Genghis Khan (1162-1227) is known as one of the greatest conquerors of the world. While his expansionist campaigns are well known, not many people know Genghis Khan banned the slaughter of meat by Muslims through the ‘Halal’ method.
As the founder of the Mongol Dynasty, he extended his kingdom from across Asia to the Adriatic Sea. The dominant religion during the reign of Khan was Tengrism. However, a large section of people practised other Faiths such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Taoism.
According to historian Ata Malik Juvaini, Mongols essentially created a secular state and enforced religious freedom. Genghis Khan allowed the recitation of the Takbeer and the Azan during his conquest of Khwarezmia (present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran) between 1219 and 1221.
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The Mongol emperor exempted all religious heads from all forms of taxation. It is for these reasons that Genghis Khan was called the ‘Defender of Religion.’ Having said that, he wanted the Mongols to remain loyal to him instead of their religious leaders.
Anthropologist Jack Weatherford in a 2017 Reddit AMA stated, “Every individual had the right to chose any religion (or none), and every religious institution was granted freedom from taxation. But that did not mean that they had a license to do whatever they wanted.“
He further noted, “In addition to disapproving of the pollution of water, he strongly objected to the slaughter of animals by bleeding them to death, to circumcision, veiling, foot binding, or striking an animal on the side or head.”
Weatherford, the author of the book ‘Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World’, however, pointed out there was ‘no prosecution’ for engaging in prohibited ways of slaughter.
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In an article for the LA Times in 2006, he pointed out that Genghis Khan believed, “When conquering Muslims, Genghis Khan always announced that Allah willed the Mongol victory as divine punishment; to resist the Mongols was to defy the will of God.“
Nonetheless, Genghis Khan was opposed to cruelty to animals, especially the ‘Halal system of slaughter.’ Mongols instead employed a humane system of knocking the animal unconscious before slaughter.
They would make a small incision above the heart and cut off blood flow. Poppy Williams wrote about the ban on Halal butchering in a 2023 article in the ‘Retrospect Journal’ of the University of Edinburg.
“Genghis Khan issued a decree which forbade halal butchering practices – forcing Muslims to slaughter their sheep in secret – alongside banning circumcision and kosher food practices,” he pointed out.
Similar ban on Halal by the grandson of Genghis Khan
According to historical sources, Genghis Khan’s grandson Kublai Khan (the founder of the Yuan dynasty) also outlawed the slaughtering of animals by the Halal method between 1279 and 1287.
He had declared, “You are my slaves, how dare you do not follow the dietary habit of my dynasty…From now on, all Huihui (Muslims) and People of the Scriptures (Jews) will not be allowed to kill lamb other than following the Mongolian way of slaughter which is by open the chest.“
Kublai Khan also threatened Muslims with the death penalty if they slaughtered animals in non-Mongolian way. He later revoked the ban due to decrease in taxable income and foreign trade.
What is the Halal system of animal slaughter
Islam classifies dietary products as ‘halal (permissible)’ and ‘haram (prohibited)’ for Muslims based on the Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (in Hadiths). As such, what counts as Halal in Islam does not apply to practitioners of other Faiths.
The halal system of ‘animal slaughter’, also called Zahiba, lays special emphasis on the ‘bleeding’ of animals. This is particularly due to the Islamic belief that blood is ‘impure’.Blood drainage from slaughtered animals forms the key basis of halal slaughter. There are several Quranic verses, which reiterate that the consumption of blood must be avoided at all costs.
Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah) Verse 173 of the Quran says:
“He has only forbidden you ˹to eat˺ carrion, blood, swine, and what is slaughtered in the name of any other than Allah. But if someone is compelled by necessity—neither driven by desire nor exceeding immediate need—they will not be sinful. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Chapter 5 (Al-Mai’dah) Verse 3 of the Quran says:
“Forbidden to you are carrion, blood, and swine; what is slaughtered in the name of any other than Allah; what is killed by strangling, beating, a fall, or by being gored to death; hat is partly eaten by a predator unless you slaughter it; and what is sacrificed on altars. You are also forbidden to draw lots for decisions. This is all evil. Today the disbelievers have given up all hope of ˹undermining˺ your faith. So do not fear them; fear Me! Today I have perfected your faith for you, completed My favour upon you, and chosen Islam as your way. But whoever is compelled by extreme hunger—not intending to sin—then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.“
Chapter 6 (Al-An’am) Verse 145 of the Quran says:
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden to eat except carrion, running blood, swine—which is impure—or a sinful offering in the name of any other than Allah. But if someone is compelled by necessity—neither driven by desire nor exceeding immediate need—then surely your Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Chapter 16 (Al-Mai’dah) Verse 115 of the Quran says:
“He has only forbidden you ˹to eat˺ carrion, blood, swine, and what is slaughtered in the name of any other than Allah. But if someone is compelled by necessity—neither driven by desire nor exceeding immediate need—then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
As per Islamic law (Sharia), the ‘halal’ slaughter of an animal requires the use of a sharp knife, which is free of nicks and scratches. Although there is no directive to use any special kind of knife unlike kosher, it is recommended that the blade of the knife be 2-4 times larger than the neck of the animal.
The animal must be fed well, provided with drinking water and soothed before turning it lifeless. Sahih Muslim, a collection of Hadiths, states in Book 21, Number 4810:
“Shaddid b. Aus said: Two are the things which I remember Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said: Verily Allah has enjoined goodness to everything; so when you kill, kill in a good way and when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way. So every one of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably.”
However, the Islamic practice of feeding animals before their slaughter, under the pretext of ‘animal welfare’, is problematic. Such a method increases the volume and the quantity of bacteria in the gut of ruminant animals. Modern industry practices require feed withdrawal for up to 12 hours, prior to slaughter, to avert the risk of carcass contamination.
Halal slaughter must be performed by only a sane, adult Muslim, who is familiar with Islamic rituals. “Animals slaughtered by a Non-Muslim will not be Halal. The name of Allah must be invoked (mentioned) at the time of slaughtering by saying: Bismillah Allahu Akbar,” says the Department of Halal Certification in the European Union.
Quran makes it clear in Chapter 6 (Al An’am) Verse 18: So eat only of what is slaughtered in Allah’s Name if you truly believe in His revelations.
The Halal meat industry often finds itself at loggerheads with modern industry practices, especially due to its rigid adherence to Islam and inability to adapt to more humane and technologically advanced procedures.
