WHICH MARINE CREATURES ARE LEGALLY EDIBLE?

 

 In the 96th Ayah of Surah al-Maidah, Allah Ta‘ala says: “Halal (lawful) to you is the game from the sea…”

 

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Two kinds of dead meat (animals which die without a lawful slaughtering) and two kinds of blood have been permitted to us. The two kinds of dead meat are fish and locusts, and the two kinds of blood are liver and spleen.” (Mabsut records it)

 

According to the Hanafi Madhhab, it is not Halal (lawful) to consume sea creatures that are not fish species, such as crab, oyster, and prawn.

 

All kinds of fish are Halal to eat, including eels and dolphins.

 

The condition of the lawfulness of the fish is that they die due to external causes and not through a natural reason. This may include:

 

• When they die being caught in nets,

• When they die due to the extreme temperature of the water,

• When they die due to low tide,

• When they die due to being stuck somewhere (like between rocks),

• The fish which die due to some object thrown on them, can be consumed as they have died due to a hazard.

• The fish that has not died due to a hazard floating in the water upside down will not be lawfully consumed.

• If a fish has swallowed another fish, they can both be consumed unless the swallowed fish is decomposed. If the swallowed fish is decomposed, it cannot be consumed while the other can be.