Night 17: Lab Grown Meat - Sayed Mohammad Baqer Qazwini | Ramadan 2024

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Transcript

[0:01]I begin in the name of the Almighty God, the compassionate, the

[0:08]merciful, the one who has created everything in utmost perfection.

[0:12]And may the peace and blessings of the almighty god be upon

[0:17]his pure and beloved messenger.

[0:19]the peak of his creation, the symbol of humanity, the holy prophet

[0:27]Muhammadu and his immaculate progeny of the B peace be upon them,

[0:41]especially the leader of our time, the awaited savior ali.

[0:46]May Allah hasten his reappearance and make us all amongst his sincere

[0:54]and dedicated servants.

[0:54]Respected brothers and sisters, Allah subhana wa ta'ala states in the holy

[1:07]Quran in chapter 5 of the holy Quran verse three.

[1:12]In this verse, Allah tells us which animals we have to stay

[1:20]away from given how they died and that we must slaughter an

[1:29]animal according to Islamic standards in order for it to be halal.

[1:34]So Allah subhana wa ta'ala states in the holy Quran the animal

[1:41]the carrying that dies on its own the corpse of an animal

[1:49]is haram it's not lawful for you to eat it blood is

[1:52]haram to consume in Islamic law throughout history there were tribes groups

[1:56]who would drink the blood of animals Allah prohibited that In the

[2:04]Holy Quran, the flesh of swine or pork is haram.

[2:14]Any animal that's dedicated to these idols besides Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,

[2:24]when that animal is slaughtered and the name of God is not

[2:27]mentioned, but those other idols were mentioned, that would make the meat

[2:32]haram.

[2:40]animals that fall and die.

[2:45]Animals that are gored to death or a wild beast comes and

[2:49]prays upon them and kills those animals.

[2:50]All of this is haram.

[2:57]The only exception are those living animals that you slaughter according to

[3:03]Islamic law.

[3:06]They become halal.

[3:07]So in this verse, Allah subhana wa ta'ala makes it very clear

[3:13]that you Muslims have to observe conditions in order for meat to

[3:18]be halal.

[3:18]Today, when you look at people around the world, you find that

[3:24]most people eat a lot of meat.

[3:26]70 to 75% of the people in the world, they're omnivores.

[3:32]Some people are carnivores.

[3:35]They only eat meat.

[3:35]Like one brother who told me, "Say, I live on.

[3:39]I can't live without.

[3:41]I need every single day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Humans consume

[3:47]350 million tons of meat every year.

[3:54]That is a massive amount.

[3:55]Here in the United States, what do you think the most popular

[4:01]meat is?

[4:02]Chicken.

[4:02]Yes.

[4:03]8 billion chickens are slaughtered every year here in the United States.

[4:08]Now around the world 50 billion chickens are killed for consumption.

[4:13]The meat industry is one of the biggest industries in the US.

[4:19]It's valued at $220 billion.

[4:25]So we are human beings who live on eating the meat of

[4:34]animals.

[4:32]Now if eaten properly and in moderation, meat is a blessing from

[4:39]Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

[4:40]Now as our technology gets more and more sophisticated, we have new

[4:46]ways of producing meat.

[4:47]And today with our advanced technology, one type of meat that is

[4:52]being produced for the first time ever in the history of humanity

[4:59]is what is called lab grown meat.

[5:02]Also called cultured meat.

[5:02]And this is actually gaining more and more prominence.

[5:09]Now how is lab grown meat developed in the labor in in

[5:16]the lab?

[5:15]How what's the process of creating lab grown meat?

[5:19]So basically they get a batch of cells from an animal from

[5:26]the muscle tissue and it's a harmous pro procedure that is used

[5:30]to extract those cells.

[5:30]Just like when you get your blood drawn, then they take those

[5:36]cells, they put them in a culture for the cells to replicate.

[5:38]Remember, for those of you in your science class when you would

[5:43]go to the lab and test those cells in a culture, that's

[5:45]what they do.

[5:47]They would get a batch of those cells, have them replicate in

[5:50]a culture, in the lab, and that produces meat.

[5:54]But you need a lot of cells in order to produce lab

[6:02]grown meat.

[6:00]Just for a tiny small piece of muscle tissue grown in the

[6:08]lab, you need more than one trillion cells to grow in the

[6:12]culture.

[6:13]So it is a very sophisticated process.

[6:16]Now in our discussion today, let's examine what are the benefits and

[6:24]the harms of lab grown meat.

[6:29]Number two, what is the halal status of glob grown meat?

[6:31]Is it halal?

[6:33]What have our scholars said?

[6:34]And what evidence have they produced for those who say it's halal

[6:38]or for those who say it's not halal?

[6:40]Number three, eating meat in Islamic law, is that something recommended or

[6:47]looked down upon?

[6:48]Number four, what is the role of sacrificial animals in our history?

[6:55]And is it true that you can actually achieve piety and seek

[6:58]closeness to Allah subhana wa ta'ala through sacrificial animals?

[7:02]And finally, where are animal rights in Islam?

[7:08]As some people some people will tell you, the idea of eating

[7:12]the flesh of other beings, the idea of slaughtering animals is not

[7:16]humane.

[7:17]And how would a divine religion sanction that?

[7:23]How would a divine religion from Allah subhana wa ta'ala encourage humans

[7:30]to eat the flesh of animals?

[7:31]These are the main points that we will discuss today.

[7:33]Now let's begin with lab grown meat.

[7:37]What are the benefits and what are the concerns that come with

[7:43]lab grown meat?

