What is the ruling on one who refrains from eating sea cucumbers following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
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The questioner : One who refrains from sea cucumbers following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh : We say that one who refrains from sea cucumbers following the example of the Prophet has not followed the Prophet, but rather has contradicted the Prophet. Is the cause for which he refrained from eating it present in this man or not? I am asking you now: a man who lives among sea cucumbers, knows them, and loves them, says, "I will refrain from them following the Messenger." We say: You have now contradicted the Messenger, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not refrain from them out of sanctity or scrupulousness, but rather because they were not in the land of his people, so he disliked them. Just as some people today, including our Egyptian brothers, cannot eat locusts, even though they see them as lawful, is that not so, O Hajjaj? Yes, indeed. Some of them was a teacher at the institute a long time ago, and we sent him a bucket of locusts, which we had cleaned of their wings and legs, and they were of the good type that is called in our colloquial language... So I sent them to him. When morning came, he said, "I almost died last night." Why? He said, "I ate one and my soul almost left my body. I did not find it palatable. He even said, 'I brought an onion and ate an onion.' He said, 'I gave him the *rawayah*.' In the old days, women used to bring water to the houses. He said, 'I gave him the *rawayah*. If only you had given it to us, since you do not want it.' Yes, the point is that one who is not accustomed to a thing dislikes it. So this man who says, "I refrain from it following the Messenger," we say: Yes, if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had refrained from it out of scrupulousness, there would be no harm. But he refrained from it for a cause that does not exist in you.
The Shaykh : We say that one who refrains from sea cucumbers following the example of the Prophet has not followed the Prophet, but rather has contradicted the Prophet. Is the cause for which he refrained from eating it present in this man or not? I am asking you now: a man who lives among sea cucumbers, knows them, and loves them, says, "I will refrain from them following the Messenger." We say: You have now contradicted the Messenger, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not refrain from them out of sanctity or scrupulousness, but rather because they were not in the land of his people, so he disliked them. Just as some people today, including our Egyptian brothers, cannot eat locusts, even though they see them as lawful, is that not so, O Hajjaj? Yes, indeed. Some of them was a teacher at the institute a long time ago, and we sent him a bucket of locusts, which we had cleaned of their wings and legs, and they were of the good type that is called in our colloquial language... So I sent them to him. When morning came, he said, "I almost died last night." Why? He said, "I ate one and my soul almost left my body. I did not find it palatable. He even said, 'I brought an onion and ate an onion.' He said, 'I gave him the *rawayah*.' In the old days, women used to bring water to the houses. He said, 'I gave him the *rawayah*. If only you had given it to us, since you do not want it.' Yes, the point is that one who is not accustomed to a thing dislikes it. So this man who says, "I refrain from it following the Messenger," we say: Yes, if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had refrained from it out of scrupulousness, there would be no harm. But he refrained from it for a cause that does not exist in you.