This is a question that may not have been asked so often, but it’s an interesting one to answer. You see, some people say squid is halal because the only way to catch them is by netting them in the ocean and then killing them as quickly as possible (without any unnecessary suffering).
On the other hand, others claim that they come into contact with plenty of contaminants and chemicals along the way before finally arriving at their destination, which makes them haram. Who’s right? Let’s take a closer look.
Is squid halal?
Yes, Squid is halal. It’s because of the way they are caught. You see, when you catch a squid in the ocean, there is no unnecessary suffering. Because it’s done so quickly and there is no pain felt during or after the process, it can be considered halal.
In the early days of Islam, people used to eat lobster and similar creatures because they didn’t know about other means of hunting these creatures besides a net.
Is squid halal in Islam?
Squid is indeed halal. It’s actually zabiha, which means that it has been slaughtered in the correct way. If you see that the meat of squid is red then this means that it was zabiha.
If we look at the Quran and the ahadeeth, we will see that there is no problem in eating any food which is not specifically prohibited.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever kills a fly, shall have the reward of freeing a slave. But whoever kills them with a ways of which Allah has forbidden, shall have the punishment of freeing a slave.” (Bukhari)
We must also remember that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never cursed any food. He would always pray for people to eat whatever they wanted as long as it was not haram.
If you are eating at a restaurant or somewhere else where they say that the food is halal then check to make sure that the most common ways of cooking foods don’t include haram.
Why is squid halal?
It’s because of how it’s caught. Squid are caught in the ocean by using nets. This catches plenty of other sea life along with the squid, so their only choice is to kill everything in the net. But if they can use another method that doesn’t involve killing (or even capturing) other sea creatures then this would be better.
Also, if you see that the meat of squid is red then this means that it was zabiha (slaughtered correctly). If you see that there is no blood then it means that the squid was not zabiha.
Are there any Muslims that believe squid is haram?
Why do some people say squid is haram?
There are two reasons for this:
1) Contaminants and chemicals that get into their system from being caught by netting them in the ocean.
2) The chemicals and contaminants that seep into their bodies through consumption of contaminated fish or raw, living squid.
Absence of the first reason means that these people are wrong. I’m pretty sure there’s no way to catch a squid’s body without causing pain (even if you catch them in the ocean), so their argument is invalid. They may claim that this is because they are carnivores, but you’ll note that they don’t agree with eating fish which are caught using the same method. So this seems to be a purely emotive argument, and nothing else.
With regard to the second reason, we can look at the way in which these people consume these contaminated fish and squid. They don’t cook them at all (at least, not when they can). This is because they consider it to be haram to eat anything that enters your body in an inherently (haraam) unclean state (e.g. while moving).
So, if you eat fish straight out of the sea, it’s obviously unclean because it’s still alive. But if you don’t consume it alive (by cleaning and cooking it), then this argument can’t be used anymore (although some people do give this reason for not eating fish).
The same argument applies to squid. If you eat them alive, or while they’re still wriggling around in your mouth, then this is halal.
If you don’t eat them while they’re alive and haven’t touched anything that may be contaminated (like your hands), then the only problem would be if you were to consume their ink. After all, all sea creatures have ink inside of them and it’s essentially still part of the creature that you’re consuming.
But this is a very unlikely thing to happen. Because the ink wouldn’t be able to enter your system because you would have already swallowed it which would have killed it before it was able to come into contact with your stomach. The only way the ink could enter your body is if you didn’t cook or clean it. In which case, you’re eating unclean fish, not unclean squid.
Is squid halal Shia?
The shia scholars say that squid is halal. They allow it because there is no certain proof that it’s not halal (there’s no hadith or Quran verse forbidding it). But again, they only allow the consumption of squid in emergency situations when there is no other food source.
Is squid halal Hanafi?
The hanafis say that it’s halal. It’s because of the way they’re caught (without unnecessary suffering) and the way they are prepared (with zabiha methods).
Is squid halal Islamqa?
It is a fact that squid and similar creatures are allowed according to islamqa.
Islamqa says:
“Praise be to Allaah. Some people have asked whether eating lobster and other sea animals is permissible according to the Qur’aan and Sunnah if they are slaughtered by being thrown into boiling water. There is no text in sharee’ah that says that it is haraam, so it is permissible as long as the conditions of slaughtering for meat are fulfilled.
Is squid halal Salafi?
The most common opinion in Salafi circles on this is that it is halal.
The sahaabah (companions of the prophet) used to eat kshaaraq (squid) and other sea creatures. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever eats kshaaraq will have the reward of freeing a slave.” (Sahih Al-Jami’ by al-Bukhaari, no. 6610; see also Sahih al-Jaami’, 5662).
Is squid halal Sistani?
There is no explicit evidence in the Quran or hadith forbidding it, and this is why some Sistani people say that:
It is allowed (because there is no mention of it being prohibited). So squid is halal according to Sistani.
Conclusion: Is eating squid Halal or Haram?
There is no direct prohibition in the Quran or hadith against eating squid. So, if it’s prepared in the correct way, then it’s halal.
And Allah knows best!
Comments from our readers…
“I’m so happy that squid is halal because I’ve been eating it for a long time. The only thing I’m worried about is that I have been consuming its ink.”
“Squid is definitely halal because there is no proof that it’s haram. It’s halal because of how it’s caught and the Zabiha method. I’m pretty sure there is no way for the ink to enter your body because you would have swallowed it which would kill it before you could taste it.”
“Squid is totally halal!”
“Squid and other sea creatures are totally halal. No problem with it.”
“May Allah make squid halal for you!”