[7:42]The first benefit and those who are advocates of human rights, they

[7:50]will prefer lab grown meat because with lab grown meat, you can

[7:53]actually save millions and billions of animals around the year.

[7:57]In fact, you can save those animals from those miserable farm conditions.

[8:03]A lot of these animals are suffering very terrible conditions in those

[8:07]farms.

[8:08]So, if we can avoid that, that's actually a plus.

[8:10]This is one benefit.

[8:12]The second benefit is the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

[8:18]Do you know that the world of livestock, cattle, keeping animals in

[8:25]the farm so that meat is produced, it produces a lot of

[8:28]greenhouse emissions.

[8:31]18% of all greenhouse gas emissions around the world are from livestock.

[8:38]That's more than airplanes, cars, and trains combined.

[8:40]the emissions from these categories.

[8:43]So some studies have shown all these greenhouse gas emissions can be

[8:51]reduced by 90%.

[8:52]So this is a second benefit to lab grown meat.

[8:56]The third benefit we can save a lot of water in a

[9:03]world where we need every drop of water and the war of

[9:06]the future is going to be about water.

[9:08]You can save a lot of water through lab grown meat.

[9:12]Do you know, my dear brothers and sisters, how much water it

[9:16]takes to produce one pound of meat?

[9:19]One pound.

[9:20]That's not a lot.

[9:23]On those nice summer days when you're barbecuing, I know that some

[9:26]of the brothers, especially some of the guys, you can easily eat

[9:30]a pound of meat.

[9:32]Do you know how much water you need to produce one pound

[9:35]of meat?

[9:36]Can anyone guess a figure?

[9:37]How much water do you need to sustain those farms, the animals,

[9:41]the whole production process?

[9:43]30 gallons, more way more.

[9:47]2,000 gallons of water are required to produce one pound of meat.

[9:57]So, it's very intense on our resources to produce meat.

[10:01]Well, you can avoid most of that through lab grown meat or

[10:08]cultured meat.

[10:06]You can save a lot of space.

[10:10]30% of the surface of the earth that's used for land is

[10:14]used for livestock for farmlands.

[10:15]So imagine how much space we can free up.

[10:19]Another benefit that comes with lab grown meat is that you avoid

[10:23]the hormones that are injected into into the nice chicken that you

[10:29]eat every day.

[10:29]You know these days a lot of the meat that you eat

[10:33]is not really organic.

[10:36]They inject it with a lot of hormones so that it gets

[10:38]better, bigger, juicier, and so it tastes better.

[10:43]That can be avoided with lab grown meat.

[10:46]And yet another benefit that some scientists and researchers have proposed is

[10:52]that because it's such a controlled environment environment in the lab.

[10:58]Many diseases can be avoid can be avoided.

[11:01]A lot of the meat that we eat comes with harmful bacteria,

[11:04]microbes, salmonella, you name it.

[11:06]A lot of that can be avoided in a very controlled environment

[11:10]like the lab.

[11:12]So it actually could be healthier.

[11:13]It could protect you from a lot of diseases.

[11:17]It could protect a lot of people from food food poisoning.

[11:20]So there are some studies that have demonstrated there are many benefits

[11:27]to lab grown meat.

[11:27]Now is this accepted by all scientists?

[11:29]No.

[11:30]You'll find some scientists who will dispute that.

[11:34]For instance, you'll see a study performed by Oxford in 2019.

[11:39]The study revealed that you're not taking into consideration the energy that

[11:46]these labs have to use.

[11:47]These labs consume an insane amount of energy to produce some meat.

[11:51]So if you consider that and take that into consideration, if in

[11:57]fact we could be doing more damage to the environment.

[12:00]So the status of whether lab grown meat helps the environment or

[12:05]not is actually disputed by scientists.

[12:08]even though a growing number of researchers are claiming that it's still

[12:14]better to have lab grown meat.

[12:17]So these are some benefits to cultured meat.

[12:21]What are some harms?

[12:23]Some potential harms include the following.

[12:26]First of all, we don't really have long-term studies to show what

[12:29]happens when you eat lab grown meat.

[12:31]Because at the end of the day, even though it's pretty similar

[12:36]to meat, it's not identical to meat.

[12:39]You're taking cells, you're replicating them.

[12:41]So, it's acting like meat.

[12:42]For all intents and purposes, it is meat, but it's a little

[12:45]bit different.

[12:46]We don't know how the body is going to react to it

[12:51]over time.

[12:50]So, there are some unknown variables here.

[12:53]Secondly, in order to make lab grown meat look like meat, give

[13:00]it that texture, that taste, sometimes additives are used and these additives

[13:05]themselves can be dangerous.

[13:06]Another concern that comes with eating this type of meat is that

[13:12]farm animals have an immune system, right?

[13:16]That's good for you.

[13:16]When you eat meat that's healthy, it strengthens your immune system.

[13:20]But those cells in the lab don't have an immune system.

[13:25]And so if you consume them, your for instance resistance to antibiotics

[13:30]will be reduced and this could have global implications on the health

[13:35]of people and communities.

[13:35]And that's why last year Italy banned lab grown meat.

[13:40]They the the bill was introduced in March of last year and

[13:45]then in November they completely banned it because they claimed that this

[13:48]is going to first of all harm their meat industry.

[13:51]There are a lot of unknown variables.

[13:52]So this is disputed whether it has benefits, whether it has harms.

[13:59]We can definitely see some benefits and we can definitely see some

[14:02]harms.

[14:03]But my dear brothers and sisters, the future of our world is

[14:10]heading towards lab grown meat.

