Saturday, November 15, 2014

The Food (Meat) of Ahlul Kitab


The Food (Meat) of Ahlul Kitab
By Dr. Jaafar Al-Quaderi

All praise is to ALLAH, and the peace and blessings of ALLAH are sent to the Prophet Muhammad, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, Sayyid of the Messengers and on his family and the Sahaba and those who follow their guidance until the Day of Judgement.
These days, it has become common for Muslim communities to de-emphasize food to the point that many are observed eating in restaurants or fast food establishments, indulging in foods that should be avoided. Even more bizarre is that if these same Muslims were back in their home countries, they would accept the decisions of the government officials or Islamic organizations in those Muslim countries to decide for them what is Halal and what is not. In non-Muslim countries, they don't seem to take things as seriously as required. Don't the Islamic rules apply in the non-Muslim West? Or do the Islamic rules change from place to place? Or is it simply a written law, which need not be followed? This is what we see and hear, but ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, ordained for us a specific way of life and encouraged Muslim believers by saying:
O you who believe! Eat of the good things that WE have provided for you and be grateful to ALLAH, if it is HIM you worship. (Al-Baqara: 172)
In fact, ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, did not limit HIS instructions to the believers alone. HE also instructed all HIS Messengers, alaihim assalaam, to:
O you messengers! Enjoy (all) things good and pure, and work righteousness: for I am well acquainted with (all) that you do. (Al Mu-minun: 51)
The Arabic word Tayyibaat here, translated as 'good and pure', is a general and all-encompassing word about all foods, including meats, grains, fruits and vegetables, etc. However, when ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, discussed meat, HE was exact in instructing us to pronounce HIS name on the meat, as follows:
So eat of (meats) on which ALLAH's name has been pronounced, if you have faith in HIS Signs. (Al-An'aam: 118)
ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, did not instruct us to pronounce HIS name when HE spoke about foods in general. He instructed us to "eat of the Tayyibaat (good and pure)" foods. Then ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, addressed us by asking:
 
