Short answer
Muslims eat meat because God (﷾) made it lawful, but no one has to eat it. The Qur'an tells people to eat what God (﷾) provides from the cattle. So a Jain who becomes Muslim may keep a vegetarian table by choice. He may not call meat forbidden, or give it up as worship. Islam commands mercy at the kill. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said to sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering. Jainism, an Indian faith of non-harm (ahimsa), asks householders not to harm animals. It counts harm to plants as harm too, but householders cannot avoid it all. So every human life takes some life. Who sets the limit? Islam's answer is the One who made the life. The Eid sacrifice is thanks to Him. The Qur'an says its meat and blood do not reach Him; piety does. The meat feeds the family and the poor.
Full explanation
Why Jains do not eat meat
Non-harm (ahimsa) is the first of the lay vows, and all Jain traditions agree on it. P. S. Jaini, a scholar of Jainism, explains what follows from it. A lay Jain may never eat meat, and this refusal is the plainest mark of his faith. For Jains, harm (himsa) hurts the victim, and wounds even more the one who does it. Killing an animal stirs passions in the killer, and these bind his soul to rebirth. A householder cannot avoid all harm, so Jain teachers draw a line. Intended, planned harm, samkalpaja-himsa, is wholly forbidden. So a Jain may not take up work built on killing, such as a hunter's or a fisherman's. Harm that comes by accident or in honest work, such as a farmer's, is tolerated, but must be kept as small as possible.
Jaini writes that the first of the layman's basic vows (anuvratas) is ahimsa, non-harming, which he calls the most central concept of Jaina ethics. His note adds that all Jaina sects agree on the identity and nature of the anuvratas (p. 170).
Jaini explains that some beings have only one sense, touch: the tiny nigoda and the bodies of earth, water, fire and air. With plants, these are the immovable beings, as the Tattvartha Sutra (2.13, Digambara reading) lists them (pp. 108-110, note 8; glossary, p. 342). He writes that a lay Jain must never eat meat, alcohol, honey or certain figs, because eating them involves killing (pp. 167-168). For Jains, harm (himsa) is above all harm to oneself: killing an animal is wrong for the suffering of the victim, and even more for the passions it stirs in the killer, which bind him to the round of rebirth (p. 167). Harm to the tiny single-sensed beings (nigoda) is counted far less grave than harm to higher animals, but a layman may never take meat; strict vegetarianism is the hallmark of the Jaina (p. 168). Since a householder cannot avoid all harm, Jain teachers separate intentional, premeditated harm (samkalpaja-himsa), which is wholly forbidden, from harm that comes by accident or from an acceptable occupation (arambhaja-himsa), which is tolerated within strict guidelines. Jains should not choose work that involves intentional destruction, such as a hunter's or a fisherman's (p. 171). A farmer who destroys insects unwittingly does not make his work unacceptable, but one under the vow must take great care to keep even this harm as small as possible (pp. 170-171).
What the householder's vow covers
The Sutrakritanga, a text of the Svetambaras (one of the two main Jain traditions), records the vow that Jain monks gave the lay follower. He renounces injury to movable beings, that is, to animals. Plants, and the life Jains see in earth, water, fire and air, have only one sense, touch. Jains call them one-sensed beings. The vow does not try to cover them. Hermann Jacobi, who translated the text in 1895, gives the commentator's reason in a note. A householder cannot keep from harming every kind of being, as monks do. So he is content to keep from harming animals. The other tradition, the Digambaras, does not accept the Svetambara canon, but the two agree on the lay vows. This does not mean Jainism counts harm to plants as blameless. It counts it as harm, to be kept small.
“they make a zealous householder, a follower of the Sramanas, renounce injury to movable beings”
“As a householder cannot altogether abstain from injuring them, as monks do, he is content to abstain from injuring movable beings or animals.”
