Can Muslims Eat Shellfish?
Short answer: For the majority of scholars — Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools — yes: all sea creatures are halal, including shrimp, crab and lobster (Qur’an 5:96). The Hanafi school limits the ruling to fish, which is why answers online seem to contradict each other.
The sources
"Lawful to you is the game of the sea and its food" (Qur’an 5:96). Asked about seawater, the Prophet ﷺ answered: "Its water is purifying, and its dead are lawful" (Abu Dawud 83, Tirmidhi 69 — graded sahih).
Where the madhhabs land
Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali: the verse and hadith are general — everything from the sea is halal: shrimp, crab, lobster, squid, mussels.
Hanafi: only "fish" (samak) is included; crab, lobster and mussels are excluded. Shrimp is debated even within the school, since early sources differ on whether it counts as fish.
Neither side is being careless — it is a genuine difference in how far the general text extends.
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Is shrimp halal?
Yes for the majority (Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali — all sea food is halal per Qur’an 5:96). Within the Hanafi school it is debated, with many Hanafi scholars permitting it as a type of fish.
Is crab halal?
Halal per the majority schools; excluded in the Hanafi school, which limits the ruling to fish.