Why should you not eat of (meats) on which ALLAH's name has been pronounced, when HE has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity? But many do mislead (men) by their appetites unchecked by knowledge. The Lord knows best those who transgress. (Al-An'aam: 119)
Then ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, forbade us from eating meat upon which HIS name has not been pronounced, by saying:
Eat not of (meats) on which ALLAH's name has not been pronounced: that would be impiety. But the evil ones ever inspire their friends to contend with you if you were to obey them, you would indeed be Pagans. (Al-An'aam: 121)
In interpreting this aya, Imam Al-Fakhr Al-Razi said, it has been related that 'Ata had said: all food and drink upon which ALLAH's name has not been pronounced is haram (forbidden), based on the guidance of this aya.
However, all the other scholars agreed that this aya was specific to meat only. Imam Al-Razi used the opinions of 3 schools of thought to explain this aya. The first is that of Imam Malik, which states that the meat from any slaughter upon which ALLAH's name is not pronounced is haram, regardless of whether it is intentional or by error. Ibn Sirin and a group of theologists agree with this viewpoint.
The second is that of Imam Abu Hanifa, which states that the meat from any slaughter where the name of ALLAH is intentionally not pronounced is haram. If the slaughterman forgets to pronounce the name of ALLAH at slaughter, then the meat is Halal.
The third is that of Imam Al-Shafi'i, which states that the animal carcass is Halal, even if the name of ALLAH is not pronounced at the time of slaughter, regardless of whether it is intentional or forgotten, as long as the slaughterman is a qualified person, i.e., a sane Muslim. And after a long discussion on this final opinion, Imam Al-Razi said (this is important for us) it is best for a Muslim to avoid eating meat from animals when ALLAH's name has not been pronounced at slaughter, because the guidance from this aya is strong. This means Muslims should avoid meats slaughtered without the pronouncing of the name of ALLAH at the time of slaughter.
As to the main question, the slaughter of Ahlul Kitab, we find guidance in the following ayah:
This day are (all) things Good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them... (Al-Ma-idah: 5)
And the word Ta'aam (food) in this aya has been interpreted in 3 ways. First, the animals which are slaughtered by Ahlul Kitab are Halal for Muslims. Second, only the bread, fruits, vegetables, fish and all foods not requiring slaughter are Halal for Muslims. (This is the opinion of some of the Imams of the Zaidi school of thought.) This opinion holds that the meat of the Ahlul Kitab is haram. Third, is all foods, those which are slaughtered and those which are not slaughtered are Halal for Muslims. The majority of scholars have not accepted the second and third opinions. They hold that the word Ta'aam (food) in this aya means the animals which are slaughtered because it does not become food until after it is slaughtered. They added that all foods not requiring slaughter are already Halal, whether it is owned by Ahlul Kitab or not. Meaning there is no reason to favor the food of Ahlul Kitab in this matter.
So, if we conclude that the meaning of the word Ta'aam is the animals requiring slaughter, does it mean all animals eaten by Ahlul Kitab or is it specific to certain ones? We know that some of the Ahlul Kitab eat animals which are haram for Muslims regardless of how they were slaughtered, such as pork. There is no disagreement among Muslim scholars that pork is haram. Therefore the meaning of the word Ta'aam cannot be any food, rather it means the Halal animals which are slaughtered by Ahlul Kitab. The final question is: Can Muslims eat the meat of Halal animals slaughtered by Ahlul Kitab only on the condition they pronounce the name of ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, at the time of slaughter, without any conditions?
It is useful to consider that in the earlier days, it was customary for the people to slaughter only for their personal needs. If they slaughtered a large animal and were unable to use all the meat, they would share it with their friends and neighbors. This is clear from the Ahadith. It was not customary to slaughter many animals for sale or trade. So when they slaughtered for their personal needs, they used to pronounce the name of ALLAH at the time of slaughter. Nowadays our needs are different and unlike in the past, markets are commonplace. So now, slaughtering is divided into two categories, slaughtering for sale and slaughtering for personal use. Most of the available meat is of the first category, meat that has been slaughtered for sale. With this backdrop, let us review the opinions of the scholars in answer to the question: Is it permissible to eat the meat slaughtered by Ahlul Kitab with or without Tasmiyyah?
Ibn Katheer said, "This is the matter on which the Ulema agreed upon, that the slaughter of Ahlul Kitab is Halal for Muslims to consume because they believe in the prohibition of slaughtering in a name other than ALLAH, and they pronounce no name on their slaughter except that of ALLAH." In response to this, we must weigh the current evidence. It is our observation that neither all Jews nor all Christians pronounce the name of ALLAH at the time of slaughter. In fact, some pronounce a name other than ALLAH. Shaikh Al-Aloosi, author of Ruh Al-Ma'ani said: Al-Hassan, rahimahullah, has said Muslims should not eat the meat slaughtered by a Jew or Christian who slaughters in a name other than ALLAH.
Shaikh Al-Qurtubi has said that a group of Muslim scholars believes that if you hear the Kitabi (Jew or Christian) pronounce a name other than ALLAH at the time of slaughter, then do not eat the meat. In agreement with this from among the Sahaba of the Prophet, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, are Syedina Ali, Syedatina 'Aisha, Syedina Ibn Umar, radiya ALLAHu anhuma, and also Tawoos and Al-Hassan, rahimahumallah. From this, it is evident that it is haram to eat meat that has been slaughtered while pronouncing a name other than ALLAH. Furthermore, it is evident that Jews and Christians have been ordered to pronounce the name of ALLAH at the time of slaughter; however, some of them have abandoned this requirement. In fact, some began to slaughter in a name other than ALLAH.
In our present day, the behavior of Ahlul Kitab has changed dramatically and they no longer abide by the laws revealed to them, especially in the matter of slaughter. This is clear since Christians do not pronounce any name upon slaughter, neither that of ALLAH nor that of anyone else. If you ask the Christian slaughterman, as I have done, what he says at slaughter, the response is: I do not say anything. They say there is no connection between slaughtering and religion. They say they are employees doing a job and they just do it. This is in regard to the animals slaughtered for sale in the marketplace, which is what concerns us.
As for the Jews, we personally attended a slaughter facility where there were 3 rabbis. They all met before starting the slaughter and recited something. Then they separated and each went to a different area to perform their duties. The first was the slaughterman and he performed the slaughter. The second examined the organs of the carcasses to check for any indications of disease. If he detected any, he discarded the organ. If not, he passed the organ on to the third rabbi. The third rabbi stamped the organs and wrote something in Hebrew on them.
During the slaughter operation, the first rabbi, the slaughterman, conversed with us and answered our questions as he was slaughtering. On this day, they were to slaughter approximately 450 cows. After a time, they announced they were near the end of the day's slaughter. The three rabbis met again and recited something in Hebrew and then dispersed again to slaughter the last animal for the day.
During this visit we observed that Jews recite something at the beginning and at the end of the slaughter and they do not recite anything on the animals during the slaughter. On this day, 450 animals were slaughtered and the only recitation performed was prior to the start and prior to slaughtering the last animal. In spite of this, all 450 head slaughtered were labeled as kosher. Do we consider this to be the meat of Ahlul Kitab? Ibn Katheer has said: "ALLAH's concession for eating the meat of Ahlul Kitab does not include that meat upon which the name of ALLAH has not been pronounced at the time of slaughter. This is because Ahlul Kitab are required to pronounce the name of ALLAH during their ritual slaughter. Because of this, ALLAH has not made it Halal for Muslims to consume the meat of other peoples", besides Ahlul Kitab, since the other peoples do not pronounce the name of ALLAH at slaughter. Therefore the condition which must be met to allow Muslims to eat the meat of Ahlul Kitab, as opposed to other peoples, is that they should pronounce the name of ALLAH at the time of slaughter. If this condition is not met, then the permission to eat their meat is not granted. Let us return to what Imam Al-Razi has said, "It is best for Muslims to avoid eating meat which was not slaughtered while pronouncing the name of ALLAH because the aya (Al-An'aam: 121) is very strong." We should keep in mind that Imam Al-Razi himself followed the Shafi'i school but he was not comfortable in this case with the Shafi'i school's opinion.
Finally, most of the Muslim nations do not accept the mistaken opinion that allows the consumption of the beef, lamb, and poultry found in restaurants operated by Ahlul Kitab.
We ask ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, to guide us to the right path, always and forever, and to forgive our mistakes, for HE is ALL-Hearing and close. And peace to all who follow The Guidance.
(Dr. Quaderi is IFANCA's Religious Advisor. He received his Islamic training at Al-Azhar University in Cairo.)