[14:11]And right now, you'd be surprised that there are over 20 companies

[14:16]in the US producing it.

[14:18]Some companies in California, they're selling this meat to restaurants.

[14:22]Now, you can go to California and probably, you know, just in

[14:25]a few more years, the average restaurant is going to have this

[14:31]type of meat.

[14:29]The business is growing insanely.

[14:32]The lab grown meat industry just two years ago in 2021, it

[14:38]was valued at $120 million.

[14:40]The estimate for 2030 is $500 million.

[14:46]2050 $500 billion.

[14:50]So we anticipate that the future of meat consumption will be lab

[14:58]grown meat.

[14:58]Right now it's still a little bit expensive.

[15:01]It's expensive to produce it, but the costs are going down significantly.

[15:06]In 2013, about a decade ago, the first hamburger, the meat for

[15:13]the hamburger was produced in the lab.

[15:16]Do you know how much it cost to produce that meat for

[15:18]one hamburger?

[15:20]$330,000.

[15:23]No, no, not $330.

[15:27]$330,000 was very costly.

[15:28]And then three years later in 2016, it would cost $1,000 to

[15:34]produce meatballs.

[15:34]Now in 2024, it costs less than $2 for chicken breasts.

[15:41]So you can see with mass production and with advancements in our

[15:46]technology how this is actually becoming a reality.

[15:50]So the future of the world is with this lab grown meat.

[15:57]Let's better understand it.

[15:57]Let's better study it.

[15:58]Now that we have an idea of what this meat is, let's

[16:04]discuss this from a religious and spiritual perspective.

[16:08]What have our scholars said about lab grown meat?

[16:14]We have four primary opinions and fatwas on lab grown meat.

[16:19]The first one is that it's haram.

[16:21]Period.

[16:21]Some marij say that.

[16:25]Some of the very well-known maraja.

[16:27]The second opinion, the second fatwa is that it's halal.

[16:34]Period.

[16:32]The third opinion says it depends where they get the cells from

[16:38]because in order to produce this meal in the lab, you need

[16:41]to take the cells from the animal.

[16:42]So if they take the cells from halal meat that's already been

[16:49]slaughtered according to Islamic law and you replicate those cells, then that's

[16:52]halal.

[16:52]But if you take it from a living animal or from a

[16:57]haram animal, then it would not be halal.

[17:00]So this is the third opinion.

[17:01]The fourth opinion says, "Okay, let's assume it's halal, but we don't

[17:06]think it's healthy for your soul to eat lab grown meat." Now,

[17:12]their reasoning is very interesting.

[17:14]We will examine that.

[17:14]Let's begin with the first opinion among scholars who say that lab

[17:20]grown meat is haram.

[17:22]What's their argument?

[17:25]Their argument is very simple.

[17:26]They say when you look at verse three, Allah subhana wa ta'ala

[17:31]says all this meat, all these animals are haram.

[17:39]Only those animals that have gone through ritual slaughtering are halal.

[17:45]So in order for any meat to be considered halal, it must

[17:51]go through ritual slaughtering.

[17:53]In Arabic, we call this or the Quran uses the verb.

[18:02]Let's apply this to lab grown meat.

[18:07]This meat that grew in the lab, did the process of ritual

[18:11]slaughter applied to it?

[18:15]No.

[18:14]It's just cells that grew that produce for you meat.

[18:18]So, we don't have the process of ritual slaughtering performed on this

[18:22]meat.

[18:23]So how can you say that it's halal?

[18:24]The default for any type of meat is to be haram except

[18:29]that meat which underwent ritual slaughtering.

[18:32]And this meat in the lab, you cannot ritually slaughter it because

[18:36]it's not coming from a live animal.

[18:40]So their understanding is for meat to be halal, it must come

[18:42]from a live animal that has been slaughtered according to Islamic law.

[18:46]So their fatwa is this is haram.

[18:50]This is the first opinion that we find amongst their scholars and

[18:53]this is their reasoning.

[18:55]Let's go to those scholars who say it is halal.

[18:58]What is their argument?

[19:00]They say yes for normal meat taken from an animal for it

[19:05]to be halal you have to slaughter it.

[19:07]But this meat here in the lab is not coming from an

[19:13]animal directly.

[19:13]You're basically taking invisible cells in the lab and you're replicating them.

[19:20]So the verse in the Holy Quran that says these categories of

[19:24]animals are haram except if they go through ritual slaughtering does not

[19:29]apply to these replicated cells because these cells are not even an

[19:34]animal.

[19:35]It's not the categories that the Quran mentions.

[19:39]This is just meat that grew from cells.

[19:42]So all the hadiths that tell you and all the verses that

[19:44]tell you you have to slaughter the meat according to Islamic law,

[19:47]they're talking about an animal.

[19:48]And this meat in the lab is not an animal.

[19:51]This is just cells that grew.

[19:53]It's an extension of a previous animal.

[19:56]But technically, it's not an animal.

[19:58]It's just flesh out there that grew from something that's invisible to

[20:04]the eye.

[20:03]So their opinion is that it's halal.

[20:07]And this is their fatwa.

[20:08]Here comes the third group of scholars.

[20:11]The third group of scholars, they tell you it depends what's the

[20:17]source of these cells.

[20:18]If these cells come from a haram source, then by extension, they're

[20:24]also haram to consume.

[20:26]And if they come from a halal source, like meat that's already

[20:32]halal, that's already slaughtered according to Islamic law, then they become halal.

