Short answer
In the Hanafi fatwa position of Deobandi institutions, chicken cut by a rotating machine blade is not halal, because no person says Allah's name over each bird as it is cut. Chicken is halal when Muslims cut each bird by hand, saying bismillah. Some other scholars accept one bismillah said when the machine is switched on.
The tasmiyah must be said by the person who makes the cut, at the time of each slaughter. A machine is not a slaughterer, and one bismillah at switch-on does not cover thousands of birds, so the Deobandi institutions hold machine-slaughtered chicken to be not halal.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Bismillah is a sunnah, so the main question is whether a Muslim makes the cut. Some Shafi'i scholars therefore accept a machine operated by a Muslim, while many others still require each bird to be cut by a person.
Explanation
Large poultry plants hang birds on a moving line and pass their necks over a spinning blade. Some halal certifiers accept this if a Muslim switches the machine on with bismillah, or if a recording of bismillah plays. The Deobandi institutions, following the detailed study of Mufti Taqi Usmani, do not accept either.
Their reasons are simple. In the Hanafi school the name of Allah is tied to the act of slaughter, and it must come from the one who slaughters. A blade turned by a motor is not a person, and a single bismillah said once cannot be the tasmiyah for every bird that passes for hours afterwards. A recording is not a tasmiyah at all.
What does work in a modern plant:
- Muslim slaughterers stand at the line and cut each bird by hand, saying bismillah for each one.
- The machine only holds and moves the birds, and a Muslim makes every cut.
- Birds the blade misses are cut by hand with bismillah, not sent on as they are.
When you buy halal chicken in the US or UK, ask the shop or certifier whether it is hand slaughtered. Many certifiers state this openly. If the answer is unclear, the safer choice is a supplier that confirms hand slaughter, in line with the hadith on leaving what is doubtful. See also 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].
Makes Allah's name a condition of halal meat in the Hanafi school.
Quran, Surah Al-An'aam 6:118
فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا ذُكِرَ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُم بِـَٔايَٰتِهِۦ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١١٨﴾
So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned, if you are believers in His verses.
Ties lawful meat to the mention of Allah's name over it.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5503
Sahih... ما أنهر الدم وذكر اسم الله فكل ...
"Whatever makes the blood flow and has Allah's name mentioned over it, eat it."
Links the mention of Allah's name to the act that makes the blood flow.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2518
Graded sahih... دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبك ...
"Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt."
The basis for choosing hand-slaughtered chicken when a supplier's method is unclear.
Where the ruling is recorded
- The Islamic Laws of Animal Slaughter (Mufti Taqi Usmani), Chapter on mechanical slaughter. Explains why a single tasmiyah at switch-on, or a recording, is not valid.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Dhaba'ih. The tasmiyah is tied to the act of slaughter and said by the slaughterer.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. 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.