In most markets in Bangladesh, chickens and ducks are dipped in hot water after slaughter so that the feathers come away easily. Many Muslims wonder whether meat prepared this way is permissible to eat under Islamic law. Islamic scholars say that, done the usual way, a short dip in hot water does not make the meat haram or makruh.
A fatwa published in Al-Kawsar, a monthly from Dhaka edited by Abul Hasan Muhammad Abdullah, says that the way shops normally dress chickens does not make the meat impermissible or disliked. A short time in hot water mainly softens the roots of the feathers so they can be plucked; the impurity inside the bird does not normally reach the meat.
The fatwa warns, however, that if a bird is kept in scalding water so long that the effect or smell of impurity enters the meat, eating it is not permissible. It cites Fath al-Qadir (volume 1, page 186) and Radd al-Muhtar (volume 1, page 334).
The water used for dressing in markets often mixes with blood from slaughter and can become impure. So once the bird is home, its skin and meat should be washed well in clean water, though a brief dip in that water does not by itself make the meat haram. The fatwa also says the usual dressing method has room for improvement and that poultry should be prepared with care for cleanliness.
In short: chicken and duck dressed briefly in hot water in the usual way may be eaten, unless the impurity has entered the meat, and it should be washed thoroughly before cooking.
Reported by Banglanews24's Islam desk.
Photo: Live chickens in an Old Dhaka market, David Brewer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Source: Banglanews24
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