Sheikh Muhammad Nur Abdullah, former President of the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) and member of the Fiqh Council of North America, states: First of all, according to the sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), some principles have to be fulfilled at the time of slaughtering, namely, the animal is put at rest, the knife or the blade is very sharp, and the slaughter is done efficiently and quickly in order to spare the animal the suffering and cause it the minimum pain. As for the details, they are left to people’s discretion and sense of reasoning, like whether one stroke is needed or more than once. As long as the process does not cause harm or severe pain for the animal, the two jugular veins are cut off and the animal bleeds, then it is permitted.”