Eating the Frog
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Fatwa No. ( 1414 )
Q: Is it permissible to kill the frog ? And is the frog considered a land animal or a sea animal? If it is a land animal, is it permissible to eat it without slaughtering, since people do not slaughter it? And it cannot be slaughtered because it has no neck; rather, they cut off its leg to eat and throw away the rest. And if it is a sea animal, what prevents it from being included in the sea game that Allah has made lawful? Some scholars have said that all the hadiths that have come regarding the prohibition of killing the frog are weak and that nothing from them is authentic. What do you say?
A: The scholars have differed regarding the ruling on eating the frog. Some of them permitted eating it, and some of them prohibited it. Among those who permitted eating it was Malik ibn Anas and those who agreed with him among the scholars. Among those who prohibited eating it was Imam Ahmad and those who agreed with him among
the scholars. Those who permitted it cited as evidence the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:96] and His saying (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the sea: Sunan Abi Dawud 83Sahih (Al-Albani) This generality includes the frog because it is sea game. Those who prohibited eating it cited as evidence what Abu Dawud narrated in the Book of Medicine and in the Book of Manners, and al-Nasa'i in the Book of Hunting, from Ibn Abi Dhi'b from Sa'id ibn Khalid from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib , from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Uthman al-Qurashi , Bulugh al-Maram 12:13. End of quote. And it was narrated by Ahmad and Ishaq ibn Rahawayh and Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi in their Musnads, and by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak in the Book of Virtues, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Uthman al-Taymi , and he repeated it in the Book of Medicine and said: The chain is authentic, and they
did not narrate it, and al-Bayhaqi said: It is the strongest of what has come regarding the frog. So in this hadith is evidence for the prohibition of eating the frog, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited killing it, and the prohibition of killing an animal is either because of its sanctity, like that of a human, or because of the prohibition of eating it, like the frog; for it is not sanctified, so the prohibition turns to its eating. And this hadith is defective because it contains Sa'id ibn Khalid ibn Qaradh , whom al-Nasa'i weakened. And the response to this is that Ibn Hibban graded him as trustworthy, and al-Daraqutni said: He is a Medinan whose testimony is accepted. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: Is it permissible to kill the frog ? And is the frog considered a land animal or a sea animal? If it is a land animal, is it permissible to eat it without slaughtering, since people do not slaughter it? And it cannot be slaughtered because it has no neck; rather, they cut off its leg to eat and throw away the rest. And if it is a sea animal, what prevents it from being included in the sea game that Allah has made lawful? Some scholars have said that all the hadiths that have come regarding the prohibition of killing the frog are weak and that nothing from them is authentic. What do you say?
A: The scholars have differed regarding the ruling on eating the frog. Some of them permitted eating it, and some of them prohibited it. Among those who permitted eating it was Malik ibn Anas and those who agreed with him among the scholars. Among those who prohibited eating it was Imam Ahmad and those who agreed with him among
the scholars. Those who permitted it cited as evidence the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food as provision for you and the travelers
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُ مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِIts water is pure and what dies in it is lawful food.
هو الطهور ماؤه الحل ميتتهA doctor consulted the Prophet (ﷺ) about extracting medicine from a frog but he prohibited killing it.
أن طبيبًا سأل رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - عن الضفدع يجعلها في دواء فنهى عن قتلهاdid not narrate it, and al-Bayhaqi said: It is the strongest of what has come regarding the frog. So in this hadith is evidence for the prohibition of eating the frog, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited killing it, and the prohibition of killing an animal is either because of its sanctity, like that of a human, or because of the prohibition of eating it, like the frog; for it is not sanctified, so the prohibition turns to its eating. And this hadith is defective because it contains Sa'id ibn Khalid ibn Qaradh , whom al-Nasa'i weakened. And the response to this is that Ibn Hibban graded him as trustworthy, and al-Daraqutni said: He is a Medinan whose testimony is accepted. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.