The scientific statement in the Islamic method and way of slaying animals has been proven compatible with modern science Introduction In
this research we are going to unveil some of the treasures, jewels and
pearls in miraculous sea of the Holy Quran of which its wonders and
miracles that don�t stop to chase us: It was scientifically
proved undoubtedly that the Holy Quran spoke about many scientific and
universal facts 14 centuries ago before they were discovered and known
by modern science. We
will live through this research with some facts the Holy Quran told us
about or guided us to follow them and we will see that Quran spoke about
these facts in a very scientific accurate language using Court of
linguistic and very precise scientific expressions, proving the Quran�s
God�s true words, and that prophet Mohammad (pbh) didn�t speak of his
own accord but was inspired and dedicated by God�s words and blessing. In
this research I have chosen only one topic of the several topics of the
miraculous nature of the Holy Quran which exceeded more than 1000
miraculous topics and it is about �the Islamic method of slaying animals
(Zabah Halal) & Human health� which coincides with my field of
specialization. �Between the Islamic method of slaying animals (Zabah Halal) & Human health AL ZABAH
or the Muslim method of slaying animals for food is an embodiment of
Muslim conception of food hygiene and humaneness towards animals. This
conception is based on what Allah the Creator of man, and in this
context animal, revealed through His chosen persons Adam, Noah, Ibrahim
(Abraham), Musa (Moses), Eisa (Jesus) And Mohammed SAS. The conception
is neither national, notional, commercial nor Mohammedan. Practice of
Prophet Jesus was the same as that of his predecessors Musa and
patriarch Ibrahim (peace be upon them) and hence different from Roman
and similar "to Muslim traditions. AL ZABAH
is different from every form of killing animals practiced in the West.
As opposed to slaughter, AI Zabah, is well defined - a divinely ordained
method with sanctions, rules and regulations. AL ZABAH
is the method of bleeding the animal. Less painful but very much like
the bleeding of a donor (unlike the latter, the animal is bled to
death). The
death of the animal is quickened by initiating a massive haemorrhage
(as compared to bleeding a donor from a vein in the arm to collect 340
ml in 10 minutes approximately) by an appropriate cut (a sharp, deep one
in the front of the neck). AL ZABAH
is Anaesthesia as we understand anaesthesia today, as opposed to
stunning, the primitive form of anaesthesia man has abandoned years ago.
The so-called Humane Killers are merely mechanized forms of stunning
introduced to ensure a high thorough put (number of killed animals) to
suite the mechanized meat packing industry. The pistol produced brain
damage on the same principle as the Poleaxes - used before mechanization
of meat industry. AL ZABAH provides humanely, bloodless (hygienic and tasteful) meat like that of veal (white meat, of calf). Two fundamental principles Allah
has laid down two fundamental principles concerning human health and
humaneness to animals in context of slaying them for food. The command of Allah embodying the said principles in the Qur'an reads as follows:- "You
are forbidden to eat that which dies of itself; and blood and swine's
flesh; and that, on which the name of any besides Allah has been
invoked; that which has been strangulated, or killed by a blow, or by a
fall or by the horns of another beast; and that which has been eaten up
by a wild beast except what you shall kill (purify) yourself; that which
has been sacrificed on idols. It is likewise unlaw-ful for you to make
division by casting lots with arrows. This is an impiety." TASMIAH Before
the fatal incision is made the slayer has to pronounce the words" In
the name of Allah" the pronouncement is called Tasmiah. Pronouncement of
these words alone and nothing but these words is lawful. The Tasmiah
gives animal the quietness and calmness. Purifying animal meat It
is clear from the above that animals dying naturally and/or
accidentally from any of the accidents enumerated above are unlawful
unless killed before they are dead. They are purified by draining away
the impure blood. This allowance (legal provision) � because of which
believer hastens to bleed the animal constitutes an incentive to be kind
to the animal. Natural death can be agonizing arid death from the
accidental injuries enumerated above is certainly agonizing. The agony
suffered by animal in whatever case is terminated by rendering it
insensitive to pain - by bleeding it. Physical, Physiological and Psychological Reasons Some
of the reasons of the prohibition of blood can be easily understood.