Jaini explains that some beings have only one sense, touch: the tiny nigoda and the bodies of earth, water, fire and air. With plants, these are the immovable beings, as the Tattvartha Sutra (2.13, Digambara reading) lists them (pp. 108-110, note 8; glossary, p. 342). He writes that a lay Jain must never eat meat, alcohol, honey or certain figs, because eating them involves killing (pp. 167-168). For Jains, harm (himsa) is above all harm to oneself: killing an animal is wrong for the suffering of the victim, and even more for the passions it stirs in the killer, which bind him to the round of rebirth (p. 167). Harm to the tiny single-sensed beings (nigoda) is counted far less grave than harm to higher animals, but a layman may never take meat; strict vegetarianism is the hallmark of the Jaina (p. 168). Since a householder cannot avoid all harm, Jain teachers separate intentional, premeditated harm (samkalpaja-himsa), which is wholly forbidden, from harm that comes by accident or from an acceptable occupation (arambhaja-himsa), which is tolerated within strict guidelines. Jains should not choose work that involves intentional destruction, such as a hunter's or a fisherman's (p. 171). A farmer who destroys insects unwittingly does not make his work unacceptable, but one under the vow must take great care to keep even this harm as small as possible (pp. 170-171).
What God (﷾) made the animals for
Islam begins with the Maker of the animal. The Qur'an says God (﷾) created cattle for people: from them come warmth and many benefits, and of them people eat (16:5). The Qur'an's word for cattle covers camels, cows, sheep and goats. Of the cattle it says, "eat what Allah hath provided for you" (6:142). Of the animals offered in sacrifice it says, "thus have We made animals subject to you, that ye may be grateful" (22:36). Believers are told to eat of the good things God (﷾) provides, and to be grateful to Him (2:172). So in Islam meat is a gift, and a gift calls for thanks to the Giver.
“And cattle He has created for you (men): from them ye derive warmth, and numerous benefits, and of their (meat) ye eat.”
“Of the cattle are some for burden and some for meat: eat what Allah hath provided for you”
“The sacrificial camels we have made for you as among the symbols from Allah: in them is (much) good for you: then pronounce the name of Allah over them as they line up (for sacrifice): when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat ye thereof, and feed such as (beg not but) live in contentment, and such as beg with due humility: thus have We made animals subject to you, that ye may be grateful.”
“O ye who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah, if it is Him ye worship.”
Permitted, not required
Islam permits meat. It does not command anyone to eat it. A roasted lizard was once served to the Prophet (ﷺ), and he did not eat it. Asked whether it was unlawful, he said no; it was not found in his people's land, so he did not like it (Bukhari 5537). A Muslim may leave meat aside for life, some or all of it, because he does not want it or for his health. What he may not do is call it forbidden, or make giving it up an act of worship. The Qur'an says, "make not unlawful the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you" (5:87). Some Companions once asked about the Prophet's private worship. Then one said he would not eat meat, one that he would not marry, and one that he would not sleep on a bed. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that he prayed and slept, fasted and broke his fast, and married. Whoever turns away from his way, he said, is not of him (Muslim 1401). So a Jain who becomes Muslim may keep his vegetarian table as a matter of taste, not as a way to be purer before God (﷾). The page "Why do Muslims eat beef, when Hindus hold the cow sacred?" answers the Hindu form of this question.
Khalid ibn al-Walid reports that a roasted lizard (dabb) was served to the Prophet (ﷺ) in the house of Maymuna. He drew back his hand, and Khalid asked whether it was unlawful. The Prophet (ﷺ) said no; it was not found in the land of his people, so he did not like it. Khalid then ate it while the Prophet (ﷺ) watched.
“O ye who believe! make not unlawful the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, but commit no excess: for Allah loveth not those given to excess.”
Anas reports that some Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) asked his wives about the worship he did in private. Then one of them said he would not marry women, one that he would not eat meat, and one that he would not sleep on a bed. The Prophet (ﷺ) praised Allah and said: what is wrong with people who say such things? I pray and I sleep, I fast and I break my fast, and I marry women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me.
Mercy at the kill
Islam forbids cruelty to animals. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah (﷾) has prescribed excellence in everything. So when you slaughter, slaughter well: sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering (Muslim 1955). He said a woman entered the Fire because of a cat she kept tied up and starved (Bukhari 3318). He said a man was forgiven for giving water to a thirsty dog. There is reward, he said, for kindness to every living creature (Bukhari 2363). The Qur'an says every animal and bird lives in a community like ours, and all will be gathered to their Lord (6:38). The page "Is halal slaughter cruel?" looks at the method itself.
