Question

Salam,

Can you please specify what seafood (other than fish) is halal? Can I please have a list of the seafood that we are not allowed to consume? Thank you.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

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

Answer:

According to the majority opinion, all sea creatures are permissible to eat. This is held by the Maliki, Shafi, and Hanbali school of thought. According to the Hanafi scholars, only fish are permissible to eat in the ocean provided they are not filthy.

Thus, animals that do not live constantly in the water, have gills, and a backbone are not considered to be fish and are extremely disliked to be eaten. An example of such impermissible creatures are crabs, squid, clams, and lobster. Additionally, other fish that are not appropriate to eat should also be refrained from, such as blowfish and the like.

Al-Hidayah kitab Al-Ath'imah

Fath Mulim Kitab Al-Athi’mah

Written by Maulana Nabil Khan

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham