Sūrah Al-Ghāshiyah The Overwhelming: Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī Qurʾānic Rulings and Law

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahAl-GhāshiyahMeccanDivine signs in creation and the coming overwhelming event

Key Fiqh IssueShuruṭ al-dhabḥ conditions for lawful animal slaughterRequired for ḥalāl meatMissing any condition renders the animal ḥarām to eat

School ComparisonAll four schools: cut jugular/carotid, say Bismillāh, intentional slaughter, by Muslim/Kitābī; Ḥanafī: deliberate omission of Bismillāh ḥarām; Shāfiʿī: same; Ḥanbalī: forgot = ḥalāl, deliberate = ḥarāmRequired conditionsBismillāh omission is the most practically significant debate

Uṣūl PrincipleShuruṭ al-ḥill conditions of permissibility for food consumptionConditions of validityAll conditions must be met; missing one renders the animal ḥarām

Al-Qurṭubī derives from verse 17 "do they not look at the camels how they were created?" the invitation to reflect on animals as signs of divine creation, and uses this as an occasion to survey the conditions for ḥalāl slaughter. The conditions: (1) the animal must be one that is ḥalāl to eat, (2) the slaughterer must be a Muslim or a Kitābī (People of the Book Jewish or Christian), (3) the Bismillāh must be said, (4) the jugular veins must be cut, (5) the intention must be for slaughter (not sport killing).

The most practically debated condition is the Bismillāh: if the slaughterer deliberately omits it, all four schools agree the meat is ḥarām. If forgotten involuntarily, the Ḥanbalī school holds the meat is ḥalāl (based on the prophetic statement that the Muslim's forgetfulness does not nullify the slaughter); the Mālikī school agrees. The Ḥanafī and Shāfiʿī schools differ Ḥanafī holds deliberate omission ḥarām but forgetfulness ḥalāl (agreeing with Ḥanbalī on this specific point); the Shāfiʿī school holds that even forgetting the Bismillāh renders the animal ḥarām, though this is a minority position even within the school.

أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ Afalā yanẓurūna ilā l-ibili kayfa khuliqat Meaning: "Do they not look at the camels how they were created?" Al-Qurṭubī: the camel is the most referenced animal in Islamic law used for ḥajj sacrifice (hady), sadaqah, and daily sustenance; al-Qurṭubī derives from this contemplation verse that reflection on created animals includes reflecting on their ḥalāl slaughter conditions as part of using divine creation properly.

وَإِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ Wa-ilā l-arḍi kayfa suṭiḥat Meaning: "And at the earth how it was spread out?" Al-Qurṭubī: the spread earth is the source of all plant-based food; al-Qurṭubī notes that plants require no slaughter conditions all plant food is ḥalāl unless specifically prohibited; the dhabḥ conditions apply only to animals with flowing blood.

Five conditions for ḥalāl slaughter: ḥalāl animal, Muslim or Kitābī slaughterer, Bismillāh recited, jugular/carotid cut, intentional slaughter all required.
Deliberate Bismillāh omission: meat ḥarām by unanimous consensus the divine name must be mentioned over the animal's slaughter.
Involuntary Bismillāh omission (forgot): meat ḥalāl per Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Ḥanbalī; ḥarām per Shāfiʿī majority the most significant practical disagreement.
Kitābī (Jewish/Christian) slaughter: meat ḥalāl if conditions otherwise met (Bismillāh may differ Ḥanafī and Mālikī accept their invocation even if different wording).
Stunning before slaughter: modern debate majority of contemporary scholars permit if stunning does not kill the animal before the slaughter cut.

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