Isn't eating meat part of Islam?

“It’s haram to be vegan!”

Does being vegan invalidate my faith in Islam? I have multiple identities that make up who I am, and despite not being the most devout Muslim, it is a part of me. As with everything in my life, I strive to improve my relationship with Islam and hope that veganism can coexist with it.

Luckily, none of the five pillars of Islam require eating meat! Phew. Choosing not to eat meat isn’t haram either, as long as I’m not claiming that meat itself is forbidden. The Quran warns against making unlawful what Allah has made lawful (Quran 5:87), and that’s not what I’m doing. However, there is one aspect that requires some research.

Qurbani: Islamic Tradition of Sacrifice

“It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is your piety that reaches Him.” (Quran 22:37)

Qurbani is a ritual animal sacrifice performed by Muslims during Eid al-Adha. At its heart, it commemorates Ibrahim’s (AS) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail for the sake of Allah. The meat is traditionally split into thirds: for yourself, for family & friends, and for those in need. But Qurbani doesn’t end when the animal is sacrificed. It’s not just about distributing meat! It’s meant to encourage gratitude and generosity, strengthen faith, and bring people together across all social backgrounds.

From what I have researched, Qurbani is considered obligatory (and sinful to skip if you have the financial means) in the Hanafi school of thought, and a highly encouraged sunnah in the other schools. I’ve seen some differing opinions and interpretations, but the general consensus is that this is a very important part of being a practising Muslim.

For myself, right now, I’m not a strongly practising Muslim and haven’t really participated in Qurbani. So, being vegan doesn’t conflict with my current relationship with Islam. However, I recognise that this might change if I become more observant in the future, and I will need to navigate how to reconcile veganism with Qurbani at that time.

Hajj and Hady

There’s also Hady, an animal sacrifice offered during Hajj. From what I’ve read, there are three ways to perform Hajj: Tamattu’, Qiran and Ifrad. Tamattu’ and Qiran combine Hajj with Umrah and require Hady, while Ifrad (Hajj on its own) doesn’t. So a vegan pilgrim could perform Hajj al-Ifrad without needing to offer a sacrifice.

Factory Farming: Halal and Tayyib

I never really thought about where my meat came from, and I especially never thought about where my halal meat came from. I had all these assumptions, and all of them were quite naive when I started understanding the enormous scale of factory farming and its ever-growing demands.

What is Halal?

For a Muslim to consume meat, it must be halal. According to the Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC), that means the following criteria must be met:

• The animal must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter.
• The animal must be slaughtered by a sane adult Muslim.
• The name of Allah must be invoked at the time of slaughter.
• The throat, windpipe and jugular veins must be cut with a sharp knife.
• The blood must be fully drained from the carcass.

Even the certification bodies don’t fully agree. For example, the HMC rejects stunning before slaughter, while the Halal Food Authority accepts it. So, the first question is: with an ever-growing demand for halal meat, can these farms and certification bodies actually ensure that all the criteria for halal slaughter are consistently met?

Even if they do, they are only looking at the final moments of the animals’ lives. I couldn’t find any mention of checking the conditions animals were raised in on the sites of prominent UK halal certification bodies (1, 2). Nobody is checking how the animal was raised or treated throughout its life, which brings us to whether the meat is Tayyib.

What is Tayyib?

“O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good…” (Quran 2:168)

Tayyib means that the food is not only halal but also wholesome and pure. It is well documented that animals raised in factory farms live in extremely poor conditions. It is incredibly hard to align meat produced in such miserable, industrial environments with the concept of Tayyib. This matters, because Islam has a lot to say about how animals are treated:

“Verily Allah has prescribed excellence (ihsan) in all things… let one of you sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.” (Sahih Muslim 1955)

The Prophet (PBUH) told of a woman punished for locking up a cat and starving it, and of a man forgiven for giving water to a thirsty dog (Sahih al-Bukhari). As khalifah (stewards) of the earth, we are responsible for the creatures in our care.

So I have to ask: would the Prophet (PBUH) consider meat from such sources to be Tayyib?

My way forward?

As I grow older, I think I’ll naturally become more spiritual and observant of my faith. There are many aspects of my life that will need alignment, but I believe my food consumption should also reflect these values. Islam never asks me to eat meat, and if I do take part in Qurbani in the future, I can focus on what it’s really for: gratitude, sacrifice and supporting the less fortunate.

But for now, I don’t see veganism as stepping away from my faith. If anything, it feels like a way of taking Tayyib seriously. Halal asks how the animal died. Tayyib asks how it lived. Does the meat on the plate pass both?