Blood carries nutrients and chemicals to the tissues and brings back the
waste products of tissue metabolism into the circulation. These waste
products of tissue metabolism are harmful to the body and are separated
from the blood in the kidney. The concentrated solution of these harmful
chemicals is excreted in the form of urine. Urine is thus the part of
fluid blood. If
the objective is to drain away all the fluid blood in the circulation
then what are the physiological and anatomical requisites. It is obvious
that blood contained in a closed circuit can only be let out by cutting
the blood vessels. Deployment of an incision to cut, vessels and the
overlying skin is therefore absolutely essential. The larger the blood
vessel, and greater number that is cut open, greater will be the amount
of blood poured out through them. It is also obvious that the best place
anatomically to cut these vessels is the neck where four major vessels
are accessible, lying not far from the skin. It is also evident that the
longer the heart beats from the moment the vessels are cut open and the
more strongly it beats, the greater will be the blood loss. Conversely
the animal which is half dead will bleed only half the time. It is also
understandable that the stronger the suction effects of the lungs in the
form of rapid and deep breathing greater will be the amount of blood
sucked into the heart from the periphery, in turn to be pumped out, and
thus thrown out of the body. Rapid breathing also assures adequate
oxygenation of tissues and prevents stagnant an anoxia (lack of oxygen)
which interferes with the P.H. of the tissues. P.H. of the blood is very
important in extracting the blood from the tissues and influences the
keeping quality of the meat. It is also conceivable that the squeezing
action of the muscles on the blood vessels is essential to pour out the
last drop of blood. All these factors are operative only and only when
the blood vessels in the neck are severed while the animal is conscious
with a normal vaso motor centre, a normal heart and normal circulatory
and normal respiratory centre. Students
of physiology would appreciate that Zabah induces haemorrhagic shock,
in which all the fluid blood is attracted into the circulation and
escapes through the cut vessels, whereas the opposite happens when the
animals are stunned first. Stunning in addition to being painful is less
efficient way of bleeding. In stunning the animal cannot be bled unless
the animal is brought under control by which time the animal could be
dead (its heart stopped due to shock) there is then no point in
bleeding. Arterial Baroreceptors Arterial
baroreceptors are vitally important in the short term (seconds to
minutes) control of mean arterial pressure (MAP) but are unimportant in
determining the long-term level of MAP. This based primarily on two
observations: first, those baroreceptors rapidly reset to the prevailing
level of MAP and second, that total baroreceptor enervation has no
lasting effect on the average daily MAP, although the variability of MAP
is increased dramatically. This is the similar case when slaying
animals and in purifying process of the meat from the blood, in a very
short term (seconds to minutes). The Arterial Baroreceptors & MAP
have thus a very essential action during Zabh. Statement made by Lord Horder, G.C.V.O., M.D., F.R.C.P. �Careful
and critical scrutinizing of this method of slaughtering leaves me in
no doubt whatever that it is fraught with less risk of pain to the
animal than any other method at present practiced�. Statement made by Sir C. A. Lovatt Evans, D.Sc. F.R.S. (Emeritus Professor of Physiology, London University) �My
opinion as a physiologist is that I should think this method is as
humane as any other method in use or likely to be brought into use for
the purpose. To consider that the animal suffers appreciable pain is, in
my opinion, quite absurd. I consider the method to be equal to any�. The end Dr. Jawad Hidmi (PhD) Applied Poultry Science and Pathology / London Member of the World Poultry Science Association (WPSA) / London / The Hague (Netherlands). Member of the Medical Scientific Society - Harvard (USA). Member of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA)-(USA). . E- mail address: mailto:%20%3Cscript%20type=text/javascript%3E%20%3C%21--%20var%20prefix%20=%20ma%20+%20il%20+%20to;%20var%20path%20=%20hr%20+%20ef%20+%20=;%20var%20addy96741%20=%20drjawadhidmi%20+%20@;%20addy96741%20=%20addy96741%20+%20gmail%20+%20.%20+%20com;%20document.write%28%3Ca%20%20+%20path%20+%20%5C%20+%20prefix%20+%20:%20+%20addy96741%20+%20%5C%3E%29;%20document.write%28addy96741%29;%20document.write%28%3C%5C/a%3E%29;%20//--%3E%5Cn%20%3C/script%3E%3Cscript%20type=text/javascript%3E%20%3C%21--%20document.write%28%3Cspan%20style=%5Cdisplay:%20none;%5C%3E%29;%20//--%3E%20%3C/script%3EThis%20email%20address%20is%20being%20protected%20from%20spambots.%20You%20need%20JavaScript%20enabled%20to%20view%20it.%20%3Cscript%20type=text/javascript%3E%20%3C%21--%20document.write%28%3C/%29;%20document.write%28span%3E%29;%20//--%3E%20%3C/script%3E - -
mailto:[email protected] - [email protected] References - Islamic Medical Association publications
- George Sales. Translation 1825 Ed.
- Pickthal. Glorious Quran.
- Qousuf Ali's translation.
- Hedaya. Original translation undertaken by Charles Hamilton on the order of the Governor of Bengal. New edition edited by Standish Grove Graddy 1870.
- Humane Killing of animals. Universities Federation of Animal Welfare.
- Symposium on Humane method of Slaughter and Slaughter house techniques. Universities Federation of Animal Welfare.
- Pistol versus pole axe. Miss Macnaghten.
- Farmers & Stock Breeders. "Pig under stress".
- Impact International. 25th Feb. 9th Mar 1972. Curious saga of humane slaughter.
- A critical study of electric stunning, the Jewish method of slaughter by Rabbi Solomon David Sassoon.
- Wylie's textbook of Anaesthesia. Grays Anatomy.
- Wrights. Principle of Physiology.
- Callow. E. H. Food Hygiene. Cambridge. 1952. P.14.
- Thornton�s text book of meat inspection.
- British Encyclopedia 1786 - "Islamic education like Islamic Sciences evolved round theology".
- Oxford English Dictionary - meaning of "Slaughter".
- Modern Egypt. Earl Krommer part II p.179-181
- Google Documents Web site.
- Baroreceptors and the long-term control of blood pressure. T. N. Thrasher, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD21201, USA. Email:
mailto:[email protected] - [email protected]
- Hidmi. Jawad. �Poultry slaughtering plants, mechanism and hygiene�.2003
|