Is the meat of Ahl-al-Kitab Halal?
Research by Shaukat A. Ameen

Who are actually the people of the book?
Unless the Jews and Christians were to abandon Judaism and Christianity totally they shall continue to be the People of the Book, no matter how involved in false beliefs of their religion and dark doings they may be.

Imam al-Jassas reports in Ahkam al-Quran that during the Khilafah of Sayyidna 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, one of his governors wrote to him for advice. He said that there were some people in his area who recited the Torah and observed the Sabbath like the Jews but they did not believe in Qiyamah (the Last Day). He wanted to know how he was supposed to deal with such people. Sayyidna 'Umar wrote back telling him that they will be taken as a sect of The People of the Book after all.

These days a very large number of people in Europe (and elsewhere) who are listed in the Census records as Jews and Christians do not really believe in the existence of God and, for that matter, do not subscribe to any institutionalized religion. They do not accept the Torah and Evangile as Scriptures, nor do they have faith in Sayyidna Musa and 'Isa (Moses and Jesus), may peace be upon them, as prophets or messengers of Allah. It is obvious that such people cannot be counted as included under the injunction governing the People of the Book simply because their names are listed as Jews and Christians in the Census records.
When Sayyidna
said that the slaughter of some Christians of Arabia is not Halal, he gave a reason. He said that those people believe in nothing but drinking. His words as reported by Ibn al-Jauzi are being cited below:
'Do not eat from the animals slaughtered by the Christians belonging to Bani Taghlib for they have taken nothing from the Christian faith except the drinking of wine (narrated by Al-Shafi'i with sound authority - al-Tafsir al-Mazhari, p. 34, v. 3, al-Maidah)

(Extract from Ma'ariful Qur'an)

People in west don't know if the meat has been slaugthered by an ahl-al-kitab or an atheist or someone who believes in any other faith.

Ahl-al-Kitab = People of the book

What is Halal Meat?

The fundamental principle of understanding the Quran is one Aayat of the Quran explains the other. For example:

{Forbidden for you are dead meat, blood, . . .} [Soorah 5, Aayah 4].

Now, if someone asks whether we can eat fish or not? Because the above ayah says that dead meat is haram. But were he to look into the ahaadees, he would know that the Prophet (S.A.W) excepted two types of animals, fish and locusts, from this prohibition, so he could rule accordingly.

Now the question is whether the Zabiha of people of the books (Christians or Jews) is lawful or halal for us or not? Let’s see the verse first:

"This day, good things have been made lawful for you. And the food of the people of the Book is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them, and good women from among believers, and good women from among those given the Book before you, provided you give them their dowers, binding yourself in marriage, not going for lust, nor having paramours. And whoever rejects Faith, his effort will go waste and, in the Hereafter, he is among the losers." (Surah Maida verse 5).

Even those who justify the eating of haram beef and chicken by saying that the food of the "People of the Book" is lawful insist on excluding pork and alcohol. If this verse means that whatever is the food of the "People of the Book" today you can eat, then how can they exclude pork and alcohol?

Second, a thing (not Islamically slaughtered meat) which is haram at your own house, how can it become halal at their homes?

Further, if the Qur’anic ayah does not specify "chicken and beef" or even "meat". Then how can the word "food" be translated as meat, specifically chicken and beef only, and not pork?

Allah says in the Quran:

6:119. Eat of that over which the name of Allah has been mentioned, if you are believers in His revelations.

We would now like to pose the following questions:

What does the Glorious Qur’an mean by the food of the Ahl-al-Kitab (People of the Book) which Allah has made lawful for Muslims?

  1. Does it mean by this the food, which Allah has made lawful for the Ahl-al-Kitab in their Scriptures (i.e. revelations from Allah) and according to their Prophets?

OR

  1. Does it mean everything, which the Ahl-al-Kitab eat, even though Allah has forbidden it for them?

It is well known that in every one of the revealed religions, Allah has forbidden certain items of food while allowing other good things. It is also well known that in every community, some of its people opposed their Prophets and infringed the limits which the prophets had prescribed for them, so they would eat some of the food forbidden to them. Therefore, does the Qur’anic verse intend by "the food of those who have received the Scripture" the food of the Ahl-al-Kitab which Allah had made lawful for Muslims, or the food of the Ahl-al-Kitab which is halal to them in accordance with their Books and the teachings of their Prophets?

Or does it mean every kind of food that they actually eat, regardless of whether it is lawful or unlawful for them?

We will use the same principle as used above to understand the verse by looking at other ayats of the Quran:

Allah (s.w.t.) says in Holy Quran

5:3. Forbidden to you (for food) are carrion and blood and swine flesh, and that which has been dedicated to any other than Allah, and the strangled, and the dead through beating, and the dead through falling from a height, and that which has been killed by (the goring of) horns, and the devoured of wild beasts, except that which you make lawful (by the death stroke), and that which has been immolated to idols. And (forbidden is it) that you swear by the divining arrows. This is an abomination. This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor to you, and have chosen for you as religion AL- ISLAM. Who so is forced by hunger, not by will, to sin: (for him) surely! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

2:173. He has forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swine flesh, and that which has been immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Surely! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

16:115. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swine flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah;but he who is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, surely!then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

6:146. Say: I find not in that which is revealed to me aught prohibited to an eater that he eat thereof, except it be carrion, or blood poured forth, or swine flesh for that verily is foul or the abomination which was immolated to the name of other than Allah. But who so is compelled (thereto), neither craving nor transgressing, (for him) Lo! Your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

6:119. Eat of that over which the name of Allah Has been mentioned, if you are believers in His revelations.

6:120. How should you not eat of that over which the name of Allah Has been mentioned, when He has explained to you that which is forbidden to you, unless you are compelled thereto. But surely! Many are led astray by their own lusts through ignorance. Surely! Your Lord, He is best aware of the transgressors.

2:168. O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the Satan. Surely! He is an open enemy for you.

2:169. He enjoineth upon you only the evil and the foul, and that you should tell concerning Allah that which you know not.

2:172. O you who believe! Eat of the good things which We have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He whom you worship.

5:4. They ask you (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 you have trained as hounds are trained, you 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. Surely! Allah is swift to take account.

6:143. And of the cattle (He produceth) some for burdens, some for food. Eat of that which Allah Has grant to you, and follow not the footsteps of the Satan, for surely! he is an open enemy to you.

