Index

Slaughtering & Hunting

Hunting with weapons

2610. If a halal wild animal is hunted with a weapon and it dies, it becomes halal and its body becomes Pak, if the following five conditions are fulfilled:

1. The weapon used for hunting should be able to cut through, like, a knife or a sword, or should be sharp like a spear or an arrow, so that due to its sharpness, it may tear the body of the animal. If an animal is hunted with a trap, or hit by a piece of wood or a stone, it does not become Pak, and it is haraam to eat its meat.
   And if an animal is hunted with a gun and its bullet is so fast that it pierces into the body of the animal and tears it up, the animal will be Pak and halal, but if the bullet is not fast enough and enters the body of the animal with pressure and kills, or burns its body with its heat, and the animal dies due to that heat, it is a matter of Ishkal to say that the animal is Pak or halal.
2. The hunter should be a Muslim or at least a Muslim child who can distinguish between good and bad. If a non-Muslim, other than Ahle Kitab, or from those sects like, Nawasib - enemies of Ahlul Bait (A.S.) who are classified as Kafir, hunts an animal, the animal is not halal. As a matter of precaution, an animal hunted by Ahle Kitab is also not halal, even if he may have uttered the name of Allah.
3. The hunter should aim the weapon for hunting the particular animal. Therefore, if a person takes an aim at some target, and kills an animal accidentally, that animal will not be Pak and it will be haraam to eat its meat.
4. While using the weapon the hunter should recite the name of Allah, and it is sufficient if he utters the name of Allah before the target is hit. But if he does not recite Allah's name intentionally, the animal does not become halal. There is, however, no harm if he fails to do so because of forgetfulness.
5. The animal will be haraam if the hunter reaches it when it is already dead, or, even if it is alive, he has no time left to slaughter it. And if he has enough time to slaughter it and he does not slaughter it till it dies, it will be haraam.

2611. If two persons jointly hunt an animal and if one of them fulfils the requisites while the other does not, like, if one of them utters the name of Allah whereas the other does not do so intentionally, that animal is not halal.

2612. If an animal is shot with an arrow and, if it falls into water and a person knows that the animal has died because of being shot with an arrow, and falling into water, it will not be halal. In fact, if he is not sure that the animal has died only because of being shot with an arrow, it is not halal.

2613. If a person hunts an animal employing a usurped dog or a usurped weapon, the hunted animal is halal and becomes his property. However, besides the fact that he has committed a sin he should pay the hiring charges for the weapon or dog to its owner.

2614. If a person using weapons like a sword, cuts off some limbs of animal while hunting, those cut off limbs will be haraam. But if that animal is slaughtered according to the conditions of rule no. 2610, the remaining part of its body will be halal. But if the weapon with the aforesaid conditions cuts the animal into two parts, with head and neck on one part, and the hunter reaches the animal when it is dead, both the parts will be halal.
And the same rule applies if the animal is alive at that time, but there is not enough time to slaughter it. However, if there is time for slaughtering it, and it is possible that the animal may live for some time, the part which does not contain head and neck is halal if the animal is slaughtered according to the rules prescribed by Shariah, otherwise that part, too, will be haraam.

2615. If an animal is cut into two parts with a stick or a stone, or another implement with which hunting is not proper, the part which does not contain the head and the neck will be haraam. As for the part which contains the head and neck, if the animal is alive and it is possible that it may live for some time, and it is slaughtered in accordance with the rules prescribed by Shariah, that part is halal, otherwise that part too, will be haraam.

2616. If an animal is hunted or slaughtered and its young one, which is alive, is taken out of its body, that young one will be halal if it is slaughtered in accordance with Shariah, otherwise it will be haraam.

2617. If an animal is hunted or slaughtered, and its dead young one is brought out of its body, it will be Pak and halal if it had not died before the mother was killed, or it should not have died because of delay in bringing it out from the mother's womb, and provided it is fully developed, with hair or wool grown on its body.