Can I Follow the Shafi School Regarding the Ruling on Seafood?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I understood after reading the article that one can use opinions of different schools as long as one does not make it a habit to choose the most accessible opinions.
I live in Europe, and seafood is common/widespread here. As you know, we don‘t have that many options here regarding halal meat, so seafood would be a great option to eat. Also, I dream of becoming a chef, and I‘m interested in cooking seafood.
The problem is – I follow the Hanafi madhab in daily life. Since I don‘t want to ‚ grab the most accessible opinion‘ without consulting a scholar, I wanted to ask if I could follow the Shafi madhab regarding the ruling of seafood even though I am Hanafi.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Yes, in your case, you would be allowed to follow the Shafi school because of becoming a seafood chef and finding less halal meat and poultry. As a chef, you will have to try other foods and give feedback on tastes to the customers. Hence, it will be permissible for you. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Check these links:
Is it permissible to eat prawns in the Hanafi madhhab? Islam FAQ with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube
Can We Follow Different Schools of Thought in Separate Issues? – SeekersGuidance
Is Lobster Permissible According to the Hanafi School? – SeekersGuidance
On What Criteria Does the Hanafi School Distinguish Fish from Other Sea Creatures? – SeekersGuidance
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
SeekersAcademy (seekers.flywheelstaging.com)
I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.
He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.
He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.
He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.
