Eating Chicken flesh in Montreal: Permissible or not?

First, peace be upon the scholars.

I want to pose a question specific to the city of Montreal which I find different from the rest of the cities of emigration since it has a big Muslim community. Lawful chicken's flesh is easily available there. Hence, is not it worthwhile that the legal opinion of permitting chicken's flesh issued for all cities of emigration be dropped without taking into consideration the degree of ease in finding chicken slaughtered according to Islamic rules?

I want to ask also about the basis on which you trust that chicken are killed by slaughtering and not by electric shock.

Thank you.

In the Name of Allah The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful

Praise be to Allah; Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon the Messenger, his household, his companions and his followers.

Let us agree first that the meat which you are reassured that it was slaughtered and know the religion of its slaughterer takes precedence over other meat. This is more acquitting, shoves away doubt, more purifying for the soul and more pleasing for Allah, Supreme and Exalted be He. In a prophetic tradition the Prophet (PBUH) says, "Leave that which makes you doubt to that which does not make you doubt."

This would encourage the investments of the Muslim community and its promising economic projects especially those which are specialized in supplying lawful meat and other projects which preserve the Muslim identity, and help retain its civilizational, cultural and religious peculiarities.

Concerning the meats commonly found in markets, the Muslim investors in this field in USA told us that the electric shock hardly kills chicken exposed to it. Other animals exposed to electric shocks are killed at percentages varying from one slaughterhouse to another ranging from 40% in some, and negligible percent in others. Accordingly, the ruling is to be cautious and pious in eating these meats.

Fatwa, guided brother, rests on two pillars: one is reality and the other is religious texts and rules. The former is the responsibility of the fatwa seeker, and the latter is the responsibility of the mufti. What we mentioned concerning USA does not necessarily apply to Canada if the reality is different. You may ask Sheikh Sufyan in Al-Sunnah Mosque and his co-scholars who live in Canada since a long time; perhaps they have more knowledge in that regard than we do.

We praise your keenness and jealousy. May Allah grant you more keenness and guidance. And Allah, The Exalted, knows best.