Is It Permissible to Eat Animals Slaughtered by Non-Believers and Polytheists?

In Islamic jurisprudence, there is a consensus among scholars that meat slaughtered by individuals outside the People of the Book—such as idol worshipers, polytheists, apostates, and atheists—is forbidden. This prohibition is based on the ruling that meat from these groups is haram, even if they mention Allah’s name at the time of slaughter. Scholar Ibn Humam explained that animals slaughtered by such groups remain impermissible regardless of their invocation of Allah. This is in contrast to the People of the Book, for whom slaughtered meat is generally permissible, given the guidelines outlined in the Quran (Quran 5:5).