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."
(Al-Quran-2:173)
"Say: I do not find in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden for an eater to eat of except that it be what has died of itself, or blood poured forth, or flesh of swine-- for that surely is unclean-- or that which is a transgression, other than (the name of) Allah having been invoked on it; but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring nor exceeding the limit, then surely your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful."
(Al-Quran-6:145)
"He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
(Al-Quran-16:115)
The Sikhs sacrifice their animals according to their god they believe called "ik onkar" who is called also by other names such as "waheguru". The Sikhs believe that god is omnipresent and is formless. This makes eating the Jhatka meat haram because it is not sacrificed with the mentioning of the name of Allah. In Islam the only exception on eating slaughtered meat of non-muslims are those of the Jews and the Christians. Allah (swt) says,
"This day (all) the good things are allowed to you; and the food of those who have been given the Book is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them; and the chaste from among the believing women and the chaste from among those who have been given the Book before you (are lawful for you); when you have given them their dowries, taking (them) in marriage, not fornicating nor taking them for paramours in secret; and whoever denies faith, his work indeed is of no account, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers. "
(Al-Quran-5:5)
Now let us analyse the reasons where Jhatka meat becomes halal in Islam in the second point.
Point-2-Jhatka Meat is Halal
Islam is a facilitating religion and the issue of whether something becoming halal or haram is according to the situation and problem a person is. One reason why Jhatka meat becomes halal is due to necessity and hardship. If you happen to be in a situation where for an example food is scarce or there is necessity, then eating Jhatka meat becomes halal for a Muslim. The evidence for this is in the below verse,
"He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced (by necessity), neither desiring (it) nor transgressing then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
(Al-Quran-16:115)
Necessity dictates exceptions and eating Jhatka meat is halal under necessity. The other reason is the reason of doubt of whether that food is halal or not and under this doubt you can mention Allah's name and eat the meat. Let's take for an example that you are living in an area where there are a lot of Sikhs residing and there are restaurants serving meat and is either owned by Sikhs or non-Sikhs and in this situation a doubt would arise as to whether the meat is halal or not and in this situation you can mention Allah's name and eat the meat or the food containing it. The evidence for this is in the following hadiths,
Narrated `Aisha:
Some people said, "O Allah's Messenger (sal)! Meat is brought to us by some people and we are not sure whether the name of Allah has been mentioned on it or not (at the time of slaughtering the animals)." Allah's Messenger (sal) said (to them), "Mention the name of Allah and eat it."
(Bukhari)
This is a beautiful hadith where the prophet (sal) told the companions who asked him about meat that was brought to them and they were not sure whether Allah's name was mentioned and the prophet (sal) told them to mention Allah's name and eat it. This hadith solves a practical problem facing Muslims worldwide and you can eat meat served by Sikhs by mentioning Allah's name over it if you are doubtful. For something to be haram it needs clear proof and mere assumption or doubt will not make something haram. The next evidence is as follows,
Abu Bakr (rali) told us: Jareer told us, from Mughirah, from Abu Waa’il and Ibrahim, who said: When the Muslims came, they got some food from the Magians, their cheese and bread, and they ate and did not ask about that. The cheese was described to ‘Umar (rali) and he said: Mention the name of Allah over it and eat it.
(Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah-5/130 and Imam ibn Hibban graded it as an authentic hadith because the narrators are of Bukhari and Muslim)
The above hadith of the rightly guided caliphs proves clearly that the sahabah did not question food given to them even if they happened to be non-muslims. The Magians were idol worshippers and could have used haram ingredients in preparing food but the general principle is to eat the food given by anyone including Sikhs by simply mentioning Allah's name and there is no need for making a fuss over it. Some Muslims nowadays make a huge fuss going after halal and make their lives very problematic and filled with hardships. The prophet (sal) and his companions never issued halal certificates for food items like nowadays and the way of the prophet (sal) and his companions was practical and easy to follow. Nowadays the halal certification is made more as a business venture and this form of halal certification we see in various countries has no basis in the Quran or the authentic hadiths. If a Sikh gives you food don't question it or hurt his or her feelings, be kind to their generosity and mention Allah's name and eat it because it is after all Allah azza wa jal who is providing you.
Conclusion
From all the above evidence and points discussed, It is clear that eating Jhatka meat is generally haram but the second reasons discussed in the second point makes it halal under circumstances and necessity.
