Is Camel Halal? Camel Meat, Slaughter and Wudu

Camels hold a special place in Islamic law. The Qur'an lists a pair of camels among the eight kinds of livestock that God made lawful ^[1]. It also names sacrificial camels (budn) as one of the signs of God, and tells believers to eat from them after slaughter ^[2].

So there is no debate about the animal. Camel is not on the short list of forbidden meats, which covers carrion, blood, pork and animals dedicated to other than God ^[3]. Camel meat, camel milk and dishes made from them are all halal in principle.

The usual method for camels is called nahr. The animal stands, and a sharp blade is driven into the base of the neck, where it meets the chest. The Qur'an's verse on sacrificial camels describes them standing in lines when God's name is said over them ^[2]. Cattle, sheep and goats are usually slaughtered with dhabh, a cut across the throat.

Whatever the method, the same core rules apply. God's name must be said at slaughter ^[4], and the animal must not have died from a blow, a fall or another cause before the cut ^[3]. Meat that does not meet these rules is not halal in the view of most scholars, even from a halal animal.

This is a separate question from whether the meat is halal. A hadith in Sahih Muslim reports that the Prophet was asked whether to make wudu after eating camel meat, and he said yes. When asked about mutton, he left it to choice ^[5].

The Hanbali school takes this literally: eating camel meat breaks wudu, so you renew it before prayer. The other Sunni schools, which form the majority, hold that it does not break wudu, and read the hadith in other ways. Either way, camel meat stays halal to eat. Follow the school you normally follow.

Camel meat is rare in US stores. It is mostly sold frozen by specialty meat shops and online exotic-meat sellers. Unless a seller names a halal certifier, treat its camel meat as unverified.

• Ask for the certifier. A plain "halal" label is hard to check. HMS, for example, certifies only hand-slaughtered meat and tracks it from the plant to the store ^[6].
• No federal halal rule. USDA does not define halal and relies on labels being truthful ^[7].
• Halal butchers. Some halal butchers in larger Muslim communities order camel meat for Eid or on request. Ask how it was slaughtered.
• Camel milk. Camel milk products sold in the US are generally halal, since milk from a halal animal does not need slaughter. Check flavored products for added ingredients like gelatin.

For other halal red meats, see our beef and lamb pages.