Why Fish Sperm is Not Haram in Islam with Proofs
C.J Ahmed-20.04.2023
Eating or drinking fish sperm is not haram because eating any kind of fish is halal inIslam.
Allah(Swt) says in the Quran,
"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 Sharks live in the sea hence it falls under the explanation of the above chapter in the Quran. Nowhere in the Quran or authentic hadiths does it say that predatory animals that live in the sea is haram. What needs to be understood is that Islam is a religion 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)
Abu Thalaba(Rali) narrated,
The prophet (Sal) forbade the eating of the flesh of every wild beast having fangs"(Bukhari)
What is mentioned in the above hadith is about eating the flesh of wild predators like lions and tigers. Sharks, although are predators, live I n t he sea and all forms of fish in the sea is halal in Islam. There are several hadiths prohibiting the eating of animals with fangs but this is only limited to non-sea predators and not all animals.
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) was asked about sea water and he said, “Its water is purifying for ablution, and its dead animals are lawful to eat.”
(Tirmidhi-Graded Sahih by imam Tirmidhi)
Sperm in General is Not Impure
The baseless argument and opinion by some scholars is that semen is impure. For an example, Imam Nawawi said the following,
“There are two opinions about swallowing sperm. However, the most correct opinion is that it is forbidden because it is filthy. Allaah says (which means): {And forbids them what is khabaa'ith (evil things, evil deeds, evil beliefs, evil persons and filthy food).}[Qur'an 7:157].” (Al-Majmū Sharh al-Muhadhdhab-2:397)
Taking awy the opinions, we can find from the authentic hadiths that semen is not impure.
‘Narrated `Aishah:
I used to wash the semen off the clothes of the Prophet (sal) and even then I used to notice one or more spots on them.” (Bukhari)
'Amr bin Maimun said:
“I asked Sulaiman b. Yasar whether the semen that gets on to the garment of a person should be washed or not. He replied: A'isha told me: The Messenger of Allah (sal) washed the semen, and then went out for prayer in that very garment and I saw the mark of washing on it.” (Muslim)
Aishah reported:
“I used to rub off the semen from the clothe of the Messenger of Allah (sal). He would would pray in it. “ (Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
Alqama and Aswad reported:
“A person stayed in the house of A'isha and in the morning began to wash his garment. A'isha said: In case you saw it (i. e. drop of semen), it would have served the purpose (of purifying the garment) if you had simply washed that spot; and in case you did not see it, it would have been enough to sprinkle water around it, for when I saw that on the garment of the Messenger of Allah (sal). I simply scraped it off and he offered prayer, while putting that on.”(Muslim)
From the above hadiths is clear that Asha (rli) only scraped off the semen of the prophet (sal) and if it is impure, she would not have done so. This is the Sunnah of isha (rali) and not the prophet (sal) and there is not mention of him giving orders to scrape or wash off the semen. Even tough it is the sunnah of Aisha (rali), she did not consider semen as Najas (impure)
Eating or drinking fish sperm is not haram because eating any kind of fish is halal inIslam.
Allah(Swt) says in the Quran,
"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 Sharks live in the sea hence it falls under the explanation of the above chapter in the Quran. Nowhere in the Quran or authentic hadiths does it say that predatory animals that live in the sea is haram. What needs to be understood is that Islam is a religion 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)
Abu Thalaba(Rali) narrated,
The prophet (Sal) forbade the eating of the flesh of every wild beast having fangs"(Bukhari)
What is mentioned in the above hadith is about eating the flesh of wild predators like lions and tigers. Sharks, although are predators, live I n t he sea and all forms of fish in the sea is halal in Islam. There are several hadiths prohibiting the eating of animals with fangs but this is only limited to non-sea predators and not all animals.
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) was asked about sea water and he said, “Its water is purifying for ablution, and its dead animals are lawful to eat.”
(Tirmidhi-Graded Sahih by imam Tirmidhi)
Sperm in General is Not Impure
The baseless argument and opinion by some scholars is that semen is impure. For an example, Imam Nawawi said the following,
“There are two opinions about swallowing sperm. However, the most correct opinion is that it is forbidden because it is filthy. Allaah says (which means): {And forbids them what is khabaa'ith (evil things, evil deeds, evil beliefs, evil persons and filthy food).}[Qur'an 7:157].” (Al-Majmū Sharh al-Muhadhdhab-2:397)
Taking awy the opinions, we can find from the authentic hadiths that semen is not impure.
‘Narrated `Aishah:
I used to wash the semen off the clothes of the Prophet (sal) and even then I used to notice one or more spots on them.” (Bukhari)
'Amr bin Maimun said:
“I asked Sulaiman b. Yasar whether the semen that gets on to the garment of a person should be washed or not. He replied: A'isha told me: The Messenger of Allah (sal) washed the semen, and then went out for prayer in that very garment and I saw the mark of washing on it.” (Muslim)
Aishah reported:
“I used to rub off the semen from the clothe of the Messenger of Allah (sal). He would would pray in it. “ (Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
Alqama and Aswad reported:
“A person stayed in the house of A'isha and in the morning began to wash his garment. A'isha said: In case you saw it (i. e. drop of semen), it would have served the purpose (of purifying the garment) if you had simply washed that spot; and in case you did not see it, it would have been enough to sprinkle water around it, for when I saw that on the garment of the Messenger of Allah (sal). I simply scraped it off and he offered prayer, while putting that on.”(Muslim)
From the above hadiths is clear that Asha (rli) only scraped off the semen of the prophet (sal) and if it is impure, she would not have done so. This is the Sunnah of isha (rali) and not the prophet (sal) and there is not mention of him giving orders to scrape or wash off the semen. Even tough it is the sunnah of Aisha (rali), she did not consider semen as Najas (impure)