[20:37]Because if you take halal meat and you take the cells of

[20:40]it, that's just an extension of it.

[20:41]So why would it be haram?

[20:45]It would be halal because you're just eating the growth of that

[20:48]halal meat.

[20:49]So the growth of halal meat is halal and the growth of

[20:51]haram meat is haram.

[20:54]For them, that's how they understand the status of glab grown meat.

[20:58]These are the three common opinions that we have about this type

[21:03]of meat.

[21:04]Now let's examine this from a spiritual perspective.

[21:08]And this one's really interesting.

[21:11]What is the spiritual status of eating this type of meat?

[21:17]Some scholars have an interesting perspective here about how halal meat is

[21:24]good for your spirituality and why haram meat and lab grown meat

[21:28]can be damaging to your spirituality.

[21:31]Now before we examine that and before we examine the role of

[21:38]sacrificial animals from the Quran, let's ask this question.

[21:40]What is the stance of Islam when it comes to eating meat?

[21:45]I know today you have a growing number of people who identify

[21:51]as vegetarians or people who identify as strict vegans.

[21:54]It's growing by the day.

[21:57]What is the status of meat in the religion of Islam?

[22:00]According to the religion of Islam, it is recommended to eat certain

[22:10]types of meat and it is mak not recommended to eat meat

[22:18]excessively.

[22:17]According to a hadith that the scholar had narrates in his book,

[22:26]he has his commentary on he's a Sunni scholar.

[22:31]He narrates a hadith from Im Ali Alisam.

[22:33]He says, "Im Ali would eat meat but not a lot.

[22:35]Seldom would he eat meat." And then the imly stated, "Do not

[22:47]make your stomachs the graveyards of animals." Yes, those of you who

[22:55]are addicted to meat and you have it every day, it's not

[22:56]haram, but it's makru.

[22:59]It's not recommended.

[23:01]And those who avoid meat altogether, that's also makru.

[23:08]In Islamic law, being strictly vegan is not recommended.

[23:11]Unless you have a certain health condition and your doctor has told

[23:15]you that eating any amount of meat is not good for you,

[23:18]that's an exception.

[23:20]But by default in Islamic law, it's mak discouraged to avoid eating

[23:26]meat, especially for 40 days.

[23:28]We have hadiths that state do not go for 40 days without

[23:34]eating meat.

[23:35]It's recommended to eat meat, let's say once a week, once every

[23:41]two weeks, but the bare minimum is once every 40 days.

[23:46]such that the Imam Alisam says if you're poor and you cannot

[23:50]afford it, go and get a loan.

[23:52]Yes, go borrow money so you can eat meat at least once

[23:59]every 40 days.

[23:59]Now the question is why?

[24:02]Why is it that in Islam it is recommended to eat meat?

[24:06]Now not all types of meat.

[24:08]By far the most recommended meat in Islam is what?

[24:12]Can anyone guess?

[24:12]No, not fish.

[24:15]Not beef, lamb.

[24:17]Yes, I know some people love lamb.

[24:22]And then there are those who cannot stand the smell of lamb

[24:26]meat, right?

[24:28]By the way, that was the prophet's favorite.

[24:31]The arm of the lamb was the prophet's favorite meat and also

[24:36]the imams ofam.

[24:36]So, the most recommended meat is lamb.

[24:39]Now, what about chicken?

[24:42]Chicken is not that recommended.

[24:46]In fact, some scholars, some scholars believe it could be makru.

[24:50]I underline the word could be so I don't freak you out,

[24:54]my dear brothers and sisters, cuz I know you all love, you

[24:56]know, the chicken breasts and the chicken burgers and everything that is

[25:00]made with chicken, but it's not that recommended, which means eating it

[25:07]less would be better.

[25:07]What about beef?

[25:09]Is it recommended or not?

[25:11]A lot of scholars say it's neither recommended, neither makru.

[25:16]Whatever it's in the middle, you want to eat it, eat it.

[25:19]There's no specific recommendation to eat it.

[25:22]Even though a minority of scholars believe that it could be makru,

[25:27]it could be unrecommended because there's a hadith attributed to Imam in

[25:34]which he talks about the cow and the im says, The milk

[25:42]of cows is shifat.

[25:45]It's healing.

[25:44]It's good for you.

[25:47]But their meat is not good for you.

[25:49]It could be harmful.

[25:49]Now, the authenticity of the hadith is disputed.

[25:53]Some scholars will accept it.

[25:54]Some scholars will not.

[25:57]But generally speaking, Islam does recommend eating meat.

[25:59]Now, why we have hadiths that state don't go 40 days without

[26:03]eating meat?

[26:05]I know people who are vegan will be disappointed in this.

[26:10]But let's have an academic discussion on this.

[26:12]Here's one understanding, one analysis.

[26:14]At the time, my dear brothers and sisters, it was very difficult

[26:21]for people to stay nourished properly to get their minerals and vitamins

[26:25]from food.

[26:25]So if someone would be vegan at the time of the prophet

[26:30]sallallahu alaihi this person's health could suffer.

[26:33]You would not get the amino acids that you need.

[26:35]you would not get the protein that your body needs.

[26:38]And this affects your health and it affects your mood.

[26:41]In fact, scientific studies have shown that people who are vegan, but

[26:49]they don't know what type of diet to eat.

[26:49]Because there are some people who are vegan, they know exactly what

[26:54]to eat.

[26:52]They check their vitals.

[26:55]They make sure that they're getting their minerals and protein from other

[27:00]sources.

[27:00]But then there are people who may not be aware of all

[27:03]that.

