Difference between haraam and makrooh
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this
question:
Dear Mr. Burhan, Assalamualaikum;
While sea food is halaal, is every thing
from sea is halaal? I mean to Say Shark, Crab, Prawn, Fish Eggs
etc. Some say these are makrooh.
By the by, what is difference between Haraam
and Makrooh.
Regards,
(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above
statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and
statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no
person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Q-1: While sea food is halaal, is every thing from sea is
halaal? I mean to
say Shark, Crab, Prawn, Fish Eggs etc.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah
Nahl verse 14:If is He (Allah) Who has subjected the sea to your service so
that you may get fresh flesh from it to eat and bring out of it articles of
ornaments, which you wear.
Abu Hurairah (r.a.) related that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (saws), "O Messenger of Allah, we sail on the ocean and we carry only a little water. If we use it for ablution, we will have to go thirsty. May we use sea water for ablution?" Said the Messenger of Allah (saws), "Its (the sea) water is pure and (even) its dead (animals) are lawful (i.e., they can be eaten without any prescribed slaughtering)."
In light of the above Aayah of the Quran, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), almost all the scholars in Islam are
unanimous in their opinion that all types of sea-food is halaal for the
believers; be they shark, crabs,
prawns, fish eggs, or any other
animal that predominantly lives in the sea.
In determining whether a thing is halaal or haraam, the principle or ‘usool’ in Shariah is that
unless the thing is not found in the list of the haraam, it will be considered halaal for the
believers.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah
Aaraaf verse 32 (part): Say: Who hath forbidden the beautiful (gifts) of Allah which He hath
produced for His servants, and the
things clean and pure (which He hath provided) for sustenance?
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah
Nahl verses 114-116:
114 So eat of the sustenance
which Allah has provided for you,
lawful and good; and be grateful for the favors of Allah, if it is He whom ye serve.
115 He has only forbidden
you: dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and any (food) over which the name of other
than Allah has been invoked. But if one
is forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing due
limits, then Allah is Oft-Forgiving
Most Merciful.
116 But say not for any
false thing that your tongues may put forth "This is lawful and this is
forbidden" so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those who ascribe false things to Allah
will never prosper.
If Allah and His Messenger (saws) have not forbidden
something, no man has a right to forbid
what Allah and His Messenger (saws) have deemed lawful!
Q-2: By the by, what is difference between Haraam and
Makrooh.
Haraam is something which is specifically prohibited and
forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (saws);
eg. The flesh of swine,
gambling, intoxicants,
zina, usury, etc. The commands of Allah and His Messenger
(saws) regarding the prohibition of these things are absolutely clear and
unambiguous.
On some things where the Quran and Sunnah are silent, and it becomes evident that these things are
impure and unsuitable for the believers in light of the guidance of the Quran
and Sunnah; the scholars have termed
such things ‘Makrooh’ or disliked.
Example being cigarettes,
etc.
Everything that is declared Haraam by Allah and His
Messenger (saws) are also disliked, and
thus every Haraam thing will also be considered ‘Makrooh’; but not all ‘makrooh’ things will
necessarily be considered Haraam.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