5:88. Eat of that which Allah Has bestowed on you as food lawful and good, and keep your duty to Allah in Whom you are believers.

16:114. So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah Has provided for you, and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is Him you serve.

Is the meat permissible without the name of Allah?

Overtly the above Aayat (5:5) reads that the Zabeeha of the Ahlul-Kitaab is permissible, but the fundamental principle must be understood in order to understand the Qurãn i.e. 'One part of the Qurãn explains the other'. Therefore, this verse should be understood in the light of another verse relating to the same matter:

"Do not eat unless Allah's name has been taken and this (not taking Allah's name) practice is transgression...'(Quran 6:121)

While the former verse explicitly states that the Zabeeha of the Ahlul-Kitaab is permissible and the latter says, 'Do not eat unless Allah's name has been taken', in the light of both these verses, it is understood that the Zabeeha of the Ahlul-kitaab is permissible only if the name of Allah is taken at the time of slaughtering. The Ahlul-kitaab used to take Allah's name when slaughtering an animal. Therefore, their Zabeeha was also Halaal for Muslims. It is for this same reason that an animal slaughtered by the Mushrikeen, etc. is not permissible. The Ahlul-kitaab of today are recognized by name, less faith. There is no guarantee that they take the name of Allah/God when slaughtering an animal. Furthermore, they cannot be anymore trusted in matters pertaining to Halaal/Haraam. Since there is uncertainty in the above slaughter manner, the Jurists are unanimous that it is not permissible to consume meat which is doubtful. Unless there is certainty that the Ahlul-kitaab read the 'Tasmiyah' i.e. take the name of God when slaughtering an animal then only will the meat be permissible.

Shari'ah has emphasized on consumption of pure and Halaal foods and to abstain from anything doubtful. If one does not know whether the chicken and meat is Halaal or not, it is not permissible to eat them.

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Proper way of Zabiha

From the booklet entitled "The Meat: Lawful and Unlawful in Islam" by Mohammad Sami’ullah. The booklet is published by Siddiqi Trust of Karachi, Pakistan.

1. The animal should be a Halal (lawful) one according to the Shari’ah (Islamic Law). Dog, cat, monkey, or the meat of any such Haram (unlawful) animal can be lawful for a Muslim only in cases of extreme urgency where a person is threatened with starvation and his life has to be saved. We read in the Qur’an: "Allah has forbidden for you what dies of itself, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked. But whoever is driven by necessity, without neither willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then he is guiltless. Surely Allah is forgiving, merciful." (2:173)

2. The animal should be properly slaughtered and should not be dipped in boiling water or killed by electric shocks. Any method other than slaughter adopted to kill the animal will not be lawful. Stunning by bolt shot or electric shock before slaughter is not valid and should be avoided, as it is tantamount to torturing an animal, which is inhumane and unlawful in Islam. The tendency of the Shari’ah is to make the slaughter more humane by reducing the suffering of the animal. The Holy Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said that if you must slaughter, slaughter in the best possible manner. Sharpen your knife every time before you slaughter, but not in front of the animal to be slaughtered. Do not slaughter an animal in the presence of other animals, and feed and rest the animal before slaughter. The idea is to stop cruelty to animals - a practice still prevalent in the West in various forms and guises despite claims to the contrary, as we shall see later.

3. The name of Allah should be recited while slaughtering the animal. The recitation may be done by a Muslim or by a Jew or Christian in his own language. The Holy Qur’an describes that slaughter as unlawful on which the name of Allah has not been recited: "And eat not of that whereon Allah’s name hath not been mentioned, for Lo! It is abomination. Lo! The devils do inspire their minions to dispute with you. But if you obey them, ye will be in truth idolators". (6:121)

4. For meat to be lawful, it is not simply enough that the animal has been slaughtered by the "People of the Book". It is very essential that the act of slaughter should be performed according to their prescribed religious rites and practices. For instance, if a Muslim kills a chicken by twisting its neck, it would a carcass and Haram. If the same method of killing is adopted by a Jew or Christian, then how can such a chicken be Halal? Slaughtering consists of cutting the jugular veins of the neck, so that all the blood is drained out. The spinal cord must not be cut, because the nerve fibers to the heart may be damaged during the process, causing cardiac arrest and hence stagnation of the blood in the blood vessels of the animal. Since blood is also forbidden in Islam, it is incumbent to see to it that the blood is completely drained from the animal during slaughtering. This is meat is then called Halal or lawful. Like other Islamic teachings, dietary restrictions in Islam relate to material well being, even as they are spiritually significant.

