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IslamQA: Is meat from Christians halal?

I'm a revert and my parents always cook non halal meat for dinner (no pork). A somali brother said to me it's ok as it's "christian" meat. What can I do? because out of respect and manners I eat it. Doesn't this invalidate my salah or du'a?

Unfortunately meat and poultry from Christians is not halal because they do not follow Biblical laws on food. Only meat that is kosher-certified (”halal” for practicing Jews) is also halal to Muslims. So any meat or poultry in the West that’s not certified halal or kosher is unlawful for Muslims to eat according to the European Council for Fatwa and Research, and I prefer their opinion. They studied the way animals and birds are slaughtered in Western countries and found out that the methods used do not satisfy Islamic requirements. Only kosher and halal-certified meat and poultry satisfy Islam’s requirements.

The only relevant opinion I can find on the issue of whether one’s prayer will be valid is by the 19th century Maliki jurist Muhammad al-Desouki, who says that if someone eats pork by mistake, they should try to throw it up if it is still in their stomach, otherwise their prayer will not be valid. But if the meat has passed the stomach, the person’s prayer will be valid since there is nothing they can do about it.

You can try to find halal or kosher butchers in your city and ask your family to get their meat from there.

Best wishes.

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