C J Ahmed
Jhatka or Chatka is the animal slaughtered with one blow in Sikhism. For a Muslim Jhatka meat could be halal or haram according to the situation and we must not jump into conclusions. Sikhism is a religion founded by Guru Nanak who died in Pakistan and the Sikhs mainly follow the teachings of the ten gurus. The concept of Jhatka type slaughter in Sikhism was put forward in the Rehat Maryada proposed by the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.) in 1931 and this was only the conclusion of the later Sikhs and not the ten gurus. This was concluded in 1980 and mentioned that Amritdhari Sikhs can eat meat as long as it is Jhatka meat.
The Jhatka way of slaughtering is believed to be introduced by the tenth guru, Gobind Singh but the historical accuracy of this claim is questionable. The main Sikh scripture the Granth sahib both speaks for and against meat eating. There is evidence that even the Sikh gurus hunted and ate animals.
Gobind Singh said the following,
"When I became a Spiritual Sovereign, I tried to spread Religion to the best of my ability. I hunted various games in the forest, including bears, nilgaus and elks. Then, I left my home and proceeded towards the city of Paunta. On the banks of the Kalindri, I refreshed and amused myself with many kinds of amusements. There, I killed many ferocious lions and also nilgaus and elks."
(Vachitra Natak, Chapter 8, Verse-1-3)
Guru Nanak too ate meat.
At Kurukshetra, a great centre of Hindu pilgrimage, where a big fair was being held on the occasion of the solar eclipse. A follower of the Guru offered him deer meat to eat. The Guru who had never made any distinction between one kind of food and another and took whatever was offered to him, did not refuse the courtesies of his devotee. And he allowed him to roast it for his food.
(Bhai Mani Singh, Gyan Ratnavali, page-123)
The above two evidence shows that Gobind Singh killed animals as amusements and Guru Nanak was offered and never asked whether the deer was killed by one chop(Jhatka). The many differing statements and actions of the gurus have divided Sikhs in to two camps, one supporting the consumption of meat and the other adopting against it. The Sikhs are famous for denouncing the Muslim zabiha method of slaughtering arguing that it is inhumane and makes the animal suffer. What the Sikhs do not know is that the zabiha method cuts the vessels of the neck and throat and disconnects the nerve that flows the blood to the brain thus disconnecting the pain nerve and as a result of this the animal dies not feeling any pain. The animal struggling is not due to pain but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles due to blood flowing out of the body. According to the so called Sikh method of Jhatka, the animal is slaughtered from the back of the neck and this causes the spinal cord of the animal getting cut and as a result of this the animal feels immense pain because of experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. The Sikh who is slaughtering the animal is actually doing more harm than good by cutting it from behind.
The Islamic method vs. Jhatka method
In the Islamic Zabiha method the throat, wind pipe and the blood vessels of the animal is cut and the animal does not feel pain and the blood becomes completely drained. As a result of this the meat can be kept fresh for a long time and it won't attract germs due to not having traces of blood in it. The Jhatka method not only is it cruel and painful for the animal, the meat does not drain out all the blood of the animal and as a result the blood remains in the animal and it attracts deadly germs and bacteria that can infest in the meat and cause serious illnesses for the person eating it. The Jhatka meat cannot be kept for too long due to the blood not fully been drained out from the body of the animal and this makes the meat go stale quickly and the meat becomes hard to chew. The meat of the animal slaughtered under the Jhatka method leaves blood clots and traces of blood in the body and in the heart due to the animal experiencing cardiac arrest and this can cause bacteria to grow inside the dead body of the animal. The other point that needs to be understood is that the Jhatka method which is loosely taken from the Granth sahib which forbids torturing animals is not practical because only smaller animals such as goats can be killed with one chop and bigger animals cannot be killed in this manner because cows, bulls and other larger animals have stronger and harder muscles in their necks and chopping off the necks of these animals would need gigantic swords to do so. In Islam there are two views that need to be understood on the Issue of eating Jhatka meat. One is haram and the other is halal. Let me explain these two points so that it would be easy to understand on what Islam actually says on eating Jhatka.
Point-1-Jhatka Meat is Haram
This view is based on the fact that animals sacrificed other than mentioning the name of Allah is haram. Narrated by Abdullah bin 'Umar:
The Prophet (sal) met Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail in the bottom of (the valley of) Baldah before any Divine Inspiration came to the Prophet. A meal was presented to the Prophet (sal) but he refused to eat from it. (Then it was presented to Zaid) who said, "I do not eat anything which you slaughter in the name of your stone idols. I eat none but those things on which Allah's Name has been mentioned at the time of slaughtering." Zaid bin 'Amr used to criticize the way Quraish used to slaughter their animals, and used to say, "Allah has created the sheep and He has sent the water for it from the sky, and He has grown the grass for it from the earth; yet you slaughter it in other than the Name of Allah. He used to say so, for he rejected that practice and considered it as something abominable"
(Bukhari)
Allah (swt) says,
"He has only forbidden you what dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that over which any other (name) than (that of) Allah has been invoked; but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring, nor exceeding the limit, no sin shall be upon him; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."
