Is Eating Crabs Halal or Haram or Makrooh? Best Answer
C J. Ahmed
Eating crabs is not haram in Islam because there is no clear text prohibiting it. The general confusion among some Muslims on whether is crab halal or not is due to various differing opinions and disagreements that have existed among scholars and schools of thought and the topic of whether crabs are halal has ended as an unnecessary issue.
The issue of whether a Muslim should eat crabs or not has been a debate that has been raging for quite a while now.
The Jamia Nizamia seminary in India issued a wrong fatwa stating that eating crabs is makruh tahrima which means that is is highly disliked. There is no evidence whatsoever to prove that eating crabs is disliked. The reason for such a debate to take place in the first place is because there are many divisions among Muslims when it comes to understanding Islam and these divisions are mainly due to the blind following of various sects and madhhabs. In Islam following a madhhab is haram and I have explained this in my article and you can read it by clicking here cjislam.weebly.com/why-following-madhhabs-is-haram.html . The Encyclopedia Britannica explains crabs as follows.
"Crab, any short-tailed member of the crustacean order Decapoda (phylum Arthropoda)—especially the brachyurans (infraorder Brachyura), or true crabs, but also other forms such as the anomurans (suborder Anomura), which include the hermit crabs. Decapods occur in all oceans, in fresh water, and on land; about 10,000 species have been described".
In general, a crab is a sea creature or animal that moves on it's sideways when on land and and has two distinctive pincers like arms to catch or hold anything. You can watch my below video explaining why eating crabs is halal.
There is a big confusion among Muslims as to whether you can eat crabs and this misunderstanding and confusion is a result of having a baseless view that eating crabs is makrooh and I have heard people arguing that eating more than three or so crabs is haram and anything less is makrooh. This is what will happen when ignorance creeps in to your mind and ignorance is dangerous because it is like a virus or bacteria that slowly feeds on your numb leg and you will never realize this until it is too late. 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 in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination".(Al-Quran-4:59)
If we refer the argument on whether we can eat crabs or not, we can see that no where in Islam does it say that eating crabs is makrooh or haram. This is what 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 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 other misunderstood argument among Muslims about eating crab is that crabs have fangs and they fall in to the category of animals have fangs. They quote the below hadith.
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. Crabs are not predators and even if they are predators, they are still halal because they are animals from the ocean and live in the water. There are several hadiths prohibiting the eating of animals with fangs but this is only limited to 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) 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)
None of these hadith have anything to do with crabs. crabs are nor predatory animals and even for the sake of argument if we agree that crabs are predatory animals, it is still halal to eat them because all animals in the sea are halal even if they are predatory animals.
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)
The above authentic hadith closes the argument on whether you can eat crabs or not and proves clearly that eating crabs is halal. The companions of the prophet(Sal) also had no difference of opinion. One example is below.Jabir(Rali) said,"We set out in the army of al-Khabt and Abu Ubayda (Rali) was the commander of the troops. We were struck with severe hunger and the sea threw out a dead fish the like of which we had never seen, and it was called al-Anbar. We ate of it for half a month. Abu Ubayda took (and fixed) one of its bones and a rider passed underneath it (without touching it). Abu Ubayda said (to us): "Eat (of that fish)." When we arrived at Madina, we informed the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) about what had happened, and he said: "Eat, for it is food Allah has brought out for you, and feed us if you have some of it." So some of them gave him (of that fish) and he ate it."
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
Analyzing The Opinions of Madhhabs and deviant sects and Individuals on eating crab
One of the main reason why some Muslims are of the view that eating crabs is haram is because of the blind following of madhhabs and madhhab imams. For an example,imam Malik in Al Lubab p.533 v.7 and Hidayah p.442 v.4 said that all living creatures in the ocean are halal except for eel. This is only imam Malik's opinion and as a human being he made a mistake. Imam Malik said,
"Truly I am only a mortal: I make mistakes (sometimes) and I am correct (sometimes). Therefore, look into my opinions: all that agrees with the Book and the Sunnah, accept it; and all that does not agree with the Book and the Sunnah, ignore it."
