Islam Question and Answer - He is living in a foreign country and there is no halaal meat available; is there a concession allowing him to eat non-halaal meat?

Sat 8/7/1434 - 18/5/2013

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Principles of Fiqh » Jurisprudence and Islamic Rulings » Customs and traditions » Food & Nourishment » Dhabaa’ih Ahl al-Kitaab (meat slaughtered by the People of the Book)

He is living in a foreign country and there is no halaal meat available; is there a concession allowing him to eat non-halaal meat?

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I am in a foreign country where I am staying for a year and a half for the purpose of study. There is no halaal meat here. Can I eat or not? Please note that dhabh (halaal slaughter) is banned here.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

If the study you need is available in a Muslim country, then it is not permissible for you to travel to a kaafir country for that purpose. It is haraam for you to stay among the kuffaar unless it is essential for medical treatment, business, da’wah or study that is not available in a Muslim country and that you cannot do without. It is also essential to ensure that the circumstances of your study are Islamically acceptable, i.e., no mixing. Perhaps this is rare or non-existent in the country, which leads to loss of shyness in women and heedlessness with regard to loss of morals and the spread of lethal diseases.

See also the answer to question no. 13342 and 27211.

Secondly:

If you do go there, it is not permissible for you to eat meat that is not slaughtered in accordance with Islamic sharee’ah. The fact that there is no halaal meat is not an excuse for you, because you can eat fish and seafood, or you can eat things other than meat, such as canned goods and vegetables, or you can look seriously for an Islamic centre that provides halaal meat to the Muslims.

See also the answer to question no. 10339.

And Allaah knows best.

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