Legal opinion from Saudi Arabia
The legal opinion (Fatwa) of Sheikh Abdullah Ibn Hamid, President, Shariah Law Supreme Council and president, Jurisprudence Assembly in Saudi Arabia is summarized as follows:

"The slaughtered animals of the People of the Book are not to be eaten at present because they are not legally slaughtered, and these people do not mention Allah’s name upon their slaughtered beasts. The legal slaughter that the general public rightly agrees to should be in the trachea and in the upper part of the chest. The slaughter must not be done elsewhere. The People of the Book do not adhere to this rule".

Ahadees
Narrated by Aisha (R.A.): A group of people said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), "Some people bring us meat and we do not know whether they have mentioned Allah’s name or not on slaughtering the animal". He said: "Mention Allah’s name on it and eat". Those people had embraced Islam recently. (Bukhari vol. VII page 302 English translation). It is obvious that this relates to the slaughter of new-Muslims (i.e. those people who had embraced Islam recently) and not the slaughter of Kuffar (Jews and Christians).

Utensils

In another Hadith the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) even advised care in matter of utensils so that the purity of food is not disturbed by using such utensils of the "People of the Book" in which swine flesh and its derivatives may have been served:

Narrated Abu Thalaha Al Khushaui: I came to the Prophet and said, "O Allah’s Apostle! We are living in the land of the People of the Scripture, and we take our meals in their utensils, and there is a game in that land and I hunt with my bow and with my trained hound and with my untrained hound". The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "As for you saying that you are in the land of the People of the book, you should not eat in their utensils, unless you find no alternative, in which case you must wash the utensils and then eat in them…" (Bukhari)


It would be worthwhile and advisable to consider and reflect on the implications of the following Ahadees regarding lawful and unlawful in Islam:

1. An-Nu’man bin Bashir reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "What is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things which many people do not recognize. He who guards against doubtful things, keeps his religion and honour blameless. But he who falls into doubtful things, falls into what is unlawful, just as a shepherd who pastures his animals around a preserve will soon pasture them into it". (Bukhari and Muslim)

2. Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger as saying that Allah is good and accepts only what is good, and He has given the same command to the believers as He has given to the messengers, saying, "O messengers, eat of what is good and act righteously," (XXIII:51) and also, "You who believe, eat of the good things which We have provided for you". (II:172) Then he mentioned a man who makes a long journey in a disheveled and dusty state, who stretches out his hands to heaven saying, "My Lord, my Lord", when his food, drink and clothing are of an unlawful nature, and he is nourished by what is unlawful, and asked how such a one could be given an answer. (Muslim)

3. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is also reported to have said: "Flesh which has grown out of which is unlawful will not enter Paradise, but hell is more fitting for all flesh which has grown out of what is unlawful". (Ahmad, Darimi and Baihaqi).
Machine and Instruments

Halal is on which Allah's Name is pronounced and is slaughtered the way the Holy Prophet-SAW has practically done it. Using tape recorders or cutting throats with machines is by no stretch of imagination Halal. All these ways are unislamic and hence false. The Islamic way of slaughtering permits the flowing blood to drain out completely while removing necks through an instrument or machine results in shock action which impedes blood drain.

Is Kosher Halal?

Kosher is from the Hebrew word kasher, which means "fit" and "proper". The term is usually used for food that Jews are permitted to eat under dietary laws that are derived from passages in the biblical books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Some elements of Jewish and Islamic dietary laws are common, while some are not. Here are some major differences:

Kosher
Halal
Blessing on animals
Blessing before entering slaughtering area, not on each animal
Blessing on each animal while slaughtering
Gelatin from:
Dry Bones
Skin and Bones
Fish
Pork

 
 
Maybe
From Kosher animals
Kosher fish only
Allowed by some liberal orthodox rabbis

 
 
