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Is seafood halal? Shrimp, crab, lobster and what each school says

Fish is halal for everyone. Shrimp, crab and lobster depend on which school of Islamic law you follow. The Sunni majority, Hanafi and Shia positions, set out plainly.

By Halal Food JunkiePublished Last checked

A grilled whole fish with shrimp and lemon

The three positions

| | Fish with scales | Shrimp | Crab, lobster | Scaleless fish (catfish, eel) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Hanafi | Yes | Yes, on the stronger view | No | Yes, if it is a fish | | Twelver Shia | Yes | Yes | No | No |

The Sunni majority: all of it

The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools read the Quran's verse on the sea (5:96, "Lawful to you is the game of the sea and its food") as covering everything that lives in water.

Hanafi: fish only

The Hanafi school permits only what the Arabs called samak, fish. Other sea creatures, crustaceans in particular, are considered disliked or impermissible. Shrimp is the debated case. SeekersGuidance, a Hanafi reference, explains that shrimp and prawns are permitted on the sounder view because the Arabs customarily counted them as fish, while crab and lobster are not permitted.

The Hanafi school is followed by most Muslims of South Asian, Turkish and Central Asian background, so this is the rule in many Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi households.

Twelver Shia: scales, plus shrimp

Ayatollah Sistani's ruling is direct: "It is not permissible to eat from marine animals anything except fish that has scale; shrimp is considered from that category." Lobster, crab and fish without scales are forbidden.

This matters in Dearborn, where many Lebanese and Iraqi families are Shia. It is why you will see a seafood restaurant full of people on one side of town and a family that will not touch calamari on the other. Both are following their tradition correctly.

At a restaurant

  • A fish fry or a salmon plate raises no question for anyone.
  • Shrimp is fine for nearly everyone.
  • Crab legs, lobster, calamari, oysters and mussels: follow your own school.
  • Watch the cooking, not just the animal. Seafood cooked in wine, beer batter or on a shared grill with non-halal meat is a separate issue.
  • Sushi rice is sometimes seasoned with mirin, a rice wine. Ask.
Sources (4)

This page reports published positions. For a ruling that applies to you, ask a scholar of your own school.

  1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_dietary_laws
  2. seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/how-does-the-hanafi-school-classify-shrimp-and-oth
  3. sistani.org/english/qa/01251/
  4. sistani.org/english/qa/01184/

Questions people ask

Is shrimp halal?

For most Muslims, yes. The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools permit all seafood. Many Hanafi scholars permit shrimp on the view that it counts as fish. Twelver Shia scholars, including Ayatollah Sistani, also permit shrimp.

Is crab or lobster halal?

Permitted in the Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools. Not permitted, or disliked, in the Hanafi school. Forbidden in Twelver Shia rulings, which allow only fish with scales and shrimp.

Does fish need to be slaughtered a special way?

No. Fish and seafood do not require the ritual slaughter that land animals do.

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