Fatwa ID: 04135
Answered by: Maulana Mohammed Kamran Abid
Question
Is Pangasius fish haram?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Pangasius is a type of catfish, native to freshwater in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is an increasingly popular fish and is the 10th most popular seafood product eaten in the United States.[1] Catfishes are named for their big barbells, which look like cat’s whiskers. Most catfish are bottom feeders. Pangasius is a carnivorous fish, so it preys on shrimp, crab, other fish, and other animal carcasses.[2]
Allah (saw) says in the Quran, (وَيُحَرِّمُعَلَيْهِمُالْخَبَائِثَ) “(The Messenger) prohibits for them the (Khabaaith) evil things.”[3] According to the Hanafi school of thought, everything besides fish is considered from (Khabaaith) bad things to consume.[4] The author of al-Binayah mentions the meaning of Khabaaith, “Anything that a person’s sound natural disposition dislikes and everything besides fish is disliked by a person’s sound natural disposition, so it would not be permissible.”.[5] Even though the Pangasius fish eats animal carcasses etc. from the bottom of the ocean it will not be considered from the Khabaaith and would still be considered a fish.
Pangasius is a species of freshwater fish.[6] Therefore, it would not be haraam and would be permissible to consume.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Mohammed Kamran Abid
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1] https://www.seafoodhealthfacts.org/description-top-commercial-seafood-items/pangasius
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangasius
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_pangasius#Food_Habits
[3] Surah Al-A’raf, verse 157
وَلَنَا قَوْله تَعَالَى ﴿وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ﴾ [الأعراف: ١٥٧] وَهَذَا مِنْهَا قَالَ فِي النِّهَايَةِ إنَّ كَرَاهَةَ الْخَبَائِثِ تَحْرِيمِيَّةٌ وَمَا سِوَى السَّمَكِ خَبِيثٌ (al-Bahr al-Raaiq, vol. 8, pg. 196, Darul Kitaab Al-Islami)
[5] (Hashiya of al-Hidaya, vol. 7, pg. 151, Maktaba al-Bushra)
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_pangasius#Food_Habits