Shaddad ibn Aws reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah has prescribed excellence in everything. So when you slaughter, slaughter well: sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering.
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a woman entered the Fire because of a cat she kept tied up, neither feeding it nor letting it go to find its own food.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) told of a thirsty man who drank from a well, then saw a dog licking mud from thirst. He climbed down again, filled his shoe with water and gave the dog a drink, and God thanked him and forgave him. Asked whether there is reward for kindness to animals, the Prophet said there is reward for kindness to every living thing.
“There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.”
Who sets the limit
Every human life takes some life. In Jain teaching, eating plants harms one-sensed beings, and farming harms insects. Jain teachers draw a line between the harm a householder may not avoid and the harm he must give up. Any line of that kind is a judgement about what a human life may take. Islam's answer is that this judgement belongs to the One who gave the life. He has drawn the line Himself. Cattle may be eaten, with His name spoken over them and with mercy (6:142; 6:118; Muslim 1955). A Jain will say the line was drawn by the all-knowing Jinas, not by guesswork. But in Jain teaching no Jina made the animal or gave it its life. Islam holds that the One who made the life has spoken about it. The pages "Do the Jain arguments against a Creator hold?" and "How can we know the whole truth?" take up those two questions. Islam does not say that because some harm is unavoidable, any harm is allowed. It forbids cruelty, killing an animal for sport, and waste: "eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters" (7:31). And nothing lawful is forbidden by human rule (5:87).
“Of the cattle are some for burden and some for meat: eat what Allah hath provided for you”
“So eat of (meats) on which Allah's name hath been pronounced, if ye have faith in His signs.”
Shaddad ibn Aws reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah has prescribed excellence in everything. So when you slaughter, slaughter well: sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering.
Hisham ibn Zayd reports that he visited a house with his grandfather Anas ibn Malik, where people had set up a hen as a target and were shooting arrows at it. Anas said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade tying up animals to be killed in this way.
“eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters.”
“O ye who believe! make not unlawful the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, but commit no excess: for Allah loveth not those given to excess.”
What the sacrifice is for
Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, falls each year during the days of the pilgrimage. Over the animals offered, the Qur'an says, the believers remember God's (﷾) name, then eat and feed those in want (22:28; 22:36). It says plainly what reaches God (﷾): "It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him" (22:37). So the Eid sacrifice is not a price paid for sins, and it is not food for God (﷾). It is thanks, and a meal shared with the poor. For the festival the Prophet (ﷺ) sacrificed two rams with his own hands. He said the name of Allah (﷾) and "Allah is the greatest" over them (Bukhari 5565).
“"That they may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and celebrate the name of Allah, through the Days appointed, over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat ye thereof and feed the distressed ones in want.”
“The sacrificial camels we have made for you as among the symbols from Allah: in them is (much) good for you: then pronounce the name of Allah over them as they line up (for sacrifice): when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat ye thereof, and feed such as (beg not but) live in contentment, and such as beg with due humility: thus have We made animals subject to you, that ye may be grateful.”
“It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His Guidance to you and proclaim the good news to all who do right.”
Anas reports that for the festival of sacrifice the Prophet (ﷺ) offered two horned rams, black and white. He slaughtered them with his own hands, saying the name of Allah and 'Allah is the greatest' over them.
If you become Muslim: meat and the Eid sacrifice
No one who becomes Muslim has to eat meat. The Eid sacrifice (udhiya) is asked only of those who can afford it. Most Muslim scholars hold it a strongly stressed sunna, a practice the Prophet (ﷺ) kept and urged, not an obligation. The Hanafi school, one of the four schools of Islamic law, holds it obligatory for a resident who can afford it. A resident here is one not on a journey. It is not asked of the poor, since God (﷾) places on no soul more than it can bear (2:286). It may be done by an agent, such as a charity that slaughters the animal and shares the meat with people in need. Whoever offers it need not eat from it. Most scholars read the Qur'an's "eat ye thereof" (22:28; 22:36) as a permission or a recommendation, not a duty. So the meat may all be given away. The Prophet (ﷺ) himself offered sacrifices on behalf of his wives (Bukhari 5548). This is general information. Personal questions go to a qualified scholar.
