I was reciting the Quran this morning, and one ayah about the permissibility of eating game meat specifically caught my attention. As far as I know, any meat that is not slaughtered is not halal and therefore not permissible to be eaten. However, Surah Al-Ma’idah, verse 4 (5:4), states otherwise:
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَآ أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ ۖ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ ۙ وَمَا عَلَّمْتُم مِّنَ ٱلْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّآ أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ ٤
They ask you what has been made lawful to them. Say: ‘All clean things have been made lawful to you [1], and such hunting animals as you teach, training them to hunt, teaching them the knowledge Allah has given you - you may eat what they catch for you [2] - but invoke the name of Allah on it [3]. Have fear of Allah (in violating His Law). Allah is swift in His reckoning.’ — A. Maududi (Tafhim commentary)
Based on the tafseer of Ma’ariful Quran, meat from an animal killed by a specifically trained hunting animal is permissible to consume, provided that its owner says ‘Bismillah’ before ordering it to hunt, and the hunting animal does not eat from the prey.