(Ibn 'Abdul Barr in Jaami' Bayaan al-'Ilm (2/32), Ibn Hazm, quoting from the former in Usool al-Ahkaam (6/149), & similarly AlFulaani (p. 72))
Some later opinions in the madhhabs make differences of land and sea crabs and define that land crabs are haram or makrooh. If we stick to the Quran and the Sunnah, it is clear that Islam does not distinguish between sea crabs and land crabs and any crab be it land or in sea is halal.
Among the deviant sects, the Shia are among the most deviated sects that forbid eating fish without scales and have gone against the Quran. 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.
Nutritional value of Crabs
There are many health benefits of eating crabs and I thought that this shouldn't be overlooked. Crab meat is full of phosphorous and phosphorous is a key mineral to having strong bones and teeth. crab meat also is rich in vitamin B-12 and omega-3 fatty acids which fights depression and anxiety and heart related illnesses.Crab meat contains selenium which boosts the immune system.Below is the table showing the health benefits of eating crab. Please click the below links to read more similar articles on cjislam
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" if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (SAW), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination".(Al-Quran-4:59)
If we refer the argument on whether we can eat crabs or not, we can see that no where in Islam does it say that eating crabs is makrooh or haram. This is what 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 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 other misunderstood argument among Muslims about eating crab is that crabs have fangs and they fall in to the category of animals have fangs. They quote the below hadith.
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. Crabs are not predators and even if they are predators, they are still halal because they are animals from the ocean and live in the water. There are several hadiths prohibiting the eating of animals with fangs but this is only limited to 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) 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)
None of these hadith have anything to do with crabs. crabs are nor predatory animals and even for the sake of argument if we agree that crabs are predatory animals, it is still halal to eat them because all animals in the sea are halal even if they are predatory animals.
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)
The above authentic hadith closes the argument on whether you can eat crabs or not and proves clearly that eating crabs is halal. The companions of the prophet(Sal) also had no difference of opinion. One example is below.Jabir(Rali) said,"We set out in the army of al-Khabt and Abu Ubayda (Rali) was the commander of the troops. We were struck with severe hunger and the sea threw out a dead fish the like of which we had never seen, and it was called al-Anbar. We ate of it for half a month. Abu Ubayda took (and fixed) one of its bones and a rider passed underneath it (without touching it). Abu Ubayda said (to us): "Eat (of that fish)." When we arrived at Madina, we informed the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) about what had happened, and he said: "Eat, for it is food Allah has brought out for you, and feed us if you have some of it." So some of them gave him (of that fish) and he ate it."
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
Analyzing The Opinions of Madhhabs and deviant sects and Individuals on eating crab
One of the main reason why some Muslims are of the view that eating crabs is haram is because of the blind following of madhhabs and madhhab imams. For an example,imam Malik in Al Lubab p.533 v.7 and Hidayah p.442 v.4 said that all living creatures in the ocean are halal except for eel. This is only imam Malik's opinion and as a human being he made a mistake. Imam Malik said,
"Truly I am only a mortal: I make mistakes (sometimes) and I am correct (sometimes). Therefore, look into my opinions: all that agrees with the Book and the Sunnah, accept it; and all that does not agree with the Book and the Sunnah, ignore it."
(Ibn 'Abdul Barr in Jaami' Bayaan al-'Ilm (2/32), Ibn Hazm, quoting from the former in Usool al-Ahkaam (6/149), & similarly AlFulaani (p. 72))
Some later opinions in the madhhabs make differences of land and sea crabs and define that land crabs are haram or makrooh. If we stick to the Quran and the Sunnah, it is clear that Islam does not distinguish between sea crabs and land crabs and any crab be it land or in sea is halal.
Among the deviant sects, the Shia are among the most deviated sects that forbid eating fish without scales and have gone against the Quran. 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.
Nutritional value of Crabs
There are many health benefits of eating crabs and I thought that this shouldn't be overlooked. Crab meat is full of phosphorous and phosphorous is a key mineral to having strong bones and teeth. crab meat also is rich in vitamin B-12 and omega-3 fatty acids which fights depression and anxiety and heart related illnesses.Crab meat contains selenium which boosts the immune system.Below is the table showing the health benefits of eating crab. Please click the below links to read more similar articles on cjislam
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