Is Wagyu (Beef) Halal?

We’ve also received this question on our DMs and as replies to our weekly newsletters, so I wanted to be sure to include responses from muslim butchers too! (Note: Links to references are listed at the bottom of this article). So, let’s get into it.

What is wagyu meat?

When you think Wagyu, I want you to think Premium.

Think about cows in Japan that are given the most premium treatment that their breeders could possibly give them. The cows eat the best grains and fresh green grass. They get to roam in the cool pastures near the mountains so that they are stress-free (the kind of pastures that could make even you stress-free). Their breeders are so concerned with the comfort of their cows that even the temperature of the environment is being monitored, and the cows are being moved if it so happens that the temperatures are not so favourable.

These are the cows that will eventually give you Wagyu Meat.

Wagyu literally means the beef from a Japanese Cattle. What sets wagyu apart from other types of beef is its white marbling texture.

Essentially, the better the cow is treated, the better will be the quality of the Wagyu meat, producing meats of a higher grade. Refer to the guide below for an idea of how different these cuts of meats can be!

1. Wagyu is Jallalah

   This line of argument refers to alcohol as ‘filth’, and animals that have been fed with filth (Jallalah). Jallalah specifically refers to animals that have been fed with filth so often that the character of their meat changes due to its feeding habits (Ustaz Kamal, 2015). This is exactly what describes the marbling of Wagyu meat. For the scholars who consider alcohol in its physical form to be filthy, then Wagyu beef is Jallalah, therefore eating Wagyu beef would only be makruh or discouraged. (Narrated by Ibn Umar rhuma: “The Prophet pbuh forbids from eating Jallalah and its milk.” (Hadith narrated by Abu Daud, Tirmizhi, Ibn Majah and Al Baihaqi. Sheikh Albani grades this hadith as Sahih.))

2. It is immoral and unethical to feed animals with alcohol.

   It was narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar that the Prophet pbuh said: Allah curses alcohol, its drinker, its server, its seller, its buyer, its presser, the one for whom it is pressed for, the one who conveys it, and the one to whom it is conveyed to. (Narrated by Abu Daud in his Sunan ) This hadith indicates sternly that anyone who has a direct dealing with alcohol will be cursed by Allah. Muslims are forbidden from dealing with alcohol as it affects the mind, makes him lose control and inhibits its capacity to think. It is also a known fact that alcohol consumption also damages human organs. Feeding animals with alcohol also subjects them to the same damage to their organs and can therefore be considered animal abuse. Eating wagyu beef would inculcate the feeding of animals with alcohol and thus propagate the abuse of animals. (Ustaz Kamal, 2015)

Ustaz Kamal further concludes that Sad Az zara’i (closing the doors towards evil) is the better approach when dealing with this issue of consuming the meat of cattle that have been fed alcohol, due to the 2 points mentioned above.