(Al-Quran-2:173)
"Say: I do not find in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden for an eater to eat of except that it be what has died of itself, or blood poured forth, or flesh of swine-- for that surely is unclean-- or that which is a transgression, other than (the name of) Allah having been invoked on it; but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring nor exceeding the limit, then surely your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful."
(Al-Quran-6:145)
"He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
(Al-Quran-16:115)
The Sikhs sacrifice their animals according to their god they believe called "ik onkar" who is called also by other names such as "waheguru". The Sikhs believe that god is omnipresent and is formless. This makes eating the Jhatka meat haram because it is not sacrificed with the mentioning of the name of Allah. In Islam the only exception on eating slaughtered meat of non-muslims are those of the Jews and the Christians. Allah (swt) says,
"This day (all) the good things are allowed to you; and the food of those who have been given the Book is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them; and the chaste from among the believing women and the chaste from among those who have been given the Book before you (are lawful for you); when you have given them their dowries, taking (them) in marriage, not fornicating nor taking them for paramours in secret; and whoever denies faith, his work indeed is of no account, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers. "
(Al-Quran-5:5)
Now let us analyse the reasons where Jhatka meat becomes halal in Islam in the second point.
Point-2-Jhatka Meat is Halal
Islam is a facilitating religion and the issue of whether something becoming halal or haram is according to the situation and problem a person is. One reason why Jhatka meat becomes halal is due to necessity and hardship. If you happen to be in a situation where for an example food is scarce or there is necessity, then eating Jhatka meat becomes halal for a Muslim. The evidence for this is in the below verse,
"He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced (by necessity), neither desiring (it) nor transgressing then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
(Al-Quran-16:115)
Necessity dictates exceptions and eating Jhatka meat is halal under necessity. The other reason is the reason of doubt of whether that food is halal or not and under this doubt you can mention Allah's name and eat the meat. Let's take for an example that you are living in an area where there are a lot of Sikhs residing and there are restaurants serving meat and is either owned by Sikhs or non-Sikhs and in this situation a doubt would arise as to whether the meat is halal or not and in this situation you can mention Allah's name and eat the meat or the food containing it. The evidence for this is in the following hadiths,
Narrated `Aisha:
Some people said, "O Allah's Messenger (sal)! Meat is brought to us by some people and we are not sure whether the name of Allah has been mentioned on it or not (at the time of slaughtering the animals)." Allah's Messenger (sal) said (to them), "Mention the name of Allah and eat it."
(Bukhari)
This is a beautiful hadith where the prophet (sal) told the companions who asked him about meat that was brought to them and they were not sure whether Allah's name was mentioned and the prophet (sal) told them to mention Allah's name and eat it. This hadith solves a practical problem facing Muslims worldwide and you can eat meat served by Sikhs by mentioning Allah's name over it if you are doubtful. For something to be haram it needs clear proof and mere assumption or doubt will not make something haram. The next evidence is as follows,
Abu Bakr (rali) told us: Jareer told us, from Mughirah, from Abu Waa’il and Ibrahim, who said: When the Muslims came, they got some food from the Magians, their cheese and bread, and they ate and did not ask about that. The cheese was described to ‘Umar (rali) and he said: Mention the name of Allah over it and eat it.
(Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah-5/130 and Imam ibn Hibban graded it as an authentic hadith because the narrators are of Bukhari and Muslim)
The above hadith of the rightly guided caliphs proves clearly that the sahabah did not question food given to them even if they happened to be non-muslims. The Magians were idol worshippers and could have used haram ingredients in preparing food but the general principle is to eat the food given by anyone including Sikhs by simply mentioning Allah's name and there is no need for making a fuss over it. Some Muslims nowadays make a huge fuss going after halal and make their lives very problematic and filled with hardships. The prophet (sal) and his companions never issued halal certificates for food items like nowadays and the way of the prophet (sal) and his companions was practical and easy to follow. Nowadays the halal certification is made more as a business venture and this form of halal certification we see in various countries has no basis in the Quran or the authentic hadiths. If a Sikh gives you food don't question it or hurt his or her feelings, be kind to their generosity and mention Allah's name and eat it because it is after all Allah azza wa jal who is providing you.
Conclusion
From all the above evidence and points discussed, It is clear that eating Jhatka meat is generally haram but the second reasons discussed in the second point makes it halal under circumstances and necessity.
C J Ahmed