[27:03]So what would happen is those who would stop eating meat their

[27:09]body would not get enough protein and with less protein you get

[27:17]less nutrients for amino acids in your body.

[27:18]Now what does that do?

[27:21]When you consume less amino acids than your body actually needs, it

[27:28]affects your mood and it leads to depression.

[27:28]These are scientific studies.

[27:31]I know that, you know, we're commonly told that being vegan is

[27:37]very healthy and it could be healthy.

[27:38]For a lot of people, it actually could be healthy, but it

[27:42]depends on many, many factors.

[27:42]And there are conflicting reports.

[27:45]Eating meat excessively is definitely not healthy.

[27:48]But eating meat, meat once in a while, a lot of doctors

[27:53]recommend that.

[27:52]So even for people who are vegetarians, vegans, every once in a

[27:56]while getting some protein from meat actually could be healthy for your

[28:04]body and also healthy for your spirituality.

[28:04]So the hadith says the one who does not eat meat for

[28:10]40 consecutive days their mood might change because they're not getting that

[28:16]you know enough protein.

[28:15]And so the imam says there are even spiritual consequences for that.

[28:23]So the im says these people say the adan in their ear.

[28:26]Now please brothers in the community don't go to your vegan friends

[28:30]and shout the adan in their ear tonight please.

[28:34][laughter] But this is mentioned in our hadith probably during that time

[28:40]people were were malnourished and it was not good.

[28:41]So the imam says you know give them a spiritual boost say

[28:45]thean in their ear.

[28:46]But I have seen scientific studies that do state for some people

[28:53]who go vegan.

[28:52]It can affect their mood and I can share with you these

[29:00]studies.

[28:58]So in Islamic law it is recommended to eat meat but in

[29:04]moderation my dear brothers and sisters in moderation.

[29:09]Once a week, okay, twice a week, fine.

[29:12]I don't want to spoil your ifars these days, but eating meat

[29:15]excessively is not recommended.

[29:16]It affects your health and the spirituality.

[29:20]Now, let's talk about the spiritual aspect of slaughtering animals and why

[29:28]some scholars have concerns about lab grown meat.

[29:29]This is a very important discussion, my dear brothers and sisters.

[29:34]When you look at the history of human beings, anthropologists when they

[29:42]study human societies, we find that since the beginning of time, human

[29:47]beings would sacrifice animals.

[29:48]Now, those who believed in the one God, they would sacrifice animals

[29:52]for Allah, for God.

[29:54]And those who were idol worshippers, they would bring animals, slaughter them,

[29:59]dedicate them to their idols, and then they would take their blood

[30:05]and stain the idols with them, thinking that this is going to

[30:08]please their idols.

[30:11]So since the beginning of time, human beings have been sacrificing animals.

[30:14]Allah subhana wa ta'ala refers to that in the holy Quran with

[30:20]the story of the sons of Adam.

[30:23]and they both offered a sacrifice.

[30:29]Allah mentions this inah verse 27.

[30:37]Tell them the story about the two sons of Adam.

[30:44]They both offered a sacrifice and he had farm animals like sheep.

[30:57]So when it was his turn to offer his sacrifice, he got

[31:04]his best, chubbiest, most f valuable sheep.

[31:08]He's like, I will offer this as a sacrifice to God.

[31:11]his brother, he would deal with crops.

[31:17]So he went to his farm and he brought the lowest quality

[31:23]crops, the cheapest crop that you can find on his farmland.

[31:25]He got it because he was stingy and he didn't really have

[31:31]faith.

[31:33]Both of them offered the sacrifice.

[31:38]What happened?

[31:42]It was accepted from one of them and the sacrifice of was

[31:49]rejected.

[31:50]Now how did they know that their sacrifice was accepted?

[31:52]They p they basically would place their sacrifice in a distinct location

[31:59]and then if a fire would come from the sky, a divine

[32:02]fire, if it consumes the sacrifice, it means Allah accepted it.

[32:08]And if it didn't, it means God didn't accept it.

[32:11]So now and they're watching with so much humbleness and sincerity and

[32:19]tawa.

[32:20]Ya Allah, this is the best that I brought.

[32:21]Accept it from me.

[32:23]He had no faith, but he wanted to see what's going to

[32:29]happen.

[32:29]Suddenly they see the fire coming and consuming the lamb of Habil.

[32:34]It's at this point that becomes very jealous.

[32:38]Why did God accept his sacrifice and not not my sacrifice?

[32:44]He became angry at Allah and he decided to eliminate his brother

[32:47]and kill him.

[32:49]And this was actually a tradition that passed on for many many

[32:55]generations.

[32:54]There is a verse in the Holy Quran that indicates this was

[32:58]a sign that some of the prophets of Benny is had to

[33:03]show that they were a prophet.

[33:05]They would offer a sacrifice and if the fire would eat their

[33:08]sacrifice, consume and devour their sacrifice, it means they were prophets.

[33:12]For instance, Allah subhana t states in verse 183, this is chapter

[33:22]3 verse 183.

[33:26]Those who said a group of Jewish people they came to the

[33:33]prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and they told him if you want to

[33:36]prove to us that you're really a prophet then why don't you

[33:42]offer a sacrifice and let's see what happens and they said we

[33:58]have been informed in our scriptures that we should not believe in

[34:02]any messenger in any prophet except if that prophet brings a sacrifice

[34:07]and the fire devours the sacrifice then we'll believe in them.

[34:12]What does Allah subhana wa ta'ala respond to them?

[34:17]Allah had show them had shown them so many miracles and signs

[34:23]in prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi but their stubbornness rejected it.

[34:28]Allah tells them, "Say, before me, many prophets and messengers came.

[34:37]They brought clear signs and what you recommended right now, but you

[34:42]still killed them.

[34:44]You still rejected them." So, no, we're not here to play games.

[34:47]We've already shown you the truth.

[34:48]If you want, accept.

[34:49]But this tells us that there was a tradition amongst at least

[34:54]some prophets who did that.

[34:55]So this is the role of sacrificial animals in previous nations and

[34:58]that's why until today you'll find for instance many Jews around the

[35:03]world even orthodox Christians they believe in the idea of sacrificing animals

[35:08]for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

[35:10]Allah subhana t makes it very clear in the holy Quran that

[35:13]sacrificial animals are a way to achieve tawa are a way to

[35:22]achieve piety.

[35:20]Allah states Allah says the sacrificial animals like the camels for instance

[35:34]at we've made them from from the signs of God.

[35:40]That's why if you go to Mina it is if you go

[35:43]to in Mina it's mandatory for every pilgrim to sacrifice either a

[35:46]sheep a cow or a camel for the sake of Allah subhana

[35:50]wa ta'ala.

[35:49]And Allah says this is a sign of piety.

[35:52]How?

[35:53]First of all, you're donating meat to the poor.

[35:59]You're letting go.

[35:59]Historically, people held on to their animals.

[36:02]They were very valuable.

[36:04]So, Allah is teaching you to let go.

[36:06]That indicates tawa.

[36:09]Number two, you're feeding the poor.

[36:12]Number three, it was a beautiful act of teamwork because it's mustab.

[36:18]If you want to do like the mustab, it's mustab for you

[36:21]to go to Mina, which is the place where people stone the

[36:25]devil, right?

[36:25]If you're familiar with the rituals of the Hajj, it's mustab for

[36:31]you to actually attend the sacrificing of your sheep.

[36:34]It's mustab for you to eat from that meat and give it

[36:39]to the poor.

[36:38]So, it was a beautiful way to bring the poor and the

[36:43]rich in one community, in one setting, so they could eat together.

[36:47]This had a greater effect than just to donate money.

[36:50]Okay, here poor guy, take this money, go and buy your own

[36:55]meat.

[36:53]No, let's eat together.

[36:56]I'll eat from this sacrifice and you also eat from this sacrifice.

[37:00]This actually developed a a beautiful community for the poor people to

[37:04]enjoy the blessings of the rich.

[37:06]So historically, this was the role of sacrificial animals.

[37:10]And Allah subhana t says, look, don't think that the blood is

[37:14]going to reach God like some pagans thought.

[37:18]No, it's not about the blood, God benefiting from the blood, but

[37:25]it's about when you sincerely donate in the way of Allah subhana

[37:28]wa t'ala, Allah subhana t accepts from you.

[37:31]So this is the waj sacrifice that we have in Islam.

[37:36]Now we also have sacrifices such as what are you familiar with

[37:45]the the on the 10th of the month of it's must to

[37:47]sacrifice a sheep even if you're not inju authentic hadith the im

[37:56]says it's so important for you to do this it's waj now

[37:59]waj doesn't mean it's a sin if you don't it means it's

[38:05]such an established sunnah to do that every year when comes every

[38:08]one of you should sacrifice that sheep.

[38:11]The hadith states when you have the meat sacrificed one drop of

[38:17]blood that falls on the earth Allah subhana wa ta'ala forgives all

[38:20]of your sins and hence the prophet would do that the imams

[38:23]of B would do that the prophet sallallahu alaihi loved so much

[38:29]such that he would do the in her name after she passed

[38:31]away he would dedicate it to her soul so that is highly

[38:36]and the prophet in one hadith tells his daughter Lady Fatim he

[38:40]tells her go and attend the ceremony of sacrificing the sheep.

[38:45]If you do that, Allah subhana t will forgive you.

[38:49]Now we'll examine why.

[38:50]What is another type of must sacrificial act of sacrificing an animal?

[38:59]The are you familiar with the the is to be done for

[39:02]a newborn.

[39:03]On the seventh day after your child is born, you have a

[39:09]sheep slaughtered that protects your child.

[39:09]gives the protection from Allahhana tala and it also prolongs the life

[39:17]of your child.

[39:15]A man asked the Immiam, "What if I don't know if my

[39:21]parents did that for me?" Or let's say they didn't.

[39:26]The Immiam told him, "That's fine.

[39:28]You go do that for yourself.

[39:29]You do the for your own self on your own behalf." And

[39:34]by the way, unfortunately, in some ignorant cultures, they think the is

[39:38]only for boys.

[39:37]If you have a boy, you do the for your boy, but

[39:42]if you have a daughter, it's not.

[39:43]That's not true.

[39:45]The isab for boys and girls and it really protects you from

[39:50]a lot of danger.

[39:51]What else is recommended in Islamic law for the sacrificial animals?

[39:57]If you move to a new house or you build a new

[40:02]room in the house, listen to this hadith from the imam.

[40:05]In this hadith, the imam states me.

[40:10]If you build a house or a room and you bring a

[40:19]good chubby fat sheep indicating that you want to give more meat

[40:22]to the poor.

[40:25]Some brothers are laughing at the scene of this poor sheep being

[40:28]slaughtered for your new house.

[40:31]As the sheep is being slaughtered, if you say, "Oh Allah, protect

[40:42]me from evil people and from evil devils and evil and evil

[40:45]jin." The hadith states, Allah will answer your dua and Allah will

[40:50]put the baraka in your house.

[40:52]That's why traditionally, if you ask your grandparents and they remember, they

[40:54]would actually bring a sheep to the house and they would slaughter

[40:59]it.

[40:59]This is an Islamic tradition my dear brothers and sisters.

[41:01]This is not superstitions.

[41:02]I know dearborn you probably can't do that.

[41:05]It's against the city code.

[41:10]But the reason why this would have an impact my dear brothers

[41:13]and sisters is that when an animal's being killed the blood spills.

[41:18]Blood indicates life.

[41:22]So when blood is spilled it indicates death.

[41:24]That's why when the when the blood of an animal is spilled,

[41:29]you even see the animals, they get frightened.

[41:32]When you see blood, something happens to you.

[41:35]It's part of our when that blood spills, it actually repels the

[41:41]and the devils and the jin according to the dua of this

[41:47]hadith.

[41:48]So, it actually brings protection.

[41:49]And when the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is mentioned on

[41:52]that sacrificial animal, Allah subhana wa ta'ala puts the baraka in it.

[41:57]So this is recommended in Islamic law.

[42:00]And if you're ever, my dear brothers and sisters, struggling with a

[42:04]problem, crisis, health crisis, I have a recommendation for you.

[42:10]If you have someone overseas who can sacrifice sheep for you and

[42:14]give it to the poor, do that.

[42:15]I know a very dear family here in this community, a very

[42:21]respected family.

[42:20]A few years ago, their granddaughter was dying in the hospital here.

[42:27]They panicked and they had 14 sheep slaughtered in the name of

[42:33]the 14 imams of B the 12 imams and the 14 members

[42:38]of B they had it slaughtered and give it to given to

[42:39]the poor.

[42:40]Allah subhana wa ta'ala miraculously saved their daughter.

[42:43]So it's highly recommended to do that my dear brothers and sisters.

[42:47]Now an animal is being killed.

[42:51]Yes.

[42:52]But when the name of Allah is mentioned on that process it

[42:55]brings the baraka because remember you have blood being spilled.

[42:57]That in itself can be seen as something negative something cruel.

[43:04]But when the name of Allah is mentioned it compensates for that

[43:07]and it puts baraka.

[43:08]It puts blessings in your life and in your community and in

[43:14]your society.

[43:15]That is why it's very mustab to have sacrificial animals dedicated for

[43:20]Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

[43:20]If you want Allah subhana wa ta'ala to protect you, the name

[43:26]of Allah has to be mentioned.

[43:27]Now, some scholars say with lab grown meat, you cannot do that.

[43:32]So you're eating flesh that has no capacity for the name of

[43:35]Allah to be mentioned at the time of slaughtering because it cannot

[43:39]be technically slaughtered.

[43:41]So they believe it could have a negative spiritual impact.

[43:45]That's why we must eat halal, my dear brothers and sisters.

[43:49]I know there are some in some communities, they're very flexible.

[43:51]Like one brother said, "Say, do you think Allah cares if I

[43:56]eat this meat?

[43:55]It's just meat.

[43:57]Who cares?" No.

[43:59]If you eat meat, an animal that died without the name of

[44:03]Allah being mentioned when the blood was spilling, that actually has harmful

[44:08]impacts on your health.

[44:09]I remember a few years ago, I went to Kansas for a

[44:18]program organized by some college students.

[44:20]One college student told me, say, I had a friend here.

[44:24]We live in a small college town.

[44:25]At that time, like 10 years ago, 15 years ago, there was

[44:31]no halal.

[44:29]They had to drive like five hours to witch to get some

[44:35]halal food.

[44:36]So he says, "One day my roommate, who looked religious, he was

[44:40]fine.

[44:41]He would pray, fast, he wouldn't do anything haram.

[44:45]One day he told me, "Look, I'm fed up with eating just

[44:48]vegetables and seafood.

[44:51]I'm craving those chicken nuggets and I need to eat them.

[44:54]So, I'm going to send an email to the office of my

[44:58]mer and explain to them that I have no halal food here

[45:00]and they're going to make it halal for me.

[45:03]It's like, okay, let's see what happens.

[45:04]So, they responded to his email and they asked him, "Are you

[45:10]like starving?

[45:09]There's no alternatives." He said, "No, there is alternatives.

[45:12]There's vegetarian food that I can eat.

[45:15]There is seafood that I can eat, but I want that chicken."

[45:18]So the office of the mer told him no sorry that's not

[45:23]an exemption here that's not a case where you can eat halal

[45:26]food.

[45:26]So he's like one day we were sitting in the cafeteria my

[45:29]friend got frustrated.

[45:31]He's like these they sit in their homes in and they dictate

[45:34]to for me what to do here in the US.

[45:36]Do they know what I'm struggling?

[45:38]Does the know how much I'm craving that chicken?

[45:42]He's like he got up.

[45:45]He went, he stood in line and he got those chicken nuggets.

[45:47]I told him, "Please don't do this." He's like, "You're scared of

[45:51]chicken nuggets?

[45:52]Come on.

[45:54]What can this potentially do to me?" He's like, "He ate those

[45:59]chicken nuggets." How many?

[46:01]I think it was a full plate because let's see what happened.

[46:05]My friend, and Allah is my witness.

[46:08]My friend says, "Say it.

[46:09]That day we went home.

[46:09]We went to our room.

[46:12]He's his roommate in the dorms." He's like, "Normally we pray salah

[46:17]together.

[46:18]We pray together." So I told him, "Yah, let's pray." He's like,

[46:22]"I'm a bit tired.

