Can Muslims shop in a regular grocery store?

Question

I have been reading about Islam and how meat is supposed to be butchered. Can a Muslim pick up meat at a regualr grocery store. If it hasn't been killed according to the Qu'ran can it still be eaten? How do you even know how it was killed?

Answer 1

Good question.

I'll try to answer simply and my answer is based on most correct Islamic view.

First of all, meat (except pig meat) offered by Jews and Christians are generally Halal, so long there is no strong proof that they are Haram. Because, In Qur'an:

[5:05] "...and the food of those who have been given the Book is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them."

Scholarly Opinion:

1. If Muslims receive their (Jews or Christians) meat and don't know if it has been slaughtered properly or not. In this case the rule of thumb is that if we don't know the way of slaughter, the default is that it is permitted if it has been slaughtered by Muslims or Ahl il-Kitaab (Fatawa Islamiyya, Sheikh Abdel-Aziz Bin Baz, 3/404), as per the generally encompassing ayah (interpretation of the meaning) "and the food of the people to whom have been revealed the Book is permitted for you." (al-Maa'ida:5) If it becomes evident to us that they have not slaughtered it properly then it would not be permisible.

2. If we receive their meat and we don't know what they have mentioned upon it, and in this case likewise the preferrable and recommended opinion is the permissibility of eating it, as per the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari via Aa'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) that some people said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that a people come to them with meat which they do not know whether they have mentioned the name of Allah upon it or not. The Prophet replied "Mention the name of Allah upon it and eat it."

BUT,

Many major Western countries, such as USA, now have a lot of meat & grocery stores which offer Halal meat. In this case, Muslims are strongly recommended to buy from there as there is no doubrt about the meat, and it is obviously closer to piety. In case of rarity of such Halal meat in the Western markets and groceries, a Muslim can buy meat from anywhere. And it will be sufficient to say Allah's name over it before cooking and eating, Insha-allah.

Personally speaking, me and my family always buy meat from Halal stores in NY as there are plenty of them.

Answer 2

Well in Islam, meat is butchered not behind the neck like many do but cutting through the neck. Yes, I have been many times to a grocery store and do not get any products that have meat in it especially pork. After you stop yourself from consuming meat from grocery stores, you will get used to it and sort of forget getting meat in your things to get list.

Muslims are allowed to eat Kosher products as well because they butcher the animals like the Muslims do.

Answer 3

No we can't shop in a regular grocery store we have speical farms and stores here in the U.S that sell halal meat. But some Muslims (mostly sunnis) don't care about the meat being halal which they are dead wrong. Anyway if the meat was not slaughtered by the islamic way then it is forbidden to eat.....

Answer 4

Muslims come in all degrees of adherency to religious rules, so some may not even care if meat is halal (appropriate) or not.

Check the labelling, I suppose----if it's anything like kosher rules, there'll be some sort of indication that everything's religiously proper. For Muslims that aren't in areas that have local halal markets....they probably do a lot of vegetarian meals OR shop via the internet (but that's a guess).

Answer 5

Hey, hows it going. specifically meat should be 'halal' butchered with the words 'in the name of God'. If its dedicated to someone else one could not. Know as for normal grocery meat preferrably not but a muslim cvan eat kosher meat and meat from the people of the book. I hope that (christians and magians). But its preferrable that he sticks to halal meat. So grocery store meat yes/no depending on the muslims judgement and or practices.

hope that helps

Answer 6

I think I need to go sit down, put my head between my knees, and breathe deeply... It seems there is an AMERICAN, who actually carries the EMPATHY gene! You CAN see things from the perspective of those far away in foreign lands, who aren't exaclty delighted with US troops and tanks outside their front-doors! I really didn't think I would see the day. Hallelujah! Hi-Five? I know exactly what you mean about the spread of MuckDonalds and Booger-King too. It kills me when I see and hear examples of incredible ingnorance of what is going on around us, coming from the youth... Though I did see a while back, that there was a tablet found and translated from an ancient Greek temple - it was the voice of a Grumpy Middle-Aged Man decrying the fact that "...the youth of today know nothing, their culture is being ruined by imported ideas, they don't know what is going on in the world but they think they know it all..." (continues in this vein for a long time) - so perhaps this despair is just something that comes to us all, at a certain age? ("Youth. It is wasted on the young")? Personally, I was raised colour-blind. I see Humans, and I see them everywhere. Some are good, some bad, but I honestly try to meet them all with the same openess I would like them to show me, and in being civil to them, I give them a chance to be civil back to me. The third time they are blunt, dismissive, strident, or (my favourite American phrase) "a little off", I give up on them, until they prove otherwise. This question - clearly-stated, well-illustrated and lucid, fills me with hope. Too often, I see American responses are just "death to terrorism! WE will kill them all!" and so on. Are you sure you aren't an ex-pat Brit?

Answer 7

This same question could be applied to Jewish People.

I shop in a regular grocery store with people from both groups.

Answer 8

meat must be purchased in a Halal store or a Kosher store. Veggies can be bought anywhere.

Answer 9

They shop at 'halal' meat stores, the muslim equilivent of kosher.

Answer 10

as long as its kosher.
apperenatly muslims and jews share the same rules for diet.
thats why alot of jews like to eat at muslims resturants.

as for shopping, they just look for k-kocher or hebrew international brand meats.
i know they have those in costco.