Why Eating Crustaceans Are Halal in Islam with 3 Proofs
C.J Ahmed-07.04.2023
Crsutaceans are sea creatuers which include shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. There is nothing haram in eating such creatures as they live in the ocean and everything in the ocean is halal to eat.
This is what Allah(Swt) says in the Quran,
1.. "The game of the water and eating thereof are permitted to you as a provision for you and for those on a journey"(Al-Quran-5:96)
Ibn Abbas(Rali) explained the above verse as mentioned in Ibn kathir as "Sayduhu (lit. hunting, pursuit) refers to whatever is taken from it alive, and ta’aamuhu (lit. its food) means whatever is taken dead.”
This verse is clear proof that any animal that lives in the sea is halal and the crab lives in the sea it falls under the explanation of the above chapter in the Quran. Now, some might argue that crabs do not live entirely in the sea live other fish and they come up with an analogy that the crab is makrooh or haram because it does not live completely in the sea. This is a false argument because this argument has no basis in the Quran or Sunnah and if crabs were haram in the first place,there would be clear textual evidence to prove it. No where in the Quran or authentic hadiths does it say that animals that live in the land or sea is haram. What needs to be understood is that Islam is a rligion of ease. Allah(Swt) says in the Quran,
"Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you”
(Al-Quran-2:185)
The Shia View
The Shia argue that only a portion of the Quran has been given to mankind and the Shia imams are infallible hence what they say is what that needs to be followed. According to them, what Allah(Swt) says in the Quran is lesser in value compared to their imams. This is Kufr. I would like to ask them where the other parts of the Quran are there according to them and in which of these invisible parts of the Quran does it say that eating fish without scales is haram? The most authentic hadith book of the Shia mentions as follows
Imam Al-Baqir said,
"Eat any fish that has scales, and do not eat what does not have scales."
(Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, Vol.6, p. 219)
Muhammad bin Muslim asked Imam Baqir: "They bring us fish without scales (what should we do)?"
Imam Baqir replied: "Eat the fish that has scales and do not eat the fish that does not have scales?" Scales are the small, thin horny or bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles, typically overlapping one another"
( Wasail al-Shi'ah, vol.16-hadith 3 and 7)
Ayatollah Khomeini is a well know heretic and he gave his fatwa that fish without scales is haram after a huge drama on whether sturgeon (a type of fish) had scales or not. His fatwa was published in the newspaper, Keyhan, no. 11,959, 6 September 1983-18.
The Shia ideology of not eating fish or sea creatures without scales is the same as what is in the Torah."But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you".
(Leviticus 11:10)
"Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you"
(Leviticus-11:12)Based on these verses, The Jews do not eat fish which do not have scales or fins and modern day Kosher is also based on this. It is clear that the Shia and the Jews do not eat fish which do not have scales or fins.
Eating crustaceans is not haram in Islam based on the above proofs.
Crsutaceans are sea creatuers which include shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. There is nothing haram in eating such creatures as they live in the ocean and everything in the ocean is halal to eat.
This is what Allah(Swt) says in the Quran,
1.. "The game of the water and eating thereof are permitted to you as a provision for you and for those on a journey"(Al-Quran-5:96)
Ibn Abbas(Rali) explained the above verse as mentioned in Ibn kathir as "Sayduhu (lit. hunting, pursuit) refers to whatever is taken from it alive, and ta’aamuhu (lit. its food) means whatever is taken dead.”
This verse is clear proof that any animal that lives in the sea is halal and the crab lives in the sea it falls under the explanation of the above chapter in the Quran. Now, some might argue that crabs do not live entirely in the sea live other fish and they come up with an analogy that the crab is makrooh or haram because it does not live completely in the sea. This is a false argument because this argument has no basis in the Quran or Sunnah and if crabs were haram in the first place,there would be clear textual evidence to prove it. No where in the Quran or authentic hadiths does it say that animals that live in the land or sea is haram. What needs to be understood is that Islam is a rligion of ease. Allah(Swt) says in the Quran,
"Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you”
(Al-Quran-2:185)
- Umar ibn al-Khattab (rali) said,
- Abu Hurayrah(Rali) narrated the prophet(Sal) was asked about sea water and he said, “Its water is purifying for ablution, and its dead animals are lawful to eat.”
The Shia View
The Shia argue that only a portion of the Quran has been given to mankind and the Shia imams are infallible hence what they say is what that needs to be followed. According to them, what Allah(Swt) says in the Quran is lesser in value compared to their imams. This is Kufr. I would like to ask them where the other parts of the Quran are there according to them and in which of these invisible parts of the Quran does it say that eating fish without scales is haram? The most authentic hadith book of the Shia mentions as follows
Imam Al-Baqir said,
"Eat any fish that has scales, and do not eat what does not have scales."
(Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, Vol.6, p. 219)
Muhammad bin Muslim asked Imam Baqir: "They bring us fish without scales (what should we do)?"
Imam Baqir replied: "Eat the fish that has scales and do not eat the fish that does not have scales?" Scales are the small, thin horny or bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles, typically overlapping one another"
( Wasail al-Shi'ah, vol.16-hadith 3 and 7)
Ayatollah Khomeini is a well know heretic and he gave his fatwa that fish without scales is haram after a huge drama on whether sturgeon (a type of fish) had scales or not. His fatwa was published in the newspaper, Keyhan, no. 11,959, 6 September 1983-18.
The Shia ideology of not eating fish or sea creatures without scales is the same as what is in the Torah."But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you".
(Leviticus 11:10)
"Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you"
(Leviticus-11:12)Based on these verses, The Jews do not eat fish which do not have scales or fins and modern day Kosher is also based on this. It is clear that the Shia and the Jews do not eat fish which do not have scales or fins.
Eating crustaceans is not haram in Islam based on the above proofs.