States that the jurists differ on the ruling of the Eid sacrifice (udhiya): the majority hold it a strongly stressed sunna, and the Hanafis hold it obligatory on the resident who can afford it. It quotes the standard works of the four schools: al-Kasani (Hanafi) that for the traveller, and for a poor man who has not vowed it or bought an animal for it, it is only voluntary; al-Shafi'i that it is a sunna for every Muslim who finds the means; Ibn Bashir (Maliki) that it is not asked of one whose wealth it would strain; and Hanbali works that call it a strongly stressed sunna.
Asked whether a charity may be appointed to slaughter the Eid sacrifice on behalf of those who wish it, in Egypt and abroad, and give the meat to people in need, it answers yes: any wording that appoints the charity as agent for the slaughter and the sharing, with clear conditions, is valid.
“On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."”
On "then eat ye thereof", Ibn Kathir says that taking the verse to make eating from one's sacrifice obligatory is an odd view, and that most scholars hold it to be a permission or a recommendation. He reports Ibrahim al-Nakha'i: the idolaters did not eat from their sacrifices, so the Muslims were given leave; whoever wishes eats, and whoever wishes does not.
“"That they may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and celebrate the name of Allah, through the Days appointed, over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat ye thereof and feed the distressed ones in want.”
“The sacrificial camels we have made for you as among the symbols from Allah: in them is (much) good for you: then pronounce the name of Allah over them as they line up (for sacrifice): when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat ye thereof, and feed such as (beg not but) live in contentment, and such as beg with due humility: thus have We made animals subject to you, that ye may be grateful.”
Aisha reports that at Mina during the Hajj beef was brought to her. When she asked what it was, she was told that the Prophet (ﷺ) had sacrificed cows on behalf of his wives.
Islam's answer
Islam asks for mercy to every living thing, even in the killing it allows (Muslim 1955). It asks for thanks to the One who gave each life. It does not make anyone eat meat. It does not let anyone forbid what God (﷾) allowed. Food, worship and character belong to one way of life (2:208). The Qur'an calls its messenger "a Mercy for all creatures" (21:107). It invites every reader to consider it with care, and to look for discrepancy in it (4:82). It challenges the doubter to produce a sura (chapter) like it (2:23). If it is from God (﷾), then its word that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the Seal of the Prophets is His word too (33:40).
Shaddad ibn Aws reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah has prescribed excellence in everything. So when you slaughter, slaughter well: sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering.
“O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.”
“We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.”
Eight replies answered
Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification (1979), pp. 108-110, 167-171
Jaini explains that some beings have only one sense, touch: the tiny nigoda and the bodies of earth, water, fire and air. With plants, these are the immovable beings, as the Tattvartha Sutra (2.13, Digambara reading) lists them (pp. 108-110, note 8; glossary, p. 342). He writes that a lay Jain must never eat meat, alcohol, honey or certain figs, because eating them involves killing (pp. 167-168). For Jains, harm (himsa) is above all harm to oneself: killing an animal is wrong for the suffering of the victim, and even more for the passions it stirs in the killer, which bind him to the round of rebirth (p. 167). Harm to the tiny single-sensed beings (nigoda) is counted far less grave than harm to higher animals, but a layman may never take meat; strict vegetarianism is the hallmark of the Jaina (p. 168). Since a householder cannot avoid all harm, Jain teachers separate intentional, premeditated harm (samkalpaja-himsa), which is wholly forbidden, from harm that comes by accident or from an acceptable occupation (arambhaja-himsa), which is tolerated within strict guidelines. Jains should not choose work that involves intentional destruction, such as a hunter's or a fisherman's (p. 171). A farmer who destroys insects unwittingly does not make his work unacceptable, but one under the vow must take great care to keep even this harm as small as possible (pp. 170-171).
Cited for
Plants are enough to live on. So killing an animal for food is avoidable, intended harm (samkalpaja-himsa), and a good person gives it up.
The response
In Islam no one has to eat meat, and a Muslim may live on plants all his life by choice. The question is whether eating what the Creator gave as food is wrong in itself. Only the One who made the animal can say what He made it for. Of the cattle the Qur'an says, "eat what Allah hath provided for you" (6:142). It also says not to forbid what God (﷾) made lawful (5:87). What He asks at the kill is His name, mercy and thanks (22:36; Muslim 1955).
Where it lands — Meat is permitted, not required, and it is taken only as the Giver of life allows, with mercy (6:142; 5:87; Muslim 1955).
Sutrakritanga 2.7.6, Jacobi's note 2 — the translator's note giving the commentator's reading
“As a householder cannot altogether abstain from injuring them, as monks do, he is content to abstain from injuring movable beings or animals.”
Cited for
Harm to plants cannot be avoided, so the householder is excused it. Killing an animal can be avoided, so it is a different matter.
The response
Jain teachers do draw that line, and they still count harm to plants as harm, to be kept small. The point is who draws the line. Jains hold that the all-knowing Jinas taught it. But no Jina, in Jain teaching, made the animal. Islam holds that the judgement belongs to the One who gave the life. He permits cattle for food, with His name spoken and with mercy (16:5; 6:118; Muslim 1955).
Where it lands — Every human life takes some life; in Islam the Giver of life sets what may be taken, and how (16:5; 6:118).
Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification (1979), pp. 108-110, 167-171
Jaini explains that some beings have only one sense, touch: the tiny nigoda and the bodies of earth, water, fire and air. With plants, these are the immovable beings, as the Tattvartha Sutra (2.13, Digambara reading) lists them (pp. 108-110, note 8; glossary, p. 342). He writes that a lay Jain must never eat meat, alcohol, honey or certain figs, because eating them involves killing (pp. 167-168). For Jains, harm (himsa) is above all harm to oneself: killing an animal is wrong for the suffering of the victim, and even more for the passions it stirs in the killer, which bind him to the round of rebirth (p. 167). Harm to the tiny single-sensed beings (nigoda) is counted far less grave than harm to higher animals, but a layman may never take meat; strict vegetarianism is the hallmark of the Jaina (p. 168). Since a householder cannot avoid all harm, Jain teachers separate intentional, premeditated harm (samkalpaja-himsa), which is wholly forbidden, from harm that comes by accident or from an acceptable occupation (arambhaja-himsa), which is tolerated within strict guidelines. Jains should not choose work that involves intentional destruction, such as a hunter's or a fisherman's (p. 171). A farmer who destroys insects unwittingly does not make his work unacceptable, but one under the vow must take great care to keep even this harm as small as possible (pp. 170-171).
Cited for
Killing stirs passion in the killer and binds his soul, whatever words are said over the animal.
The response
Islam commands that the slaughter be done in God's (﷾) name, with a sharp blade, and with the animal spared suffering (Muslim 1955). In Islam what harms the soul is sin: disobeying God (﷾), and cruelty. An act He permits, done in His name and with mercy, is not a sin. A woman entered the Fire for starving a cat (Bukhari 3318). The Prophet (ﷺ), sent "as a Mercy for all creatures" (21:107), slaughtered his own sacrifice (Bukhari 5565). The Qur'an says the meat and blood do not reach God (﷾); piety does (22:37). So the act Islam permits is one of remembrance and thanks.
Where it lands — In Islam slaughter is an act done in God's (﷾) name and with mercy, and only piety reaches Him (22:37; Muslim 1955).
Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification (1979), pp. 108-110, 167-171
Jaini explains that some beings have only one sense, touch: the tiny nigoda and the bodies of earth, water, fire and air. With plants, these are the immovable beings, as the Tattvartha Sutra (2.13, Digambara reading) lists them (pp. 108-110, note 8; glossary, p. 342). He writes that a lay Jain must never eat meat, alcohol, honey or certain figs, because eating them involves killing (pp. 167-168). For Jains, harm (himsa) is above all harm to oneself: killing an animal is wrong for the suffering of the victim, and even more for the passions it stirs in the killer, which bind him to the round of rebirth (p. 167). Harm to the tiny single-sensed beings (nigoda) is counted far less grave than harm to higher animals, but a layman may never take meat; strict vegetarianism is the hallmark of the Jaina (p. 168). Since a householder cannot avoid all harm, Jain teachers separate intentional, premeditated harm (samkalpaja-himsa), which is wholly forbidden, from harm that comes by accident or from an acceptable occupation (arambhaja-himsa), which is tolerated within strict guidelines. Jains should not choose work that involves intentional destruction, such as a hunter's or a fisherman's (p. 171). A farmer who destroys insects unwittingly does not make his work unacceptable, but one under the vow must take great care to keep even this harm as small as possible (pp. 170-171).
Cited for
If every life takes some life, the right course is to take as little as you can. Living on plants takes less.
The response
Islam sets limits too, and they are God's (﷾). No cruelty: a woman entered the Fire for a cat she starved (Bukhari 3318). No killing for sport: the Prophet (ﷺ) forbade tying up an animal to kill it as a target (Muslim 1956). No waste: "eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters" (7:31). Within these limits the Maker of the animal permits its meat. A Muslim who eats little meat, or none, breaks no rule. He may not call it forbidden (5:87).
Where it lands — Islam limits what may be taken: no cruelty, no sport, no waste; within those limits meat is God's (﷾) gift (7:31; 5:87).
Uttaradhyayana Sutra 12.40-44 — lecture 12 (Harikesa), verses 40-44
Brahmin priests ask the monk Harikesa how they should sacrifice and avoid sin, and what the wise call the right way of sacrificing. He answers that men should do no injury to living beings of the six orders, and should live under self-restraint. Penance, he says, is his fire, and the oblations he offers are self-control, right exertion and tranquillity, praised by the sages.
Cited for
The Uttaradhyayana, a Svetambara text, says the true sacrifice is self-restraint, not killing. And if only piety reaches God, the animal's death adds nothing.
The response
The Qur'an says plainly that the meat and blood do not reach God (﷾); piety does (22:37). Piety here means fearing God (﷾) and obeying Him: doing what He appointed, in the way He appointed, with His name. The same verse says He made the animals subject "that ye may glorify Allah for His Guidance to you" (22:37). So the inner offering is piety, and the outward rite is the form God (﷾) appointed for it. The Eid sacrifice is not a price paid for sins, and it is not food for God (﷾). Its meat is eaten and given to those in want (22:28). It is one rite of thanks, not the whole of a Muslim's giving; charity of every kind is asked as well (2:177). The animal is killed with a sharp blade and spared suffering (Muslim 1955).
Where it lands — The sacrifice is obedience and thanks, and its meat feeds the poor; what reaches God (﷾) is piety (22:37; 22:28).
Sahih Muslim 1955 — Kitab al-Sayd wa al-Dhaba'ih (The Book of Hunting, Slaughter, and What May Be Eaten), hadith 1955
Shaddad ibn Aws reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah has prescribed excellence in everything. So when you slaughter, slaughter well: sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering.
Cited for
Every Eid, pictures show animals killed in the street, frightened and roughly handled. That is what Islam's sacrifice looks like.
The response
Islam's law judges those pictures; they do not judge the law. The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded excellence in slaughter: sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering (Muslim 1955). He forbade tying up an animal to kill it as a target (Muslim 1956). Muslim scholars teach manners of slaughter: the blade is not sharpened in front of the animal, no animal sees another killed, and none is tormented. Whoever is cruel to an animal sins, as the woman who starved a cat sinned (Bukhari 3318). And the sacrifice may be given through an agent who slaughters well.
Where it lands — Cruelty at the sacrifice breaks Islam's law; it is not Islam's law (Muslim 1955; Bukhari 3318).
Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification (1979), p. 170
Jaini writes that the first of the layman's basic vows (anuvratas) is ahimsa, non-harming, which he calls the most central concept of Jaina ethics. His note adds that all Jaina sects agree on the identity and nature of the anuvratas (p. 170).
