Darul Iftaa, Darul Uloom Miftahul Falaah

Is eating prawns and crabs halal according to the Hanafi school of thought?

Published as Eating prawns and crabs

· 11 Shaʻban 1447 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

Is eating prawns and crabs halal according to the Hanafi school of thought ?

Answer

Respected Brother

The answer to your question is as follows: With regards to prawns there is a difference of opinion amongst the Ulama, one group of Ulama say that it is Halaal and the other group say that it is Makrooh Tahreemi. We are of the opinion that prawns are Halaal. Amongst the Ulama who believe that they are permissible are :

MI Ashraf Ali Thanwi Saheb Rahimahullah

MI Abdur Raheem Lajpuri Saheb Rahimahullah

MI Muhammad Abdus Salaam Saheb Chatgami Rahimahullah.

The difference of opinion lies in whether they are fish or not. If you believe them to be fish then you may eat it. If not, then you should refrain from eating it. With regards to crab, there is consensus within the Hanafi Mazhab that it is not considered as a fish

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

الروبيان هو السمك الصغير جدا

حيوة الحيوان ١/٤٦٠

الأربيان بالكسر سمك كالدود

قاموس المحيط ٤/٣٣٢

( ولا ) يحل ( حيوان مائي إلا السمك ) (الدر المختار ٣٠٦/٦)

قال في الدر] وفي القنية وبيع غير السمك من دواب البحر لو له ثمن كالسقنقور وجلود الخز ونحوها يجوز . وإلا فلا …. (بخلاف غيرهما من الهوام) فلا يجوز اتفاقا كحيات وضب وما في بحر كسرطان، إلا السمك وما جاز الانتفاع بجلده أو عظمه والحاصل أن جواز البيع يدور مع حل الانتفاع مجتبى

الدر المختار مع رد المحتار، باب البيع الفاسد، ج 5، ص ٦٥ ، سعيد

Answered by
Mufti Ahmad Desai
Checked & approved by
Mufti Yacoob Vally Saheb D.B
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Source: Darul Iftaa, Darul Uloom Miftahul Falaah — https://www.miftahulfalaah.co.za/fataawa/eating-prawns-and-crabs
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/miftahulfalaah-3213

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