Why Eating Hyena Meat is Halal in Islam with 2 Hadith Proofs
C.J Ahmed-08.04.2023
Hyena is a large carnivoral mammal and are very intelligent and cunning animalsof the Hyaenidae family. Many readers to this blog would have searched for answers on whether hyenas are halal or not and the answers given in other websites and youtube channels are vague because the individuals who run such websites and youtube channels do not follow the Quran or the authentic hadiths. Instead they bindly follow madhhabs and the so called scholars who themselves are confused on this topic have no clue themselves. Don’t worry. You have arrived at the right website that answers all your questions based on the Quran and the authentic hadiths of the messengers peace be upon him. As far as Islam is concerned, eating Hyena is not haram and there are clear authentic hadiths stating so. In Islam, if there is a difference of opinion, Allah(Swt) tells us to refer to him and his messenger(Sal).
" If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (SAW), if you believe in Allah and on the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination".(Al-Quran-4:59)
Authentic Hadiths to Prove Why Eating Hyena Flesh is Halal
There re two main hadiths to prove that eating Hyena meat is halal and they are as follows,
These two hadiths are very clear that eating Hyenas is not haram in Islam. Some Muslims might be confused on the hadiths where the prophet (sal) prohibited eatig beast with fangs. The hadiths are as follows,
Abu Thalaba(Rali) narrated,
“The prophet(Sal) forbade the eating of the flesh of every wild beast having fangs"(Bukhari)
Abu Thalabah (Rali) narrated,The prophet (Sal) forbidding the eating of all beast of prey with fangs"
(Sahih Muslim)
Abu Hurayrah (Rali) narrated,The prophet(Sal) as saying,"The eating of all fanged beasts of prey is unlawful".(Sahih Muslim)
Ana(Rali) narrated that the prophet(Sal) prohibited the eating of all fanged beasts of prey, and all the birds having talons."
(Sahih Muslim)
The above hadiths are ony a general prohibition of fanged beasts of prey and the hadiths which allow eating Hyena meat is specific. Eating Hyena meat is a specifi allowance and a permissibility that is distinct t the general prohibition of other beast of prey. Altough Hyenas are scavengers, they are also animals that kill prey and close to 50-90% of their kills are direct kills without scavenging and Allah (swt) with his wisdom has made it permissible to eat Hyenas. The Hyena meat is sweet and more tastier than wolves and other predators and in behaviour, Hyenas are more less aggressive than similarly larger species that resembles dogs such as Wolves and Coyotes. Imam Malik stated the following as his opinion,
“About the "wild dogs" which people were told to kill in the Haram, that any animals that wounded, attacked, or terrorised men, such as lions, leopards, Iynxes and wolves, were counted as"wild dogs." However, someone who was in ihram should not kill beasts of prey that did not attack (people), such as hyenas, foxes, cats and anything else like them, and if he did then he had to pay a forfeit for it. Similarly, someone in ihram should not kill any predatory birds except the kinds that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, specified, namely crows and kites. If someone in ihram killed any other kind of bird he had to pay a forfeit for it.” (Muwatta Malik- Book 20, Hadith 92)
Based on the above authentic hadiths, it is clear withno doubt that eating Hyenas is not haram in Islam.
Hyena is a large carnivoral mammal and are very intelligent and cunning animalsof the Hyaenidae family. Many readers to this blog would have searched for answers on whether hyenas are halal or not and the answers given in other websites and youtube channels are vague because the individuals who run such websites and youtube channels do not follow the Quran or the authentic hadiths. Instead they bindly follow madhhabs and the so called scholars who themselves are confused on this topic have no clue themselves. Don’t worry. You have arrived at the right website that answers all your questions based on the Quran and the authentic hadiths of the messengers peace be upon him. As far as Islam is concerned, eating Hyena is not haram and there are clear authentic hadiths stating so. In Islam, if there is a difference of opinion, Allah(Swt) tells us to refer to him and his messenger(Sal).
" If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (SAW), if you believe in Allah and on the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination".(Al-Quran-4:59)
Authentic Hadiths to Prove Why Eating Hyena Flesh is Halal
There re two main hadiths to prove that eating Hyena meat is halal and they are as follows,
- Abd ar-Rahman bin Abu ‘Ammar said he asked Jabir bin 'Abdallah whether the hyena was considered game, and he said it was. He asked whether it might be eaten, and he said it might. He asked whether he had heard that from God's messenger, and he said that he had.(Tirmidhi-Graded Hasan Sahih by Imam Tirmidhi)
- Ibn Abi 'Ammar narrated. 'I said to Jabirrali), “Is hyena a kind of game?' He replied, 'Yes.' I asked, 'Did Allah's Messenger (sal) say that?' He replied, 'Yes.' (Narrated in Ahmed, Ibn Majah, Nasai and Abu Dawud- Al-Bukhari , Ibn Hibban and Imam Ahmed graded it as Sahih)
These two hadiths are very clear that eating Hyenas is not haram in Islam. Some Muslims might be confused on the hadiths where the prophet (sal) prohibited eatig beast with fangs. The hadiths are as follows,
Abu Thalaba(Rali) narrated,
“The prophet(Sal) forbade the eating of the flesh of every wild beast having fangs"(Bukhari)
Abu Thalabah (Rali) narrated,The prophet (Sal) forbidding the eating of all beast of prey with fangs"
(Sahih Muslim)
Abu Hurayrah (Rali) narrated,The prophet(Sal) as saying,"The eating of all fanged beasts of prey is unlawful".(Sahih Muslim)
Ana(Rali) narrated that the prophet(Sal) prohibited the eating of all fanged beasts of prey, and all the birds having talons."
(Sahih Muslim)
The above hadiths are ony a general prohibition of fanged beasts of prey and the hadiths which allow eating Hyena meat is specific. Eating Hyena meat is a specifi allowance and a permissibility that is distinct t the general prohibition of other beast of prey. Altough Hyenas are scavengers, they are also animals that kill prey and close to 50-90% of their kills are direct kills without scavenging and Allah (swt) with his wisdom has made it permissible to eat Hyenas. The Hyena meat is sweet and more tastier than wolves and other predators and in behaviour, Hyenas are more less aggressive than similarly larger species that resembles dogs such as Wolves and Coyotes. Imam Malik stated the following as his opinion,
“About the "wild dogs" which people were told to kill in the Haram, that any animals that wounded, attacked, or terrorised men, such as lions, leopards, Iynxes and wolves, were counted as"wild dogs." However, someone who was in ihram should not kill beasts of prey that did not attack (people), such as hyenas, foxes, cats and anything else like them, and if he did then he had to pay a forfeit for it. Similarly, someone in ihram should not kill any predatory birds except the kinds that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, specified, namely crows and kites. If someone in ihram killed any other kind of bird he had to pay a forfeit for it.” (Muwatta Malik- Book 20, Hadith 92)
Based on the above authentic hadiths, it is clear withno doubt that eating Hyenas is not haram in Islam.