engulfed by desire, so it is only fitting that the punishment encompass his whole frame as well. Such is Allah’s wisdom.

The Prophet ﷺ then said, “Let one of you sharpen his blade.” The prefixed lām here expresses a command, and yuhid means to make the blade keen and quick-cutting; the word shafrah refers to the knife itself.

In other words, when you intend to slaughter, do so with a knife that has been properly honed, so that the cut is swift and virtually painless.

He also said, “And let him give comfort to the animal he slaughters.” This is an additional instruction beyond sharpening the blade: cut decisively—place the knife on the neck and draw it firmly in one stroke, which is faster than sawing two or three times. Some people, whom Allah enables, manage with a single stroke to sever the two jugular veins (al-wadjan), the windpipe, and the esophagus because they grip the knife firmly and the blade is well-sharpened; that makes death easier for the animal.

Part of giving comfort to the animal is to place your foot on its neck, hold the head with your left hand, and slaughter with your right while the animal lies on its left side. Leave the limbs—its forelegs and hindlegs—free so they can move easily. If you pin them down you press upon the animal, but letting it move its legs is gentler for it. The movement also has a benefit: it helps drain the blood, and the more blood that is expelled, the better.

As for what some lay people do—taking the animal’s left foreleg, twisting it over its neck, then kneeling on its other three legs and holding them so it cannot move at all—this is contrary to the Sunnah. The Sunnah is to place your foot on the neck and then leave the limbs