{"id":5937,"date":"2024-07-10T07:41:50","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T07:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-mawrid.org\/questions-en\/2024\/07\/10\/is-seafood-absolutely-allowed\/"},"modified":"2024-07-10T13:18:56","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T13:18:56","slug":"is-seafood-absolutely-allowed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-mawrid.org\/questions-en\/is-seafood-absolutely-allowed\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Seafood Absolutely Allowed?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question<\/h3>\n

Assalam-o-Alaikum Sir<\/p>\n

On what authority do we maintain that all sea food is h\u0323al\u0101l<\/em> for us? What connection does it have with the fact that they are cold blooded animals? Our Sh\u012b\u2018\u012b brothers believe that only certain fish is h\u0323al\u0101l<\/em>. What is their justification? <\/div>\n
Thank you<\/div>\n
Kind Regards<\/div>\n
Sameera Malik<\/div>\n

Answer<\/h3>\n

The scholars of Islam (Sh\u012b\u2018\u012b and Sunn\u012b) have generally accepted (based on Sunnah and the H\u0323ad\u012bth) that rules of consuming meet originating from water are more relaxed as compared to the meet originating from land. This is in fact in accordance with the normal and general perception of human beings about sea food. A simple example of this is that the word mayta<\/em> (dead animal) is not usually used in Arabic for fish that is dead. Interestingly enough it is the same in some other languages as well. <\/p>\n

Accordingly, in principle, the general conditions of slaughtering and killing animals are relaxed when it comes to consuming fish and sea food. For example both Sh\u012b\u2018\u012b and Sunn\u012b scholars agree that saying the name of the Almighty or being a Muslim are not the restrictive conditions of getting fish or sea food from water.<\/div>\n
There are then other conditions on which there is less agreement between scholars. Example of this is that the Sh\u012b\u2018\u012b generally hold the view that only scale fish and prawn and shrimp (from sea food) is h\u0323al\u0101l<\/em>. They derive this ruling based on the reported views of their Imams. <\/div>\n
For a non- Sh\u012b\u2018\u012b who does not believe in infallibility of the Sh\u012b\u2018\u012b Imams, the above view is only an opinion with no basis and in absence of any other directive of the Qur\u2019\u0101n or Sunnah a non- Sh\u012b\u2018\u012b generally considers sea food to be h\u0323al\u0101l<\/em>. <\/div>\n
On the other hand, it seems like traditional Sunn\u012b scholars use verse 5:96 as evidence that absolutely everything from water is h\u0323al\u0101l<\/em>. This does not seem to be valid evidence because if we read the verse within the context we will appreciate that it only tells us what (from among the things that are h\u0323al\u0101l<\/em>) remains h\u0323al\u0101l<\/em> for us while doing Hajj. <\/div>\n
It makes more sense to say that using the rule of Qiy\u0101s<\/em> (comparison) wild animals in water (like Shark, etc.) are not good for consumption. We need to appreciate that many of these detailed issues are simply a matter of opinion rather than absolutely strict verdicts based on the Shar\u012b\u2018ah rules.<\/div>\n
Regards,<\/div>\n

Answered by:<\/strong> Farhad Shafti<\/p>\n

Date:<\/strong> 2015-04-02<\/p>\n