In His Most Exalted Name
Shawwal 27,1388 AHS
I do acknowledge with gratitude the receipt of your respected letter, which indicated your good health.
Concerning the slaughtered animal as it has been written, there is no problem in terms of" unlawfulness" to act as stated, «1» for several reasons:
First of all, it is valid according to the Islamic slaughtering; this issue is obvious and is indicated in the Sahih of Muhammad ibn Muslim, Section 15, Book on Slaughter, second hadith and it is obvious that the slaughterer is the overseer of what is being slaughtered. Here, this is an automatic blade which ruse on electricity though, the murder is by way of motive attributed to him (the slaughterer). It is like throwing a person in a tract with many beasts of prey where the murderer is induced but the eater is a fierce animal.
Another thing is the utterance of tasmiyah,i.e., a Muslim slaughterer's utterance of the name of God during the course of slaughtering. And here a tasmiyah that is from a recorded tape is neither a Muslim's tasmiyah, nor a remembrance of God [dhikrullah] but rather it is an echo of a remembrance of God. If this is that person's [dhikrullah] then it should be sufficient in the ritual prayers and denotes a sentence from such a narrative as the sixth Sahih Halabi, previous chapter, the fifth narrative but( rather )the outward of the sacred ayah; upon contemplation.
Next, slaughtering from the nape of the neck is haram [unlawful] and the bases are: the Sahih of Muhammad ibn Muslim, Chapter 4, and other traditions, and the outward meaning of the traditions is that the starting point of the slaughtering must be the throat or other jugular veins which is the spot of the throat used to kill an animal; and the nape of the neck is not the[ right ]spot of the throat to use to kill an animal.
In any case, its unlawfulness does not create any problem. In Iran, it is done as was mentioned. However, they first deceived some of the gentlemen and stated that the slaughter is done Islamically and the rest is done by machine. Yet, as one clergy was saying it is done in the same manner as is indicated in the question raised and there is no trace of tasmiyah, even on the tape; such as he claims. I hope for your benevolent prayers. May God's peace and mercy be upon you.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini