Is artificially produced meat halal?

Sources

• ✓ 5:4 · Al-Maaida

  5:4 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَآ أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ ۖ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ ۙ وَمَا عَلَّمْتُم مِّنَ ٱلْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّآ أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ

  They ask thee (O Muhammad) what is made lawful for them. Say: (all) good things are made lawful for you. And those beasts and birds of prey which ye have trained as hounds are trained, ye teach them that which Allah taught you; so eat of that which they catch for you and mention Allah's name upon it, and observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is swift to take account.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 5:4

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 5:4

  When Allah first mentioned in the earlier verse the harmful forbidden things—those that are deleterious to the one who consumes them, either physically, spiritually, or both—He also made exceptions for what is permitted in cases of necessity, as He says in the Qur'an: "And He has explained to you what is forbidden except that to which you are compelled" (Al-An'am 6:119). Following this, He says: "They ask you, [O Muhammad], what has been made lawful for them. Say, 'Lawful for you are the good things'" (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:4). Similarly, in Surah Al-A'raf, concerning the description of Muhammad ﷺ, it is said: "He allows for them the good things and prohibits for them the impure" (Al-A'raf 7:157). Ibn Abi Hatim reported from several chains that Adi ibn Hatim and Zaid ibn al-Muhallil asked the Prophet ﷺ regarding what dead animals, which Allah prohibited, might nevertheless be lawful for them if any? This inquiry led to the revelation of this verse. Said ibn Jubayr explained that "the good things" refer to lawful and pure slaughtered animals. Muqatil said that "the good things" include all lawful sustenance that a person may attain. When al-Zuhri was asked about drinking urine for medicinal purposes, he said it is not among the good things. Ibn Wahb reported Maliki's view about the sale of certain clay edible by people, saying it is not among the good. Then Allah states: "and what you have trained of hunting animals"—that is, birds and dogs trained for hunting or similar trained animals that assist in catching game. The majority of the Companions, the Followers, and later scholars agreed upon this understanding. Among them, Ali ibn Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn Abbas that "hunting animals" meant trained dogs, falcons, and every bird taught for hunting. This view was transmitted by various early authorities. According to Ibn Jarir, from narration of Ibn Umar: what birds like hunting hawks catch before being caught by a human may be taken as lawful food; if one does not catch it, it is unlawful to eat. The consensus among the four main imams and others aligns with this; the reason is that these hunting animals catch their prey with their claws or nails (referred to as "makalib"), and this act delineates the parameters of permissible game. The expression "makalibin" (those with makalib) is understood to refer to the hunting animals while they are in the state of using their claws or talons to catch prey, which by general agreement cannot be eaten if killed by the animal alone. This is one of the opinions of al-Shafi'i and some scholars. Thus, the phrase "and what you have trained" includes those trained animals that hold the prey for their owner until taken. The Sunnah corroborates this ruling. For instance, in authentic reports narrated by both Bukhari and Muslim, Adi ibn Hatim said he asked the Prophet ﷺ about sending hunting dogs and mentioning the name of Allah upon them; the Prophet ﷺ responded affirmatively that when you send your trained dog and mention the name of Allah, eat whatever it holds for you. But if another dog, which you did not name, kills, you do not eat it. If your dog is sent and holds prey, then eats it, you do not eat the prey due to hadiths cautioning against the dog eating the game itself. Ibn Jarir documented multiple chains narrating that the Prophet ﷺ commanded the killing of dogs, but after people protested about what was lawful for them of these animals, this verse was revealed. Regarding naming and invoking Allah's name, the majority of scholars stipulate doing so at the time of sending the hunting animal or shooting the arrow. Some narrations indicate that forgetting to name at the moment is excused if done before eating the prey. Also reported is the Prophet ﷺ's teaching: Saying the name of Allah before eating suffices, and if one forgets, they should say "In the name of Allah, beginning and end" at the end of the meal. It is related that not remembering to name Allah before eating allows the devil to partake in the food. The scholars have debated whether to eat prey partially eaten by the dog. The majority, supported by many hadiths, allow eating if the dog ate from the prey but did not make it wholly its own (did not eat all or did not contaminate it outright), but forbid eating if the dog did take full possession of it. This nuanced position reconciles various hadiths. Similar rulings apply to birds such as falcons, which catch prey without contaminating it. In sum, from this verse and hadiths, the general legal ruling is: the lawful animals are those that are lawful to consume slaughtered correctly, and the catch of trained hunting animals named upon by the hunter is lawful provided the animal did not wholly consume the prey. The naming of Allah's name at the time of sending the hunting animal or shooting the arrow is obligatory. This is the understanding supported by the majority of the Sahaba, the Followers, and based on strong hadith evidence. Disagreements and subtleties exist among some scholars and early authorities, but this constitutes the dominant view. Allah knows best.