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Is it permissible to say "Bismillah" over meat not ritually slaughtered?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Saying "Bismillah" (in the name of Allah) before eating does not make it permissible to consume meat slaughtered in a way that is not Islamically prescribed. However, if the manner of slaughter (dhakah) is unknown, one should say "Bismillah" before eating it, based on the hadith narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): "Indeed, some people bring us meat, and we do not know whether they mentioned the name of Allah over it or not." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Mention the name of Allah and eat it." Everything found in Muslim markets and whatever is slaughtered by Muslim Bedouins is presumed to be permissible. Similarly, everything slaughtered by a Muslim, whether a transgressor or ignorant, or by a People of the Book, is permissible to eat, as long as we were not present at the time of the slaughter. Mentioning the name of Allah at the time of slaughter is a condition according to many jurists.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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