Fatwa ID: 03038

Answered by:  Maulana Belaal Ahmed

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

Why is there no Halal/Haram in seafood?

What makes All seafood presumably Halal?

Answer:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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

Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh

With regard to seafood ulema have a difference of opinion, the Hanafi school of thought are of the opinion that all animals that live and are born in water are unlawful to consume apart from fish and the reason for the following is because of the Hadith of Sunan Abu Dawood ;

Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (R.A)narrates that the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w) said; “Two types of dead meat and two types of blood have been made lawful for our consumption; the two dead types of meat are: fish and locust and two types of blood are liver and spleen.” (Sunan Abu Dawood)

However other schools of thought have a difference of opinion Imam Malik (r.a) is of the opinion that all sea animals are halal apart from the eel, on the other hand Imam Shafi (r.a)and Imam Ahmed Bin Hanbal (r.a) is of the opinion that all types of sea animals are halal and consumable.

Their evidence is based on the Quran ayah; Allah (SWT) has said:

“The game of the sea and its eating has been made lawful for you"  

(Surah Maida verse 96)

In conclusion, according to Imam Abu Hanifa all types of fish are consumable while the other imams differ. In regards to Imam Abu Hanifa's opinion one of the interpretations of the above ayat "game of the sea" could be that it is referring specifically to fish in the ayat. (1)

Apart from that great ulema, like Mufti Taqi Usmani (d.b), mention that there is no mention of the prophet s.a.w or the companions consuming any kind of sea animals besides fish.

(1)  (Dars Tirmizi  pg 278 -281 Maktaba Darul Uloom Karachi)

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Belaal Ahmed

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham