Is an animal permissible to eat if it dies by drowning after being slaughtered?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Hunting and Slaughter
Primary text
If an animal is slaughtered and subsequently falls into water or something treads upon it causing its death in a manner similar to what is usually fatal, it is not consumed. This position is explicitly stated by Al-Kharqi, which Ahmad affirmed. The justification for this view relies on the Prophet's statement to 'Adi ibn Hatim: 'And if it falls into water, do not eat it,' and Ibn Mas'ud's statement regarding a bird shot falling into water and drowning. Drowning is a cause of death, and when combined with slaughter, the prohibition overrides the permissibility, as it is uncertain whether the death occurred solely by the slaughter.
Supporting text
The majority of later scholars among our companions, and the majority of jurists, hold that this condition does not render the animal forbidden. If it has been slaughtered, it is considered akin to a carcass. Similarly, if its head is severed after slaughter, it is not forbidden, a view affirmed by Ahmad. If one person slaughters an animal and another severs its neck or drowns it, no retribution or blood money is required for the second act.