Is it permissible to abstain from eating meat based on the claim that slaughtering animals is an immoral or prohibited act?

The motives behind choosing a vegetarian lifestyle vary; some choose it for health reasons or personal preference, which is a permissible matter of no consequence. However, the problem lies with those who adopt vegetarianism from a philosophical standpoint claiming that slaughtering animals is a prohibited or immoral act—a path that contradicts explicit divine revelation.

The Almighty has decreed in His decisive revelation the permissibility of livestock and detailed the prohibitions; thus, no human has the right to restrict what Allah has made spacious. Allah, the Exalted, says:

{And why should you not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you?}

[Surah Al-An'am: 119]

He, Glory be to Him, also emphasized this principle in His saying:

{Lawful unto you are the animals of grazing livestock.}

[Surah Al-Ma'idah: 1]

Legislation is the exclusive right of the Lord of the Worlds. If Allah has permitted the consumption of meat upon which His name has been mentioned, we have no right to alter this legislation or cast it as a prohibition based on mere sentiment. From a scientific perspective, the issue of animal pain during predation or ritual slaughter is subject to research indicating that physiological mechanisms may render the process far less painful than human emotional imagination perceives.

In conclusion, the believer must realize that the issue is not merely one of personal opinion, but rather of standing within the boundaries set by Allah and not prohibiting the good things He has made lawful.