The Creed of Compassion-Islamic Teachings & Answering Doctrinal Misconceptions

Issue No. 2241- If a hunting dog hunts a wild halal-meat animal, it will be halal if the following five conditions are fulfilled:1- The dog should be trained in such a way that when commanded to catch the prey, it goes and when restrained from going, it stops. In fact, insofar as it has been trained for hunting, it will be sufficient, though it may itself go towards the prey as soon as its eyes catch sight of the prey. However, if it has the habit of eating the prey before its owner arrives, its prey should be avoided as an obligatory precaution but there would be no harm if it sometimes eats the prey or only drinks its blood. 2- The person who sends out the dog for hunting should be a Muslim or a Muslim child who distinguishes between good and bad [1] as an obligatory precaution. One who expresses enmity towards the Household of the holy Prophet Muhammad (ṣ) is not a Muslim, and his game should be avoided as an obligatory precaution.3- The hunter should utter the name of Allah at the time of sending the dog or when the dog is leaving. However, there is no harm if he forgets to do so. And it will not be necessary to utter the name of Allah just before sending the dog, rather, if he utters it before the dog reaches the prey, it will be halal.4- The prey should die as a result of the wound inflicted by the dog’s teeth. Therefore, if the dog suffocates the prey to death or the prey dies because of running too much or out of fear, it is not halal.5- The hunter who sends the dog should reach the spot when the animal is dead or if it is alive, there should not be enough time to slaughter it. However, if he reaches there when there is time to slaughter it, for example, it moves its eyes or strikes its feet to the ground, he should slaughter the prey in accordance with the rules prescribed by sharia, or else, it is haram.

Issue No. 2243- If a person sends several dogs for hunting an animal and if all of them satisfy the conditions mentioned above, the prey is halal but if any one of them does not fulfil those conditions, the prey is haram.

Issue No. 2247- Fish with scales are only halal, irrespective of whether the scales are few or many, small or large. Even the fish whose scales are feeble and shed off in the net are halal. However, microscopic scales that that people do not consider to be scales do not suffice.

Issue No. 2248- If a fish is caught alive from water and dies out of water, it is ṭāhir and halal, and if it dies in the trap in water, it is halal too.

Issue No. 2250- It is not necessary for a person catching a fish to be Muslim or to utter the name of Allah while catching it. However, it should be known that it has been caught alive from water or died after it has been trapped in the net.

Issue No. 2251- If a fish is bought from Muslim markets or is given by a Muslim hand, it is halal, though it may not be known whether it was caught alive from water or not; and it is not necessary to investigate about it. However, if it is bought from an unbeliever, and it is not known whether or not it was caught alive from water, it is haram.

Issue No. 2252- It is not permissible as an obligatory precaution to eat small living fishes, except for treatment in cases of emergency.

Issue No. 2253- It is better that one does not roast the fish before it dies completely.

Issue No. 2254- If a fish is cut into two parts out of water, and one part of it falls into water while it is alive and dies, it is not permissible to eat the part which has remained out of water as an obligatory precaution.

Issue No. 2255- Prawn which is also called shrimp is a halal sea animal. However, it is haram to eat land animals similar to fish that some may use the term ‘fish’ for, like some species of skink, unless for treatment in cases of emergency.

Issue No. 2256- It is halal to eat the meat of animals like, cow, sheep, domestic camels, as well as the meat of wild cows, sheep, goats, donkeys and deer. However, it is makrūh to eat the meat of horses, mules and donkeys. It is haram to eat the meat of predatory animals in general, and also the meat of elephants, rabbits and insects.

Issue No. 2257- It is haram to eat the meat of birds with claws and also birds whose gliding is more than the flapping of their wings. However, those birds whose flapping while flying is more than their gliding are halal to eat including all kinds of pigeons, ring-doves and partridges but it is makrūh to eat the meat of hoopoes. Also, birds with a craw or spur on their foot are also halal to eat.