Halal bones only
From Halal animals
Any fish
Not allowed at all

 
Alcohol
Permitted, depending on source
Not permitted
Combining Dairy & Meat
Not permitted
Not an issue
Special Occasion
Additional restrictions during Passover
Same rules apply all the time
From an article by Dr. M. Riaz, Texas A & M University; minor adjustments by eat-halal.com
It must be noted that if a product is Kosher certified, it does not mean that the product is automatically Halal. While it is true that Kosher certification can be used as a tool for eating halal, one must be very careful. There are Kosher certification agencies which certify products and ingredients which are not considered Kosher by many Jews. 
Advice
By Dr. Zahoor Ul Haque

Kosher is a group of foods that jews think are allowed to them. They do not combine milk and meat in one meal thinking that it is cruelty to use two products of an animal for one's meal. In Kosher restaurants, they are legally bound to keep a qualified person to ensure that the meals prepared there are in conformity with the kosher food code. Moreover, the word kosher is used in addition to food in the meaning of morality as well, for example, Kosher Gym means a Gym in which there are separate sections for exercising/acrobats of men and women.

The Haram ingredients are not only used in meat and meat products, but in various other things such as soap, toothpaste, potato chips, candies, snacks, etc. Chief haram ingredients are Mono and Di-glycerides. These are written to be used as preservatives in the ingredient list printed on every product. Another very important one is Yellow #5. This includes pork. This is used in some drinks such as Mountain-Dew, many soaps, deodorants, toothpastes. Generally anything in which vegetable shortening is used can be taken as Halal and the one containing animal shortening is surely Haram.

The restaurants such as McDonald and  Burger King and others sell such food that is thought as Halal by many Muslim customers, such as french fries, fish burger, etc; but I have personal experience that these things are fried in the same pan (karahi) containing corn-oil in which pork and haram chicken are fried. So, these potato and fish also become Haram. Similarly, most items of salad bar are apparently Halal, but the dressings which are added to improve its taste may contain haram items. So extreme precaution is needed to eat in restaurants.

Lastly, I would draw your attention to the shops which sell Halal meat/chicken/beef, etc. I have personally seen that they sell beef imported from Australia labeling as Halal beef. Goat meat in the areas of Muslim concentration in USA can be trusted as Halal as this is most often slaughtered by Muslim butchers. Chicken is doubtful since Jews do not eat chicken legs they sell it very cheap to meat shops. Therefore, in USA, chicken legs are much cheaper in cost as compared to whole chicken.

Word of Caution: According to Hazrat Jee, eating Haram thinking it is Haram is a sin, but eating Haram thinking it as Halal is Kufr.
Is Kosher Meat Halal? Not Really
There are several issues with Kosher:
1. In Judaism, the rules and methods of slaughtering are not open and published. Unlike in Islam, where any adult sane Muslim can slaughter an animal by following the rules prescribed by Shariah, in Judaism only one kind of Rabbi, known as the Sachet, may slaughter Kosher animals. The Sachet is specially trained for this purpose and no other Jew can slaughter an animal.
Although Jews say that they slaughter in the name of God, we do not know what else they say in Hebrew while slaughtering. Their prayers and methods of slaughtering are in the hands of a few people and are not generally known.
2. The Sachet does not say prayers on all animals he slaughters at a time. Instead, he only says prayers on the first and last animals he slaughters. For example, if a Sachet has to slaughter ten cows, he will only say the prayer on the first and tenth cow while slaughtering, saying nothing on the cows in between.
This method of slaughtering is not similar to the method prescribed by Sharia for Hanafi sect, nor is it similar to the practice of Ahle-kitab at the time of our beloved Prophet Mohammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallum. Meat slaughtered by Ahle-kitab was considered halal because of similarity in the slaughtering method and in the Niya at that time.
These are the reasons why most Ulama do not consider Kosher meat halal.
If a Muslim is not in danger of death, he must avoid eating haram food at any cost. If halal meat is not available, one can eat fish or vegetables or can even go to the slaughter house to slaughter an animal himself. There are many halal food stores online who can ship frozen Zabiha meat or Zabiha meat food products overnight. There is no excuse to eat non-zabiha meat or kosher meat in USA.
Zabiha products can easily be found in a big city like New York City. In addition, there are many Muslim-owned restaurants that serve zabiha meat and there is no excuse to eat Kosher.

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