Fatwa ID: 06867
Answered by: Alimah Jannatun Nessa
Question:
Is monkfish halal? Can I eat this?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
It is mentioned in the Holy Quran that “It is lawful for you to hunt and eat seafood, as a provision for you and travellers.” [Surah 5: Verse 96]
In the Hanafi madhab all types of seafood are haram except fish. This is because of the hadith where the Prophet SAW says “Two kinds of dead meat—fish and locust—and two types of blood—liver and spleen—have been made lawful for our consumption.”
Based on this all types of fish are halal and permissible to consume, including Monkfish. However, a fish that has perished naturally and floats on the surface of the water, is impermissible to consume.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: What the sea throws up and is left by the tide you may eat, but what dies in the sea and floats you must not eat. [Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 3815]
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Jannatun Nessa
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[Surah 5: Verse 96]
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ ٱلْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُۥ مَتَـٰعًۭا لَّكُمْ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِ ۖ وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ ٱلْبَرِّ مَا دُمْتُمْ حُرُمًۭا ۗ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِىٓ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ٩٦
It is lawful for you to hunt and eat seafood, as a provision for you and for travellers. But hunting on land is forbidden to you while on pilgrimage. Be mindful of Allah to Whom you all will be gathered.
[Radd ul Muhtar, volume 9, Page 446, Daar al kutub al ilmiyyah]
و حل الجراد وان مات حتف أنفه بخلاف السمك وانواع السمك بلا ذكاة لحديث أحلت لنا ميتتان: السمك والجراد ودمان: الكبد والطحال
[Fatawa Alamgiri, volume 5, page 440, Education press]
أما الذي يعيش في البحر فجميع ما في البحر من الحيوان يحرم أكله الا السمك خاصة فإنه يحل اكله الا ما طفا منه
[Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 3815]
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سُلَيْمٍ الطَّائِفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ أُمَيَّةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ مَا أَلْقَى الْبَحْرُ أَوْ جَزَرَ عَنْهُ فَكُلُوهُ وَمَا مَاتَ فِيهِ وَطَفَا فَلاَ تَأْكُلُوهُ ” . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَأَيُّوبُ وَحَمَّادٌ عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ أَوْقَفُوهُ عَلَى جَابِرٍ وَقَدْ أُسْنِدَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ أَيْضًا مِنْ وَجْهٍ ضَعِيفٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم .
Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: What the sea throws up and is left by the tide you may eat, but what dies in the sea and floats you must not eat.
