Is Shrimp Halal Or Haram In Islam?

One of the most frequently asked questions is ‘is shrimp halal?’ This article will thoroughly explain the facts, what the Islamic scholars said about eating shrimps as well as answer some frequently asked questions about seafood consumption in Islam.

Is Shrimp Halal?

Yes, shrimp is halal in Islam. Allah and His Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) have allowed it. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that two types of dead animals and two types of blood are halal to eat. The types of dead animals are seafood and locusts. The two types of blood are the liver and the spleen.

In response to whether shrimps are halal or haram, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

Allah Almighty says,

“The game of the sea and its food are lawful unto you.”

Surah Al-Ma’idah verse 96

Since neither Allah nor His Messenger excluded any type of fish from this permission and we know that “Allah is never forgetful“, the vast majority of scholars hold the view that all varieties of fish found in water (including the sea, lakes, rivers, ponds, wells, and so on) are permissible for us to consume.

The wording here is general and it should be applied generally.

• Related: Is Crab Halal In Islam?
• Is Lobster Halal Or Haram?

In addition, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the sea, and his reply was,

“Its water is pure (for the purpose of purification rites) and its fish is lawful for you to eat.”

Abu Dawud

This was the view of imams such as Imam Malik, Imam Ash-Shafi`i and Imam Ahmad. It is also the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah and his two foremost disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, with regard to all types of fish, including shellfish.

Those scholars who exclude shellfish from this category of lawful games of the sea have no solid proof. Therefore, the view of the former is considered to be the strongest.

Shaikh Assim Al Hakeem, an Imam of a masjid in Jeddah and a graduate of Umm al-Qura University in Makkah, stated that unless Allah mentions a specific food in the Quran as haram, it is safe to assume that it is Halal.

He also mentions that there are foods that are obviously haram. This includes foods that were not slaughtered in accordance to Islamic guidelines.

Eating Shrimps is Halal, according to Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf.

On a YouTube video, Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf tells viewers that shrimp is Halal and lawful to consume in Islam.

He did point out that Hanifis are the only people who have a problem with shrimp and believe that eating them is not Halal. This is because this school of thought claims that recent research identifies shrimp as a crustacean rather than a fish. As a result, it is not halal because it is not a fish.

Is Shrimp Haram?

No, shrimp are not Haram. It is permissible in Islam to eat shrimps and other sea foods. It is derived from what Allah and His beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW said in the Quran and Sunnah respectively.

For more clarification, refer to the above explanation.

Can Muslims Eat Shrimp?

Yes, Muslims can eat shrimps simply because eating shrimp is halal and permissible in Islam.

To be on the safe side, the rule in this case is that in the case of animals that live both on land and in the sea, the rules concerning land animals should take precedence, so they must be slaughtered properly, except for crabs, which do not need to be slaughtered even though they live both on land and in the sea because they do not have blood.

Everything that can cause harm as food is haram or forbidden, even if it comes from the sea, because Allah says (interpretation of meaning):

“… And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.”

Surah al-Nisa verse 29

and He also says:

“… and do not throw yourselves into destruction…”

Surah al-Baqarah 2:195

Conclusion

To summarize, shrimps and all kinds of food from the sea such as crabs are halal and permissible, whether they are plants or animals, alive or dead. However, there are certain types of water animals which are Haram and forbidden such as crocodiles, frogs, otters and turtles.