Islam Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for Muslims, experts in Islam, and those interested in learning more about Islam. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
Is meat that has been artificially grown in a lab (made by duplicating cells) halal? What if the father cell came from a living animal? Can humans eat this kind of artificial meat?
Reference Link for extra information: World's first lab-grown burger is eaten in London - BBC
Is meat that has been artificially grown in a lab (made by duplicating cells) halal?
Yes, if the materials used to produce it is halal.
What if the father cell came from a living animal?
If the father cell is taken from a living animal, then that animal must be slaughtered in line with the Islamic guidelines of slaughtering. If the father cell is taken from a pig, then it's haram. But if the father cell is taken from a cow or a goat which was slaughtered in accordance with the Islamic guidelines of slaughtering, then it is halal.
Can humans eat this kind of artificial meat?
If such meat is produced in a halal manner, then there is noting wrong with eating them.
IMO it should be OK. Generally speaking this type of meat does not come from an Animal that is slaughtered (example would be meat Allah brought down to the last supper for Prophet Jesus PBUH) and since this meat did not come from an Animal that has ben killed, the requirement for Islamic Slaughter does not apply (how can you make something haram for something that is still living, not dead yet)?
As long as the process does not include anything Haram (pork, beer, non halal meat, etc..) it should be fine I think.
This is something that would benefit society as the meat will definitely get cheaper enabling poor people easy access to it.
There is a fatwa issued on this that adds two requirements for it to be OK:
Fatwa: http://darulfiqh.com/are-synthetically-produced-burgers-from-stem-cells-halal/
Allah knows best.
Some view point should imply that it is not desirable (borderline Haram). The meat that we eat must have been slaughtered in an Halal matter hence if we remove the whole slaughtering part you remove an important aspect of it. Since we are forbidden to eat something which was not properly slaughtered or something that died of natural death.
The other part of it would be that we are not allowed to commit any form of Shirk. Allah (swt) created the flesh, so to substitute something that Allah (swt) created for our sustenance by something that we manufactured in a lab is sort of saying i can "provide for myself" or "i can make something better than what Allah (swt) created".
We should really get a scholarly view point on the subject, but i wouldn't personally go near it since the slaughtering part needed to get the meat has been removed. And Allah knows best.
No it is not. Here is why. The Holy Quran simply states that meat is permissible only if the name of Allah is said the point of death and so long as the meat is NOT forbidden (Ie Swine and ect). Since lab grown meat was never technically alive from an animal at the point of death then there is no way for the name of Allah (S.W.A) to have been said. I know technically speaking you might say the original meat might have been said Allah's name but cells die out quickly in a lab.
Reference. Surah 5: Verse 4
They ask you, [O Muhammad], what has been made lawful for them. Say, "Lawful for you are [all] good foods and [game caught by] what you have trained of hunting animals which you train as Allah has taught you. So eat of what they catch for you, and mention the name of Allah upon it, and fear Allah ." Indeed, Allah is swift in account.
