Halal guide
The schools agree on the basics: no pork, no blood, no carrion, no intoxicants. They differ on a few foods, most of them from the sea. The table shows each school's view on those foods, and every row has its sources. What foods are not Halal?
The four Sunni schools: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. Ja'fari is the school of Twelver Shia law; the Ja'fari column follows the rulings of Sayyid Ali al-Sistani's office, and other Shia authorities can differ.
| Food | Hanafi | Maliki | Shafi'i | Hanbali | Ja'fari |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seafood | |||||
| Fish with scales salmon, cod, tuna | Halal | Halal | Halal | Halal | Halal |
| Fish without scales eel, catfish | Halal | Halal | Halal | Halal | Not Halal |
| Shrimp and prawns | Views differ | Halal | Halal | Halal | Halal |
| Crab | Not Halal | Halal | Not Halal | Halal | Not Halal |
| Lobster, mussels, oysters, clams | Not Halal | Halal | Halal | Halal | Not Halal |
| Squid and octopus calamari | Not Halal | Halal | Halal | Halal | Not Halal |
| Vinegar | |||||
| Wine that turned into vinegar by itself | Halal | Halal | Halal | Halal | Halal |
| Wine vinegar made on purpose most wine and balsamic vinegar | Halal | Views differ | Not Halal | Not Halal | Halal |
| Cheese and colourings | |||||
| Cheese made with rennet from an animal not slaughtered Islamically | Halal | Not Halal | Not Halal | Views differ | Halal |
| Insects, including carmine (E120) red colouring made from cochineal insects | Not Halal | Views differ | Not Halal | Not Halal | No source yet |
Every school permits it, with no slaughter needed. Ja'fari rulings permit fish only when it has scales.
The four Sunni schools treat these as fish; a Hanafi ruling names eel as permitted. Sayyid al-Sistani's office rules that "the fish that does not have scale is forbidden".
Hanafi scholars differ: those who count shrimp as a fish permit it, those who follow its classification as a crustacean do not. Ja'fari rulings permit shrimp as an exception to the scales rule.
The Maliki and Hanbali schools permit crab. The Shafi'i school has two views; the stronger one, in al-Nawawi's words, is that "the frog and the crab are forbidden". The Hanafi school permits only fish from the sea.
The Maliki and Shafi'i schools permit all sea animals; Imam Ahmad permitted all except the frog, snake and crocodile. The Hanafi school permits only fish, and Ja'fari rulings exclude shellfish.
A Hanafi answer rules calamari impermissible because it is not a fish. A Ja'fari answer says the same of squid: every sea animal other than scaled fish is unlawful, except shrimp.
Permissible by consensus. Sayyid al-Sistani's rulings also count it pure.
Hanafi scholars permit it; the Shafi'is, Hanbalis and some Malikis prohibit it. For vinegar you buy, a Shafi'i answer allows following the Hanafi view, and IslamQA allows vinegar made by non-Muslims. Sayyid al-Sistani rules wine pure once it becomes vinegar, even when salt or vinegar was added to turn it.
Abu Hanifa held such rennet pure, and so does one of two reports from Imam Ahmad; most Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold it impure. Pig rennet is excluded by all. Sayyid al-Sistani's office sees no problem in such cheese.
The Hanafis prohibit insects; the Malikis permit them when killed in order to be eaten, and a Maliki answer finds that carmine, as it is made, does not meet that condition; the Shafi'is and Hanbalis prohibit most insects, locusts excepted. Jordan's Iftaa' Department and Indonesia's MUI permit carmine under conditions.
These are each school's main or stronger positions as the sources report them. Scholars within a school can differ, and Halal certifiers set their own rules. If you're not sure which school you follow, ask the imam at your mosque.
