Are Oysters Halal or Haram?
A lot of Muslims believe that eating oysters are halal but some people disagree.
Some muslims believe that oysters are haram, while others say they are halal, it really depends on who you ask what they will say about this topic. Eating oysters is haram because they come out of the ocean which is zahir meaning visible, and oysters contain dead animals.
Are Oysters halal if cooked by fire?
Oysters are not halal because it comes out of water which has dead fishes, shrimp, and other sea animals in them. Even when the ocean contains sea fish there might be some remains of sea animals because those sea animals or the fish died while eating him/her. If a person feels like his/her stomach will not be okay if he/she eats it and that person eats that oyster, he/she can ask the Muslims to give him/her another one.
The notion of whether or not oysters are halal, i.e. permissible to eat according to Islamic dietary laws, is a matter of some debate amongst Muslim scholars. While some scholars maintain that oysters and other sea creatures are halal and others maintain that they are haram, this article will focus on the viewpoint of those who believe oysters to be halal.
In order to understand how it is that certain scholars consider oysters to be halal, it is necessary to understand the food classification system of Islam.
There are two approaches to determining what is halal and what is haram: the dominant approach and the minority approach. The two schools of thought with respect to how food is classified are called the Zahiriyyah school and the Batiniyyah school.
According to the Zahiriyyah approach, all foods in general are halal except for intoxicants (e.g., alcohol). While the Batiniyyah approach basically equates all foods with haram.
The Batiniyyah school’s justification for this classification system is that life on earth is a temporary experience, and since human beings were created to enjoy food they are not supposed to be preoccupied with eating.
The majority of Muslims today belong to the Zahiriyyah school of thought. Therefore, most foods are considered halal except for those Foods and drinks which have intoxicating properties or were originally intended as non-foods (haram). Included in this latter category is blood.
Arguments in favor of Oysters being Halal would include their non-intoxicating properties as well as their nutritional value. While they are regarded as a delicacy by most people in the world, there are many who have an allergy to them and cannot eat them at all.
On the other hand, arguments in favor of Oysters not being Halal would include their non-halal nature in certain majority Muslim countries.
This would include the fear that they were harvested from places with extensive pollution and their inability to be certified as halal.
To summarize, most people would agree that Oysters provide great benefits to those who can eat them and thus they are considered good food. However, their non-halal status makes them not ideal for consumption.
Summary: Is eating oysters Halal or Haram?
Oysters are not considered Halal by majority of the Muslim Scholars. However, some Scholars have permitted consumption of Oysters if it is for medical and/or nutritional purposes.
Comments from our readers…
“Oysters are definitely haram. Unfortunately for us, they’re so delicious!” – Muhammad (from Manila, Philippines)
“It’s haram. I’ve eaten them once and had severe stomach pains afterwards.” – Arif (from Toronto, Canada)
“I don’t eat oysters and I don’t eat any seafood.” – Muhammad (from Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan)
“Oysters are haram, but it is permissible for medical purposes such as cancer prevention. However, [making them] also for eating is not allowed and we have asked traders to stop.” – Pepe
