Short answer
Jhatka meat comes from an animal killed with a single blow that cuts off the head, usually by a Sikh or Hindu butcher with no mention of Allah. It is not halal. Halal (zabiha) meat needs a Muslim, Jewish or Christian slaughterer, Allah's name, and a cut across the throat. The four schools agree jhatka is not halal.
Jhatka is not halal, because the slaughterer is neither a Muslim nor from the People of the Book and Allah's name is not said. Cutting off the head in one stroke is itself only makruh in the Hanafi school: if a Muslim did it with bismillah, the meat would still be halal.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Jhatka (from a word for a sudden jerk or blow) is the method preferred by many Sikhs and some Hindus, whose traditions forbid them from eating halal meat. The animal's head is struck off with one blow, aiming for an instant kill. In India, the UK and Canada, butchers sometimes label meat as jhatka.
Halal slaughter differs in three ways that matter in the shariah:
- Who slaughters: a sane Muslim, or a Jew or Christian. Sikhs and Hindus are not People of the Book, so their slaughter is not valid in any of the four schools.
- Allah's name: said at the moment of slaughter. Jhatka has none.
- The cut: across the throat, cutting the windpipe, gullet and jugular veins so the blood flows out.
The single blow is not the main problem. The Hanafi books say that cutting through to the spinal cord or severing the head is makruh because it adds pain, yet the meat is still halal if the other conditions are met. What makes jhatka haram is who slaughters and the missing name of Allah.
Where jhatka and halal shops sit side by side, buy only from a trusted halal butcher. See what makes meat halal and stunned meat.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-An'aam 6:121
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِسْقٌۭ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِهِمْ لِيُجَٰدِلُوكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ ﴿١٢١﴾
And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him].
Meat slaughtered without Allah's name is forbidden.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2488
Sahih... ما أنهر الدم وذكر اسم الله عليه فكل ...
"Whatever makes the blood flow, and Allah's name is mentioned over it, eat it."
The two core conditions: flowing blood and Allah's name.
Sahih Muslim 1955
Sahih... وإذا ذبحتم فأحسنوا الذبح وليحد أحدكم شفرته ...
"When you slaughter, slaughter well: let each of you sharpen his blade."
Slaughter should be done with care and mercy.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Dhaba'ih. The slaughter of a Muslim or a person of the Book is valid and that of an idolater is not; cutting off the head is disliked but the meat is eaten.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.