Halal terms

What does zabihah slaughter mean on a menu?

The sign outside says zabihah meat, and you wonder what it proves.

Zabihah, also written dhabihah, describes meat from an animal slaughtered by Muslim rules. When a shop or restaurant abroad puts the word on a sign, it is claiming something about the animal.

How will I meet it on the trip?

You will see it on butcher windows, on takeaway menus and on shopfronts, sometimes beside a halal logo and sometimes alone. A logo from a certifying body is evidence you can inspect. The word alone is an operator-declared claim.

What does the word leave out?

It speaks about the meat. It says nothing about oil, stock, sauces, desserts, alcohol used in cooking, or whether the grill and plates are shared with other food. Our halal claim states guide shows where this sits among certified, declared and unknown.

A tip before you order

Ask three things: who certifies it, can I see the certificate, and who supplies the meat. For comparison, imported meat sold in Malaysia must be halal certified by a recognised foreign body, with plants inspected and approved by JAKIM and the Department of Veterinary Services¹. That is the Malaysian shop-shelf standard. A restaurant abroad is not held to it, so ask to see the paper.

The meal-assurance comparison tool lets you put each answer beside the claim state.

See Ahlul Kitab for meat prepared by non-Muslims, and the halal labels hub for the full list of claim states.

If you are choosing restaurants for a family with different standards, tell us the city and what each person will eat, and we will help you decide which questions come first.

Ask about a restaurant

Common questions

Is zabihah meat the same as halal-certified meat?

Not automatically. Zabihah describes how an animal was slaughtered, and a shop can use the word on its own sign without showing a certificate. Certified halal means a recognised body has inspected and issued a document you can read. Ask for the certificate, its expiry date and whether it covers this branch.

Does a zabihah sign cover the whole menu?

No. It speaks about the meat, not the oil, sauces, stock, desserts or alcohol in cooking, and not the grill or plates shared with other food. A sign is a claim. If you want the whole meal checked, ask about each of these separately.

Why does the supplier matter if I only eat chicken?

A restaurant may buy its chicken from a source it never visits, so the word on the door may rest on a supplier's say-so. Ask who supplies the meat and whether they hold a certificate. If nobody can say, record the claim as operator-declared and decide by your own standard.

Sources

JAKIM requires all imported meat and poultry products to be halal certified by a recognised foreign body, with the plants inspected and approved by JAKIM and the Department of Veterinary Services under MS 1500:2009 and the Malaysian Protocol for Halal Meat and Poultry Productions. JAKIM, Recognized Foreign Halal Certification Bodies & Authorities (effective 21 August 2026) (accessed 2026-10-19)

Keep planning

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