In order to get a clear picture about what halal slaughter really means, we will have to look at the introduction provided by the Shafi�i school of fiqh. It is an abridged version of a chapter from The Reliance of the Traveller by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, as translated by Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller.
When doing a slaughter, the animal must be turned towards the qibla and the knife must be sharpened. The slaughterer must cut rapidly, meaning even quicker than swiftly and mention Allah�s name, for instance 'Bismillah'. Blessings must be sent to the Prophet as well. The large blood arteries on either side of the neck have to be cut. These are just some of the recommendations that must be followed when doing a slaughter.
But there are a few things that must absolutely be obeyed for a halal slaughter. The first and most important rules of all is that no animal, with the exception of fish, can be eaten before it has been properly slaughtered. When slaughtering, the windpipe and gullet of the animal must be cut. Cutting of the carotid arteries is not absolutely necessary in order to validate the slaughter. If the slaughterer neglects to cut any part of either the windpipe or gullet and the animal dies, it is not good to eat. The slaughter can be done with anything that has a cutting edge, but this does not include a tooth, bone, claw or something similar to these. It is very important for the slaughterer to cut swiftly.
A Zoroastrian, that is a person who has left Islam or an idol worshipper, may never slaughter animals and people should not eat meat from such a person.
Many people seem to know what halal or haram means, but this is not always true. Most of them state that there are certain restaurants and meat suppliers where you can buy the best meat. But do they really know how those animals have been slaughtered? Well, the scholars have set some rules, but they are not always obeyed by the slaughterers. The single options people have is to actually go to these suppliers or restaurants and see how the animals are being slaughtered. This is because the rules are sometimes being forgotten, be it on purpose or not. Only then can people be sure that what they eat has been properly slaughtered!