Fatwa #464554 November 2020Pakistan
Ruling regarding eating at fish restaurants
Question
Mufti saheb what is the ruling regarding eating at fish restaurants such as ocean basket, fishaways etc. where there is a possibility of contamination taking place between lawful and unlawful products e.g. between the fish, calamari, lobsters etc.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The premise of your question is based on contamination of Haram with Halal. It should be pointed out that not everything that is Haram is impure (Najis). There may be items that are Haram (not permissible to consume) but not impure as well.
If there is contamination of Halal with something impure (Najis), for example, beef is contaminated with pork, then in that situation it will not be permissible to consume the beef. [1] However, if there is contamination with something that is not impure as well as not Halal, then such contamination does not make Halal into Haram. [2]
According to the Hanafi Madhab, calamari, lobsters and other sea creatures are not Halal (not permissible to eat). However, they are not Najis (impure) either. Therefore, if calamari or lobsters are mixed with fish, that does not make the fish Haram and impure.
It is permissible to eat at seafood restaurants that are certified by reliable Halal certifying organizations.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mohamed Ebrahim bin Ismail Abdullah
Student - Darul Iftaa
Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
16-03-1442|02-11-2020
[1]
مراقي الفلاح شرح نور الإيضاح (ص: 18)
"أو" شرب منه الخنزير لنجاسة عينه لقوله تعالى: {فَإِنَّهُ رِجْسٌ} [الأنعام: من الآية145]
البناية شرح الهداية (1/ 417)
لحم خنزير نجس فإن لحمه نجس
[2]
التجريد للقدوري (12/ 6368)
قالوا: روي عن أبي بكر - رضي الله عنه - أنه قال: ما من دابة في البحر تموت إلا قد ذكاها الله لكم. 31416
- قلنا: التذكية تقتضي الطهارة ولا تقتضي إباحة الأكل عندنا، وهذا الحيوان جميعه طاهر. 31417