Cited for
If I become Muslim, must I eat meat?
The response
No. Islam permits meat and does not command it. The Prophet (ﷺ) himself left a lawful food aside, saying it was not found in his people's land (Bukhari 5537). A Muslim may keep a vegetarian table for life because he prefers it. What he may not do is call meat forbidden by God (5:87), or make giving it up an act of worship (Muslim 1401).
Where it lands — No Muslim has to eat meat; no Muslim may call it forbidden or give it up as worship (5:87; Muslim 1401).
Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyya, fatwa 7708 on the Eid sacrifice (2023)
States that the jurists differ on the ruling of the Eid sacrifice (udhiya): the majority hold it a strongly stressed sunna, and the Hanafis hold it obligatory on the resident who can afford it. It quotes the standard works of the four schools: al-Kasani (Hanafi) that for the traveller, and for a poor man who has not vowed it or bought an animal for it, it is only voluntary; al-Shafi'i that it is a sunna for every Muslim who finds the means; Ibn Bashir (Maliki) that it is not asked of one whose wealth it would strain; and Hanbali works that call it a strongly stressed sunna.
Cited for
Then must I offer the Eid sacrifice?
The response
It is asked only of those who can afford it. Most scholars hold it a strongly stressed sunna for them, not an obligation. The Hanafi school, one of the four schools of Islamic law, holds it obligatory for a resident who can. It is not asked of the poor (2:286). It may be done through an agent, such as a charity that slaughters and gives the meat to people in need. You do not have to do the slaughter yourself. Nor do you have to eat any of it. This is general information; for your own case, ask a qualified scholar.
Where it lands — The Eid sacrifice is asked only of those who can afford it, and may be done through an agent (Dar al-Ifta 7708; 644).
Perspectives
Jain teaching on harm
Non-harm (ahimsa) is the first vow. A lay Jain may never eat meat. Intended harm is wholly forbidden, harm binds the soul of the one who does it, and plants are enough to live on.
A lay Jain may never eat meat. Refusing it is the plainest expression of ahimsa (Jaini, pp. 167-168).
Rebuttal
No one who becomes Muslim has to eat meat. But what counts as food is set by the One who made the animal. Of the cattle He said, "eat what Allah hath provided for you" (6:142; 16:5).
Intended, premeditated harm (samkalpaja-himsa) is wholly forbidden, so a Jain may not take up work such as a hunter's or a fisherman's. Harm that comes in honest work is tolerated with care (Jaini, pp. 170-171).
Rebuttal
Jains hold that the all-knowing Jinas taught where the line falls. But in Jain teaching no Jina made the animal or gave it its life. Islam holds that the One who made the life draws the line. He permits cattle for food, with His name and with mercy.
Harm is wrong above all for the passions it stirs in the one who kills. These passions bind his soul to rebirth (Jaini, p. 167).
Rebuttal
In Islam what harms the soul is sin: disobeying God (﷾), and cruelty. Slaughter that God (﷾) permits, done in His name and with mercy, is not a sin. What reaches God (﷾) from the sacrifice is piety, not meat or blood (22:37).
The Islamic perspective
God (﷾) made the cattle and gave them as food, so that people may be grateful. Meat is permitted, never required, and no one may forbid it or give it up as worship. The animal is owed mercy at the kill, and the sacrifice reaches God (﷾) only as piety.
God (﷾) made the cattle and said, "eat what Allah hath provided for you". He made the animals subject to people that they may be grateful (6:142; 22:36; 16:5).
No one may forbid what God (﷾) made lawful, or give it up as worship, but no one has to eat it. The Prophet (ﷺ) left a lawful food aside without calling it unlawful (5:87; Bukhari 5537; Muslim 1401).
The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded excellence in slaughter: a sharp blade, and the animal spared suffering.
The meat and blood of the sacrifice do not reach God (﷾); piety does. The meat is eaten and given to those in want (22:37; 22:28).
Most scholars hold the Eid sacrifice a strongly stressed sunna, not an obligation, for those who can afford it. The Hanafi school holds it obligatory for a resident who can. It may be done through an agent.