Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah

Are Muslims allowed to eat seafood?

· 4 Rabiʻ I 1433 AH1 min readFatwa 19735English

Question

Are Muslims allowed to eat seafood?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu `alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

According to Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullahi Ta’Ala), only live fish from the creatures of the sea can be consumed. Anything else besides live fish from the sea is not permissible. [i]

It is not permissible to eat a fish if it is dead and floating in the sea.[ii]

According to Imam Malik (Rahmatullahi Ta’Ala) it is permissible to eat everything from the except the pig, dog and human.[iii]

According to Imam Shafi (Rahmatullahi Ta’Ala) it is permissible to eat everything from the sea, except the dog and donkey.[iv]

According to Imam Ahmad Bin Hambal (Rahmatullahi Ta’Ala), it permissible to eat the lobster and the turtle from the sea, but it is not permissible to eat the frogs, snakes and crocodiles. [v]

And Allah knows best.

Mawlana Saeed Ahmed Golaub

Westmoreland, Jamaica, West Indies

Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

daruliftaa.net

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

[i] البناية –فى شرح الهدية المكتبة الحقانية -قال: "ولا يؤكل من حيوان الماء إلا السمك" vol.14, p.329

[ii] أ - بِحَدِيثِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَال: قَال رَسُول اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا أَلْقَى الْبَحْرُ أَوْ جَزَرَ عَنْهُ فَكُلُوهُ، وَمَا مَاتَ فِيهِ فَطَفَا فَلاَ تَأْكُلُوهُ الموسوءة الفقهية الكويتية – و زارة الأوقاف والشنون الإسلامية vol. 5. P. 128

[iii] البناية –فى شرح الهدية المكتبة الحقانية - وقال مالك وجماعة من أهل العلم بإطلاق جميع ما في البحر. واستثنى بعضهم الخنزير والكلب والإنسان vol.14, p.329-330

[iv] وَقِيلَ إنْ أُكِلَ مِثْلُهُ فِي الْبَرِّ حَلَّ، وَإِلَّا فَلَا: كَكَلْبٍ وَحِمَارٍ

مغينى المحتاج دارو الحديث Vol.6. P.160

[v] وَذَهَبَ الْحَنَابِلَةُ فِي الْحَيَوَانِ الْبَرْمَائِيِّ، كَكَلْبِ الْمَاءِ وَالسُّلَحْفَاةِ وَالسَّرَطَانِ إِلَى أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يَحِل بِالتَّذْكِيَةِ.

وَزَادُوا بِالإِْضَافَةِ لِلضُّفْدَعِ اسْتِثْنَاءَ الْحَيَّةِ وَالتِّمْسَاحِ، فَقَالُوا بِحُرْمَةِ الثَّلاَثَةِ: فَالضُّفْدَعُ لِلنَّهْيِ عَنْ قَتْلِهَا، وَالْحَيَّةُ لاِسْتِخْبَاثِهَا، وَالتِّمْسَاحُ لأَِنَّ لَهُ نَابًا يَفْتَرِسُ بِهِ الموسوءة الفقهية الكويتية – و زارة الأوقاف والشنون الإسلامية vol. 5. P. 131

Answered by
Mawlana Saeed Ahmed Golaub
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Source: Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah — https://askimam.org/public/question_detail/19735
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/askimam-19735

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