[46:21]You pray and I'll play pray after you." They're like, "Okay, Allah."

[46:29]An hour passed, 2 hour pass, 3 hour pass.

[46:31]I told him, "Habib, it's going to become midnight.

[46:32]When are you going to pray?" It's like, "Let me just wait."

[46:37]He waited until the salah became, he says, "For the first time

[46:40]in his life, he deliberately skipped salah.

[46:43]You think it stopped there?

[46:45]He said a few days ago, a few days later on a

[46:47]Friday night, he went to the bar, he got drunk there and

[46:52]he committed all types of sins.

[46:53]He says, "From that day, I lost my friend." He told me,

[46:58]"Say it started from harmless chicken nuggets." Subhan Allah.

[47:01]The spirituality that Allah puts in halal food is one that even

[47:07]protects your faith.

[47:08]My dear brothers and sisters, one final point very briefly.

[47:11]Those who say what's then the role of animal rights in the

[47:18]religion of Islam because slaughtering an animal seems like it's very painful.

[47:22]My dear brothers and sisters f first of all in Islam we

[47:28]believe that animals must have rights.

[47:30]So if there are farms around the world today that put animals

[47:34]in miserable conditions, Islam rejects that.

[47:37]The prophet sallallahu alaihi in one hadith he says if you harm

[47:40]the animal because sometimes they would brand the animals with an iron

[47:43]that would hurt them.

[47:45]The prophet says if you brand an animal in his face or

[47:48]you hit the animal on its face I will curse you.

[47:52]Allah curses the one who hurts the animal.

[47:55]In another hadith imam states, a woman went to the fire of

[47:59]hell because she locked up a cat and the cat died from

[48:08]starvation.

[48:07]That's how this lady tortured the cat.

[48:09]She deliberately locked up the cat so the cat would starve.

[48:13]The imam says Allah took that lady to hell.

[48:17]Can you imagine how serious this is?

[48:20]The religion of Islam respects animals.

[48:22]And when it comes to hunting animals, Islam says if you really

[48:25]need to hunt, like you need to live on it, okay, that's

[48:29]an exception.

[48:28]But if you go for leisure hunting, hunting a deer to enjoy

[48:31]yourself, shooting birds to enjoy yourself, Islam discourages that, my dear brothers

[48:37]and sisters.

[48:38]There's one hadith that on the day of judgment when Allah subhana

[48:42]wa ta'ala resurrects humans and resurrects animals, Allah will resurrect a bird.

[48:48]Listen to this hadith.

[48:48]The bird will say, "Ya Allah, I was killed unjustly.

[48:53]This person killed me unjustly." The person just wanted to have fun

[49:00]shooting birds, not because the person was really hungry and needed to

[49:03]eat me.

[49:05]The hadith states Allah will seek retribution for that bird.

[49:10]Now, the hadith doesn't say what the retribution is, but we can

[49:14]imagine that it is serious.

[49:15]So we have to protect the rights of animals.

[49:18]But when it comes to slaughtering animals, according to Islamic law, many

[49:24]scientific studies have shown when the proper conditions are observed, the animal

[49:31]actually does not experience any significant pain.

[49:34]I saw a scientific study that takes animals, they put these electrodes

[49:40]on their brain to detect the pain.

[49:43]And guess what they found out?

[49:44]They saw that the animal when it is killed according to Islamic

[49:51]law a ship big sharp knife has to be used and immediately

[49:54]the jugular vein the arteries have to be cut when that is

[49:57]done appropriately the animal is actually stunned and the animal immediately becomes

[50:05]unconscious so it doesn't actually experience any pain and and if you

[50:11]see the animal struggling these are just the reflexes of the muscle

[50:14]It's not because the animal is is dying from pain.

[50:18]And subhan Allah, they brought animals and they stunned them according to

[50:22]the European standards done in this study, right?

[50:23]They stunned the animal and then they would kill it.

[50:27]They realized that the animal experiences a lot more pain if it

[50:30]dies on its own or if it's stunned according to the European

[50:35]standard in that study.

[50:36]And this revealed that the halal method of slaughtering is the most

[50:39]humane way.

[50:41]First of all, feed the animal some water.

[50:45]Let it feel safe.

[50:46]Don't scare the animal, show it the knife, and kill it in

[50:50]front of other animals.

[50:50]That way, you reduce the stress that the animal goes through.

[50:56]So, Allah subhana wa ta'ala has put that baraka, my dear brothers

[50:59]and sisters.

[51:00]But we just have to be responsible.

[51:03]We have to be moderate in our meat consumption consumption.

[51:06]My recommendation is based on my understanding of hadiths, don't eat meat

[51:13]every single day.

[51:15]That's not healthy first of all.

[51:17]And secondly, it's not healthy for your spirituality.

[51:19]Number two, those who completely avoid meat, my brotherly advice to them

[51:26]is eat meat at least once every 40 days because we have

[51:29]hadiths that recommend that.

[51:32]But at the end, this is not waj or haram.

[51:33]You don't want to eat meat, that's entirely up to you.

[51:36]You want to have that every single day three times, that's entirely

[51:39]up to you.

[51:41]May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless you all, my dear brothers and

[51:44]sisters.

[51:45]We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to illuminate our hearts and minds

[51:49]in this blessed month of Ramadan.

[51:51]Let's stand up and recite dua al Faraj for our beloved imam

[51:54]together.

[51:56]Everyone together.

[52:08]Everyone together.

[52:10]together.

[52:11]Together, What's

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