Scholarly differences
The majority argument runs from killing to eating: the Prophet forbade killing frogs, and what may not be killed cannot be slaughtered and eaten. The minority, reported from Malik, Ibn Abi Laila, al-Sha'bi and al-Thawri in one of his opinions, relied on the general permission of sea game in Qur'an 5:96 and the hadith on the sea, 'its dead are lawful', and judged the frog hadiths weak.
Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah follows the majority and the hadith scholars who grade those narrations as sound enough to act on.
What decides the answer
-
Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali and Zahiri rulings
not permitted -
View reported from Malik and some early scholars
permitted -
Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah
sides with the majority: not permitted
How to verify
- Know your school: Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali rulings forbid frog; the Maliki view reported from Malik permits it.
- On menus, 'frog legs' or 'cuisses de grenouille' are frog.
- If you are unsure, the majority view and Dar al-Ifta's fatwa both say avoid it.
Quick checks
- Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali: not permitted.
- Malik and some early scholars: permitted.
- Dar al-Ifta sides with the majority.
Why this ruling
Frog legs are eaten in France, parts of Asia and elsewhere. For Muslims, frog is one of the clearer cases where the schools split, and the majority say no.
Why most schools forbid it
Several hadiths forbid killing frogs, among them one narrated by Abd Allah ibn Uthman and recorded by Abu Dawud, al-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah. From these, the Hanafis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis and Zahiris reasoned that eating frogs is prohibited, "due to the juristic rule that everything which has been forbidden to kill is [also] forbidden to eat".[1]
The minority view
Permission "is reported from Malik, Ibn Abi Laila, al-Sha'bi, and al-Thawri in one of his two opinions". They relied on the general wording of Qur'an 5:96, "Lawful to you is game from the sea",[2] and judged the frog hadiths weak. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta weighed both and sided with the majority: "We side with the opinion held by the majority scholars who prohibit eating frogs."[1]
For other animals the schools disagree on, see crocodile and escargot.
Where you'll find it
- Frog legs, fried or with garlic butter
- Frog in stir-fries and soups
Frequently asked questions
Is frog Halal?
Why is frog Haram in most schools?
Is frog considered seafood?
Sources
Named Islamic, certifier, manufacturer, and regulatory sources used on this page. Inline markers like [1] jump here. Retrieval dates show when we last checked the live URL. Editorial methodology.
Islamic / scriptural
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Catching and slaughtering frogs and exporting them to lands where they are eaten (Fatwa 662)
Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah Retrieved
Cites the hadiths forbidding the killing of frogs (Abd Allah ibn Uthman: Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah; Abu Hurairah: Ibn Majah; Ibn Umar and Ibn Amr: 'its croaking is tasbeeh'). 'The Hanafis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis, Zahiris and many other scholars consider it prohibited to eat frogs, due to the juristic rule that everything which has been forbidden to kill is [also] forbidden to eat.' Permission 'is reported from Malik, Ibn Abi Laila, al-Sha'bi, and al-Thawri in one of his two opinions', based on 5:96. 'We side with the opinion held by the majority scholars who prohibit eating frogs.'
-
Qur'an (Sahih International, via Quran.com) Retrieved
'Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food as provision for you and the travelers.'
