Why Is a Slaughtered Animal Halal and Jhatka Haram?

Question

Question: One more objection of the non-Muslim kafirs is that the people of Islam do not eat the meat of jhatka (killing an animal with a single blow, without ritual slaughter) and consider it haram, whereas in jhatka the animal suffers less — indeed, it is finished off with a single blow — while in slaughter (dhabh) the animal loses its life writhing and writhing. If one compares the case described with jhatka, then in slaughter there is more pain, harm and cruelty. Why is it so?

Answer

The animal that is slaughtered after saying “bismillah, Allahu akbar” does not feel pain; rather, on hearing the pure name of Allah ﷻ, it becomes so joyful and enraptured at being slaughtered in the name of its Creator that it does not feel the pain of slaughter. Contrary to this, in whatever other way it is killed, it feels great torment and pain.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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